MONEY

Natcore’s president talks about his plans for Rochester

Jinelle Shengulette

Originally headquartered in Red Bank, New Jersey, Natcore Technology has recently made Rochester its official home.

The solar energy company, which is working to develop a less expensive solar cell, originally moved its research and development department to Kodak’s Eastman Business Park in 2012 but kept its headquarters in New Jersey.

“When we went public and raised some money, we were looking for an area to put our lab. Louise Slaughter was persistent in having us get involved in that area. She introduced us to the facility. It was such a simple decision for us because the facility was so great,” said Charles Provini, president of Natcore. The business also has an office on North Water Street.

Eventually, it made sense logistically to move the whole team to one area and shut down the New Jersey office.

Provini, a Delray Beach, Florida, resident, is used to visiting the Rochester area about once a month. He may be spending more time in our area now, though, since he won’t be visiting New Jersey on his trips north anymore. The company president says he will most likely look into getting a loft or apartment in town.

We spoke with Provini, a Naval Academy graduate and a former Marine Corps officer, about joint ventures, his side business and more.

On why mistakes are OK: “We hope to get employees to make mistakes. If they’re not making mistakes, they’re not doing anything on their own. We want everybody to have the authority to make decisions, think on their own and therefore become very creative. I think a company that’s micro-managed or requires the head person to make all the decisions is a company that’s not going anywhere.”

On doing his due diligence: “Even though I was involved in Wall Street for many years, I didn’t buy and sell stocks; I bought and sold asset managers. So Natcore was the first company I was ever really involved in that someone might invest in, so I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just a science project. I spent over two and a half years doing my due diligence on Natcore and the technology before we went public. I’ve been running it ever since.”

On his side work as a public speaker: “I like to speak in front of people and bring reality to how the financial markets and alternative energy really work. A lot of people have a lot of misunderstanding ideas on what’s real in the solar and wind industry. What I try to do is take the fiction out of the financial and alternative energy markets and bring reality to it. Reality is the only thing that survives when markets go the wrong way.”

On upcoming joint ventures: “There are two companies, both out of Europe, that we’d be looking to have our joint ventures with — because we will not be in the manufacturing business; we will be in joint ventures with people in the manufacturing business — we’re trying to get them to build their facilities near our laboratory here in Rochester.”

For more information: Natcore Technology, 189 N. Water St., Suite 700. Call (877) 700-6282 or go to www.natcoresolar.com.