ABOUT US
The Stateline Solar Story
Stateline Solar was founded by Ethan Fiene in July of 2017, but it started long before that. Ethan has had a passion for construction from a young age, which eventually tied to his passion for renewable energy. He has always wanted to be a business owner and the ability to bring clean, renewable energy to his home community. At 23 years old, he began his endeavor and formed Stateline Solar.
Now, with over 350 satisfied solar customers in the Illinois/Wisconsin/Iowa state-line area, Stateline Solar has become the local expert on everything solar. From agricultural, commercial, and residential projects, Stateline Solar brings quality installation to the table.
Stateline Solar was awarded Start-Up of the Year in 2019 by the Greater Freeport Partnership.
Our Values & Beliefs
Product Quality & Reliability
Customer Satisfaction
Full Transparency
Team Oriented
Ethan Fiene
CEO / Founder
Ethan founded Stateline Solar in July of 2017. Ethan has a strong construction background, graduating from University of Wisconsin Platteville with a Bachelors of Science in Industrial Technology Management. After graduation, he educated himself in solar energy; accredited with numerous hours of IREC certified solar panel installation courses and NABCEP PV Associates. Fast forward to present day, and Ethan has developed a strong team of local, solar professionals at Stateline Solar.
Hilary Fiene
Chief Office Manager
Hilary is Stateline Solar’s Chief Office Manager and has been working alongside Ethan from the very beginning. Hilary has watched Stateline Solar grow, managing all of the behind-the-scenes human resources duties; including gathering the perfect group of individuals to make up their team.
Outside of Stateline Solar, Hilary and Ethan have 3: Waylen, Lily & Chett.
Zach Njos
Chief Operations Manager
Zach is one of the first employees of Stateline Solar. He has been a lifelong friend of Ethan, and was eager to help Stateline Solar thrive when it was just a budding business. Zach quickly took lead with the installation side of Stateline Solar, and has trained all of our solar installers to be the professionals in installation.
Prior to Stateline Solar, Zach is a military veteran. He spent 4 years in the United States Marine Corps; during one of those years, he did a tour overseas.
Kenji Grahame
Chief Technology Officer
Kenji joined Stateline Solar in February of 2019 as the Office Manager. Since his hire, Kenji has become one of Stateline Solar’s greatest assets, taking on all of the various administrative duties and quickly learning the in’s and out’s of the technical side of solar, growing into a Chief Technology Office role on our team.
Outside of Stateline Solar, Kenji enjoys spending time with his wife, Morgan, and daughter, Suki.
Scott Borchardt
Senior Solar Sales Consultant
Scott joined the Stateline Solar sales team in December 2019. He is a great asset to Stateline Solar with his 24+ years of sales experience and his personable, transparent personality with all of our clients.
Scott was born and raised in the Lena area. With this strong tie to our community, he treats every client like a neighbor, since they are!
Ryne Laity
Solar Sales Consultant
Ryne joined the Stateline Solar sales team in March 2021. He was born and raised in Galena, Illinois, and brings over 10 years of sales experience to Stateline Solar: including solar sales! He looks forward to treating clients like family.
Outside of work, his hobbies include everything in the great outdoors and playing golf with friends and family.
Dan Baldauf
Solar Project Engineer
Dan joined the Stateline Solar team in June of 2022 as the Solar Project Engineer. He brings many years of construction and design experience to the team. He knows that working closely with team members and customers will provide the best experience possible. Dan is a lifelong resident of Lena and is happy to be working for a successful solar company established in his hometown.
Outside of work, Dan and his wife, Brooke, have 3 children, Bailey, Braden & Avery. In his leisure time, he enjoys home improvement task, golf, and grilling or smoking food for friends & family.
Kennedy Brawner
Administrative Assistant
Kennedy joined Stateline Solar in January of 2022 as the Administrative Assistant. Her outstanding customer service skills and energetic personality has been a great addition to our team.
Outside of work, Kennedy enjoys spending time with her friends and cat, Puddles.
Brooke Hass
Marketing Manager
Brooke joined the Stateline Solar team in January of 2024 as the Marketing Manager. She supports the various marketing and communications efforts behind the scenes at Stateline Solar.
Outside of work, Brooke enjoys spending time with her friends and two pets – Sunny (cat) & Scooter (dog), exploring local coffee shops and wineries, and planning her next hiking trip.
Jenna Stebbins
Multimedia Specialist
Jenna joined the Stateline Solar team in May of 2022 as the Multimedia Specialist. Since a young age Jenna has enjoyed photography, and went on to attend a photography school in Boston, MA for two years and started her own photography business – Jenna Darcy Photography. With her wide range of skills, she is great addition to our Marketing Team at Stateline Solar.
Outside of Stateline Solar, Jenna lives in Savanna with her husband of 16 years, Ben, and their dog, cat, and 9 goats. In her leisure time, she enjoys cycling, embroidery, and snowboarding.
Christina Mojeiko
Multimedia Specialist
Christina joined the Stateline Solar team in March of 2023 as a Multimedia Specialist. As a teenager, she picked up photography as a hobby. In more recent years, she’s enjoyed her work of supporting small businesses with administration and marketing.
Christina grew up in north central Florida. After she graduated high school, she spent some time working seasonal jobs at tourist destinations in every corner of the U.S. She moved to Oregon with her husband, Josh in 2014 to study and work in the agricultural industry. They now live on an acre in Pearl City with their three dogs, and are looking forward to growing vegetables and raising chickens & ducks.
Drew Wenger
Solar Installation Team Lead
Drew joined the Stateline Solar team in August of 2020. Over the past couple years, Drew has developed his solar skills and ability to share his knowledge with fellow solar installers, and has grown into a Solar Installation Team Lead.
Outside of work, Drew enjoys spending time with his friends and wife, Mickey.
Brad Potter
Solar Installation Crew Lead
Carson Leman
Solar Technician
Quinton Heilemeier
Solar Technician
Outside of Stateline Solar, Q is a graduate of Dakota High School and knew a lot of his fellow installers prior to joining the team. He enjoys spending time with his friends and 2 dogs: Hawkeye & Kalli. He also loves to watch and play sports.
Emmit Seefeldt
Solar Technician
Avery Baldauf
Solar Intern