DG+Design is excited to welcome Gavin Chisholm to the team as Market Research and Policy Associate. Gavin joins us from Chicago and most recently worked for Invenergy, one of the largest renewable energy developers in the United States. We recently asked him some questions to get to know him better. Here are his answers:
I grew up in Ohio (and a bit in Pennsylvania) with my sister and parents. Both of my parents were photographers, and I was heavily influenced by their styles and tastes. I moved to Chicago to attend Loyola University and study engineering, but I eventually made the switch to environmental science, and graduated from the School of Environmental Sustainability. While I was in school, I worked at a bike shop until I graduated at the beginning of the pandemic. Then, I worked at Ace Hardware for a while, which I thoroughly enjoyed – in retrospect. Then I spent some time working as a Power Scheduler for Invenergy, one of the largest renewable energy developers in the United States, before joining the DG+ Team.
I grew up spending a lot of time outdoors. My uncles are big outdoorsmen, and they would take me camping and fishing out on their boats. All that time with them gave me an immense appreciation for nature and the peace it brings. I knew I wanted to get into the industry after visiting a redwood forest in California. Walking at the feet of those giants is an indescribably moving experience. My interest in science and engineering led me to get into renewable energy. It’s a good intersection of environmentalism and tech.
The climate crisis is so diffuse; it’s connected to everything. It can feel hard to play a consequential role in fighting it. Working in a field that creates tangible change is gratifying.
I was really excited about the prospect of working for a smaller company. I really appreciated working with great people at Invenergy, but wanted to try out a smaller team atmosphere with more flexibility in my working environment.
I want to learn a lot. I also hope to make some connections within the renewables industry, and make some friends on the team!
Tangier, Morocco. I love Moroccan food and the city itself just looks gorgeous. I also think it would be really cool to hang out where the beat generation writers did. I’d also love to go to Japan and see the cherry blossoms bloom. My sister is going to Scotland for school in the fall, so I would love to go visit her there.
I’d get up early, probably make a light breakfast and some coffee, and have a quiet morning with my girlfriend. Then I’d get outside and go walking or biking around Wicker Park. There’s tons of good people-watching in my neighborhood. In the evening, I’d probably play some music and whip up a solid dinner.
I was in a band in high school and college, and we toured the midwest. Also, I love working with wood and making furniture. My latest project was a geometric coffee table I built for a sheet of glass I found in an alleyway. It’s fun to give new life to what would otherwise be trash.
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