Within a couple weeks of joining the Inovateus team, I was asked to pick an idea for my solar poster that reflected my personality and somehow connected it with the solar industry. My response combined two of my passions: soccer and solar.
Since I was born and raised in Uruguay, futbol (what folks in the U.S. call soccer) has been a big part of my life. Like most other Latin American countries, soccer is religion.
Almost every Uruguayan kid lives and breathes futbol after they emerge from their mother’s womb. One of the first “Three Kings” Christmas presents that a child is likely to get is a soccer ball and the complete uniform of their favorite team. In my case, that favorite team is Club Nacional de Futbol, or “tricolor” as it’s known locally.
Although we’re a small country, we have a mighty soccer tradition. Not only was Uruguay the first World Cup champion in 1930, but my homeland scored one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport when it beat Brazil on its home turf in the legendary Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro during the 1950 World Cup.
For a country with a population just shy of 3 million, winning the Cup against one of its big neighbors—not just winning but denying the Brazilians the trophy they thought they had secured before the game even started—brought tears of joy to the eyes of hundreds of thousands of incredulous Uruguayan fanaticos.
When it comes to solar energy, my near-fanatical passion is the first common denominator between who am I and how I feel about the most remarkable of clean energies. Much like the quality shown by a resilient soccer team that always fights and never gives up until the whistle blows, it takes a committed team effort to develop, build and complete a solar power plant.
When the Uruguayan national team plays, the entire country becomes the 12th player, and when Inovateus takes on a project, everyone pitches in where needed. Teamwork is the key to winning, whether we’re talking about the soccer pitch or a solar project.
The Goal solar poster serves as a reminder of this common purpose when I scan the office in search of Inovateus teammates who have a chance to “score” and provide the expertise necessary to help get the job done (and done well!) for our partners and customers.
By Mauricio Añon, brand ambassador, Inovateus Solar
