Building at Scale: From Navy to Solar Leadership with Chris Hodrick
Welcome to Season 4, Episode 2 of Better Than We Found It, the go-to podcast for sustainable leadership and purpose-driven business practices.
Today, Josh sits down with Chris Hodrick, CEO of Qcells USA Corp. Chris’s story is anything but typical. He spent over two decades as a U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps officer before leading $35 billion of construction projects at Amazon, taking the helm of a 9,000-strong renewables workforce at Blattner, and now leading Qcells’ mission to create a fully American-made solar supply chain.
In this conversation, Chris shares:
- Lessons on leadership from growing up in coal country and serving in the Navy
- How he translated military systems thinking into success at Amazon
- The pivotal career shift to renewable energy and solar construction
- Why building operating systems and empowering people is central to scaling
- His advice for veterans and professionals transitioning into clean energy
- His vision for Qcells USA and what it takes to deliver certainty in a volatile energy landscape
If you’re curious about leadership at scale, career transitions, or the future of America’s solar industry, this episode is full of insights.
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