OUR MISSION STATEMENT

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Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder

Joshua Schuster is a visionary leader at the forefront of real estate development and strategic initiatives, with a particular focus on delivering sustainable renewable energy outcomes. With his expertise in renewable energy, he has brought fresh attention to the solar sphere and its potential for Florida real estate investors and Wall Street. Schuster has been named by the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council, the nation’s oldest small-business advocacy organization, and is a recognized leader in the small-business community. As the CEO of Solarback LLC, a Florida-born initiative acting as a private equity fund and quasi-REIT, Mr. Schuster has positioned himself as a key figure in the industry. Throughout his career, Schuster has developed keen insights into the frameworks and skills needed to evaluate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors and to manage impact resulting from investments, allowing him to attract and guide many ESG investors. With over 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, he seamlessly transitioned into the energy sector, leading the company's overall direction, and focusing on new markets, customers, and project development. In Florida, where brokering Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) are currently limited, Solarback is bridging the gap by enabling commercial property owners and managers to generate passive income with minimal investment. By utilizing its solar arrays to offset dirty energy with clean, carbon-free energy, Solarback is creating a cleaner, brighter, and more sustainable future. Before his involvement with Solarback, Mr. Schuster managed several investment funds and founded a mid-sized real estate development company headquartered in New York City. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Schuster has successfully incorporated climate-conscious design into over $2.3 billion in real estate projects across several states, encompassing more than 3.2 million square feet of mixed-use residential, retail, affordable, and hospitality developments. Schuster’s noteworthy accomplishments include the conversion of 67 Livingston, a condo turned rental conversion and one of the tallest residential buildings in Brooklyn Heights, and the record-breaking boutique condo projects The Edison in Gramercy Park, 50 Clinton Street, and luxury condominium 75 Kenmare, the latter in partnership with Lenny Kravitz, and all three sold by famed Million-dollar Listing agent Frederik Eklund. Throughout his career as a real estate developer, Mr. Schuster has prioritized green and energy-efficient design, incorporating sustainable elements into his multibillion-dollar portfolio. This commitment to sustainability drives his strategic direction at Solarback, ensuring that the company positions itself effectively within various vertical markets, while also maximizing results for their strategic global partners and their investments. Mr. Schuster has been instrumental in creating an industry-leading pipeline of contracted, utility-scale solar projects in Florida, with a combined capacity of 21 MW. These projects include some of the largest commercial solar installations in the state, covering several million square feet of rooftop space. Beyond his work in renewable energy, Mr. Schuster actively contributes to the review and implementation of statewide renewable energy policies. He is a member of numerous prestigious organizations such as the American Solar Energy Society, the Solar Energy Industries Association, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the Southern Consumer’s Alliance. Additionally, Schuster serves as the youngest board member of the Steven L. Newman Real Estate Institute at Baruch College and is affiliated with the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, Urban Land Institute, and the New York Private Equity Network. Schuster has also received highly esteemed awards for his work, such as the RED Awards’ Come-back Developer of the Year and Young Jewish Professionals’ Developer of the Year. Moreover, Schuster was named in Commercial Observer’s 40 under 40, and he was chosen as a Distinguished Honoree at Learning School (for Autism.) Mr. Schuster’s dedication to making a positive social impact extends beyond his professional endeavors. He is an active philanthropist and has co-created the Bicol Clinic Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on constructing medical clinics in developing countries. Furthermore, he is currently building a groundbreaking 150-room homeless shelter for the City of New York, dedicated to housing transitional families. In addition, Mr. Schuster is involved in innovative ventures such as Six Wa||s, an NFT-based philanthropic platform, and Brix & Meta, a web3 platform that supports cross-category interaction. With his intellectual prowess, strategic foresight, and commitment to sustainability and social impact, Mr. Schuster continues to shape the future of real estate development and renewable energy, leaving a lasting impression of credibility and expertise in his wake. His company is teaming up with other influential individuals along the way, such as former Florida Senator Ron Silver, John Lloyd, and James Salter. Schuster has also shared his knowledge with Environmental Directions with Nancy Pearlman, Bisnow, The Miami State of the Market, The Street, and many more. Schuster studied Economics at Cambridge, UK, and Graduated from Tulane University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy (2006). He also obtained a Harvard Business School Certificate in Sustainable Investing (2024).  

Chief Operating Officer/CMO and Co-Founder

Robert Stillman is a dynamic entrepreneur with a rich background in finance and marketing. The first half of his career was spent in New York City, where he excelled as a licensed broker (registered series 7, 55, and 63), hedge fund manager, trader, and black box software strategist. He operated his own firm and collaborated with some of the largest institutions on Wall Street. Robert’s expertise shone through when he partnered with the Chairman of the NYMEX. Leading a team of over 100 traders, he transformed top-tier trading strategies into automated black box trading applications. This role included managing the software team and traders and working with electronic trading networks to co-locate at ECN data centers, re-inventing the art of high-speed trading. In 2006, Robert relocated to South Florida, expanding his portfolio with various creative ventures. He founded a marketing company that serviced several Fortune 500 companies and major national non-profit organizations focused on youth and global social responsibility. He thrived on developing bespoke marketing mixes, including interactive software, to bridge the gap between for-profit and non-profit entities. His efforts led to raising millions of dollars and planting over 500,000 trees in some of the world’s most deforested nations. This work significantly contributed to improving living conditions and supporting environmental sustainability in countries such as Senegal, Burundi, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Tanzania. During this period, Robert also developed a best-in-class CRM system. It featured multiple front-end websites with white-label capabilities, middleware connected through APIs to 500 frequently used vendors, and back-end accounting software for automated order entry and customer billing. Robert’s B2B and B2C marketing and technology experience equip him to swiftly bring projects to market with a competitive edge. His visits to numerous overseas factories and personal relationships with foreign entities have endowed him with expertise in global logistics, imports, and negotiations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert’s company successfully sourced and distributed over 100 million units of emergency PPE products globally. His profound knowledge in marketing and supply chain management enables him to guide complex import/export operations, ensuring cost-effective delivery from production to final distribution. Additionally, Robert actively supports numerous 501(c)(3) organizations, including the Boca Raton Police Foundation and Changing Lives. He mentors displaced individuals, helping them secure jobs, meals, support, and shelter.  

