You can’t get much more Southern Illinois than our latest team member, Shariff Shakir. No, really. Shariff has the unique honor of having been born in student housing, right on the campus of SIU. Raised just down the road in Harrisburg, life has occasionally taken Shariff out of the area, but like so many natives to our beautiful region, he always winds up coming back.

One of the reasons Shariff still calls Little Egypt home is the Midwest personality prevalent in the area. He likes that strangers will ask, “How are you,” and that they genuinely care about the response. He also enjoys being near his family and friends, and the region’s, “phenomenal natural attractions.” Don’t we all!

Shariff’s interest in solar stems from, as he puts it, a desire to see everyone win. Sure, our customers win by saving money on their power bills and being more energy independent. We win by getting to provide this to them as inexpensively as possible. But Shariff brings up a great point that we don’t talk about as much: “Even the folks not involved in a given deal benefit through the community being a little more green.” Shariff is the proud owner of a 9.25 kW Enphase system.

This desire to work for the benefit of everyone helps Shariff fit right in at AES Solar. “Some businesses are just businesses, but AES Solar isn’t just a business, its a group of amazing people. Everyone here is passionate and unbelievably knowledgeable about solar. Everyone cares about each other and the community.”

Shariff enjoys taking in the natural beauty of Southern Illinois when he can, but he’s often happiest in the kitchen, where he enjoys cooking and baking. He touts a “mean cheesecake,” which we hope he brings to the next staff meeting. If you want that recipe (good luck), or just to say hi, stop by our headquarters the next time you come through Carterville!