Our Team
David Raichart
Co-Founder and President of Sales
David has been passionate about renewables and sustainable living since childhood. Before founding Photon Brothers, he learned the ins and outs of the industry working for a national solar company. He played baseball for many years and even signed a few professional contracts along the way. After graduating college in Santa Cruz, he has searched for ways to protect the environment. In his free time he enjoys biking, hiking, and coaching baseball. His three young children inspire him to make a positive impact, pushing him to get solar on every home.
Matt Raichart
Chief Operating Officer
Matt serves as the COO of Photon Brothers. His responsibilities include system design, best installation practice, material utilization and technical support. He brings a wide range of electrical experience to Photon Brothers. Matt has been a master electrician for 8 years and prior to Solar he specialized in Lighting Control Systems, Home Automation and High End Commercial including Medical and Dental facilities. He has used this skill set as the model for Photon Brothers Solar installations. This means that only commercial grade equipment is used on all installs, ensuring the customer receives a system whose individual parts will perform for the duration of the panels they support. Matt holds a BA in Business Psychology from the University of San Francisco, a Master Electricians License in Colorado and an Electrical Contractors license in California.
John E Johnson
Co-Owner, Solar Consultant
After nearly 10 years on the "solar coaster," John E. has a keen insight on the renewable energy industry: where it has been and where it is heading. You have to understand the ever changing business climate. As a graduate of the College of Business from Clemson University, he learned that hard work, dedication, and understanding the competitive landscape gives you leverage to succeed. Whether he is running, hiking or skiing in the Rocky Mountains, John E. pushes himself and those around him to go higher, reach for it and push your limits. Having worked in business and technology for over 20 years, he regards the customer and their satisfaction as his first and foremost concern. Living near the base of the Flatirons in Boulder, Colorado, he challenges his children Jett (3) and Ella (6) to enjoy the great outdoors alongside his partner, Jenny.
Sam Johnson
Co-Owner, Solar Consultant
Sam grew up in upstate South Carolina, in the lovely town of Spartanburg where he was an avid tennis player and first came to learn about his passion for our environment and how we can better protect it. In junior high school, he started rock climbing which soon became one of his greatest passions in life. Once he was able to drive, he was camping and bouldering all over the southeastern United States. After graduating high school, he moved to Colorado where he quickly established residency and then embarked on his Environmental Science degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Once he decided to move on from pursuing a career as a professional rock climber, he found himself working as an Environmental Scientist, cleaning up contamination on various industrial sites throughout the United States. After a few years in that field, Sam found that his passion for making the earth a better place was drawing him out of Environmental Consulting and into renewable energy. Ever since then, he has balanced spending his time with his family here in Colorado and back home in the Southeast with his love of music, the outdoors, and changing the way our world is powered.
Chris Swearingen
Solar Consultant
Chris is originally from Simsbury, Connecticut. After earning a Marketing Degree at Miami University in Ohio, he moved to Durango, Colorado almost 20 years ago to pursue a lifestyle closer to the outdoors and nature. Years later, he took a unique opportunity to move to Roatan, Honduras for a job in Scuba Diving and training dolphins. Having enjoyed the experience, but not entirely satisfied with a life so far from home, Chris decided to move back to Colorado in 2010 to be closer to friends and family. Wanting to find the perfect marriage between business and environmental stewardship, he pursued a career as a Solar Power Consultant and has been helping homeowners achieve savings through renewable energy ever since.
Kris Tallent
Solar Consultant
Kris is a Colorado native that loves the outdoors, four wheeling with his Siberian Husky, and survival training. He holds multiple degrees in environmental science and philosophy of linguistics. He is also ranked as a class A expert in chess and has placed in competitions around the world. Kris is passionate about conservation, protecting our environment and helping families. He brings that passion to helping people choose renewable energy to light up their homes. With almost 1,000 residential solar installs, your solar project will be in great hands.
Nick Rodriguez
Project Manager
Nick is a Colorado native that has a passion for going green and supporting sustainable energy through solar power. He spends the summers playing baseball and enjoys spending time outdoors. As the solar industry continues to grow, he strives to push himself to learn more about the opportunities and advantages of sustainable energy to help better educate others.
Ryan Aday
Solar Consultant
Ryan is a California native that has always been concerned with the growing environmental issues we face. Originally from Southern California, but raised in Northern California, he has spent countless hours exploring the north coast and studying the impacts of environmental climate change. He now appreciates having the ability to help educate people on the value of renewable energy and is anxious to see what the future has in store for solar technology.
Maddie Raiche
Project Manager
Having taken an environmental psychology class during her last year attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a Psychology major, Maddie realized the possibilities that could come from mixing two of her greatest passions-- health and the environment. As a Project Manager for Photon Brothers, Maddie loves fostering relationships with every Photon Brothers customer and strives to make each one feel connected to the larger Photon Brothers family. One of her favorite things about working for Photon Brothers is the excitement her customers get when they're able to turn the system on. When she's not at her desk, she's experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen or pairing a cup of tea with a good book on the couch.
Ryszard Szymanski
Master Electrician
Ryszard was born and raised in Poland, but moved to the United States in search of new life adventures. He became an electrician specializing in residential and commercial construction wiring and troubleshooting. Throughout his work, Ryszard became passionate about clean energy in hopes of helping our planet move away from fossil fuels. While Ryszard is not at work, he loves to spend time with his family, travel and develop his mechanical skills.
Andy Maguire
Service Manager
Andy spent several years studying the solar industry and off-grid home design as a hobby, usually while at a local book shop with his wife and two young boys. In 2009, Andy finally convinced his wife to join in a leap of faith so that he could leave behind an unfulfilling career in the plastics industry and pursue his true passion. Andy has since become a NABCEP certified master electrician and is dedicated to making sure his clients understand every detail of their system and to holding the solar industry to a high standard of quality. On any given day Andy will tell you he is "living the dream" in Colorado with his wife and 2 grown sons. In his off time, Andy loves mountain biking, hiking and exploring the wonders of Colorado.
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Ryan "Monty" Montgomery
Solar Consultant
Monty grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern California. This is where he fostered a passion for preserving natural resources and helping people transition to clean energy. His many hobbies include surfing, rock climbing, and hiking in the high mountains. Monty's work background includes being a Wildland Firefighter, High School Teacher, and Managing an Organic Vegetable Farm. He wants to make the transition for homeowners into clean energy as seamless as possible, helping clients power their homes and vehicles with the sun; while saving money in the process.