Executive Vice President and On-Site Project Manager

Mike spent the last decade helping business & property owners reduce operating costs / increase profits as a PV solar consultant and owner's representative. Mike’s sole role has been to provide non-biased, no-nonsense PV solar solutions and information to clients diversifying their energy mix to include clean, affordable solar energy, and to support the advancement of the solar industry. Mike’s primary focus with Solarback is to focus on on-site solar generation including, but not limited to, reducing both long and short-term operational costs, as well as quality control during all the company’s installation practices. Mike graduated cum laude from the University of Florida in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and began his career in electrical component manufacturing primarily serving the Aerospace & Defense industries. Mike excelled in this role and worked his way up to 2nd in command behind the company's Chief Scientist within the Special Products department where he helped develop new, custom products from ideation all the way through prototyping, testing and production scale up / optimization. Mike has had the opportunity to work on several exciting opportunities within the space including the pursuit of utility scale PV development in Brazil, the development & certification of a new BIPV solar roofing product, and the development of an online solar educational platform for home & business owners. Mike has also earned NABCEP and LEED certifications and participated as a Subject Matter Expert on the NABCEP Job Task Analysis committee where he and other SMEs from around the US helped develop the next generation of certification testing.  

Executive Vice President and Senior Project Manager

Brian is a seasoned veteran in the renewable energy sector, boasting an impressive 15-year career. His extensive experience includes key roles in managing a leading Commercial and Industrial Engineering, Procurement, and Contracting (EPC) company on the West Coast. Throughout his career, Brian has successfully completed over 100 renewable related projects across the United States, spanning various industries such as Commercial, Industrial, Healthcare, Municipality, Multifamily, and Agriculture. Brian's remarkable contributions have been instrumental in the growth of the company, ultimately leading to its acquisition by Centrica, a prominent European conglomerate. With a strong background in financing and tax equity partnerships, Brian has consistently met customer needs and facilitated successful deals. Brian actively participates in the NABCEP Solar and Storage Technical Committee, where he contributes to the establishment of industry standards for solar professionals nationwide. During his tenure at Schneider Electric, Brian gained invaluable experience managing complex microgrid projects. He specialized in seamlessly integrating solar, battery storage, and gensets to create efficient and sustainable energy solutions. Brian and his project management team are dedicated to evaluating and developing sustainable energy projects. They also review M&A opportunities for Solarback, related to project portfolios and skillfully manage customer commodity contracts. To date, Brian has evaluated over 2GW worth of PV projects, accumulating over $2 billion in assets.  

Project Executive Vice President

Jay brings nearly 40 years of experience to his role as Executive Vice President at Solarback USA. Having established himself in the industry through his management skills across all functions of the development process, Jay has applied his wide-ranging knowledge to the development of large-scale commercial, institutional, hotel/hospitality and high-rise residential construction projects. As such, his ability to manage large teams across a wide portfolio makes him a critical asset to the company. Prior to joining Solarback, Jay worked for many of the most prominent owner/developers in New York City including The Related Companies, Trump New World Development, Silverback Development, Elad Group and JMH Development. He also has extensive international expertise having built a 6,000-unit mixed-use development in the State of Qatar for Qatari Diar/QPM Project Management. His portfolio also includes commercial projects for the Sony Corporation, Chase Manhattan Bank and the American Express Company. Jay holds a BS in Architecture and Technology from the New York Institute of Technology and an MS in Construction Management from the Stevens Institute of Technology.  

Controller and Accounting

Lauren is Controller at Solarback USA. She brings more than 30 years of experience to her role where she oversees accounting for the firm’s solar development and ensures full reporting compliance. Prior to joining the team, she held dual roles at The Clarett Group, LLC where she served as controller for the firm’s development, construction and management accounting in addition to handling all reporting requirements and the administration of insurance policies and legal documents. Lauren also ran a successful accounting and systems consulting firm of her own from 1992-1999 and spent 10 years as MIS director and controller at Park Tower Realty Corporation in New York City. 

 Software Developer

Miguel develops, operates, and documents, front-end software and graphics associated with Solarback LLC. web presence. He graduated cum laude from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and a minor in Mathematics. Prior to joining the Solarback team, he focused on the data analytics sphere of computer science by doing in-depth research into industry-wide tools and technologies such as database design/development, Python, Microsoft Power BI, and Microsoft Excel.  Miguel works with the Solarback engineers and analysts in presenting data in an easy-to-understand graphical representation and UI.   

Associate Mechanical Engineer

While working at Solarback, Nick is also finishing his degree at Florida Atlantic University for Mechanical Engineering.  He assists in the management and creation of rooftop solar farm arrays, project summaries, underwriting, and complex data assessment. He makes use of technical industry software to assess solar panel placement, energy production over consumption, and long and short-term savings; as well as conducting research on solar industry policies, rules, regulations, and trends. Nick is well-versed in numerous industry-wide engineering software such as SolidWorks, AutoCAD, MATLAB, and Helioscope.