Eric G. Johnson, President
Eric began his career as a part of the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. In 2010 he established Johnson Capital Management, focusing on investment management and farm & ranch succession planning. Shortly after that, Eric got his start in renewable energy by helping to organize and establish Cherry County Wind Energy Association, the largest landowner wind association in the US, representing more than 50 ranchers with over 450,000 acres. In 2012 Eric sold Johnson Capital Management and launched Sandhills Energy, becoming the wind energy developer for Cherry County Wind. Since launching Sandhills Energy, Eric has led its growth and expansion from a single wind project to over a gigawatt of various renewable assets under development. Eric is engaged in promoting youth entrepreneurial growth and presents to schools and organizations across Nebraska. Eric is a past Board President and current Board Director of Voices for Children. He is also the Board Treasurer for Nebraska Conservation Voters and Conservation Nebraska. Eric holds a BS-BA in Finance from Creighton University.
Raki Giannakouros, executive vice President
Raki began working in the solar industry in 2011 coming from a background of energy consulting and emission reporting. He was one of the earliest NABCEP Certified PV Installation Professionals in Iowa working on some of the most significant solar projects in the state during this period. He is the founder of Blue Sky Solar, a successful solar integration company that operates in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois with over 600 Commercial and Residential installations. Raki has a bachelor of Arts in Economics and specializes in financial modeling and design of commercial and industrial installations, as well as utility scale solar and energy storage projects. Raki is driven by a passion for decarbonization and a more stable climate.
Jake Pole, executive vice President
Jake started his career in the solar industry with a national distributor, building their strategy from the ground up. In this role, Jake was instrumental in the development of projects across the Midwest, as well as helping multiple developers and EPCs establish a solar division of their own. This led him into an ownership at Blue Sky Solar, a solar integration company based in Iowa. In his current role with, Sandhills Energy, he has led all of the third party-owned asset structures and secured strategic relationships in their growth. Jake has built strong relationships with some of the largest national renewable finance companies, tax equity partners and manufacturers. As solar and other renewables have become a viable option for all sectors, Jake has earned a reputation as a trusted and knowledgeable resource in the industry.
Chuck Hassebrook, Vice President for Project Development
Chuck Hassebrook joined Sandhills Energy in 2015. He has since played an integral role in development of over one GW of solar projects, leading site selection and land acquisition while providing strategic leadership in identifying project opportunities. Previously, Chuck spent 36 years with the Center for Rural Affairs, a national rural advocacy and development organization based in Lyons, NE. He served 17 years as Executive Director, leading the organization in winning key policy reforms and providing loans, training, and business-planning assistance to over 10,000 small businesses. Chuck served 18 years on the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, including two terms as Chair. He served on the Board of the USDA North Central Region Rural Development Center, the Nebraska Rural Development Commission, the USDA Commission on Small Farms, and the Board of Bread for the World.
Michael Knapp, Chief Project Officer
Michael Knapp, our Chief Project Officer, joined the Sandhills team in 2015. He has since completed over 1 GW of renewable energy developments across the Midwest, with 2 GW currently in development. Before Sandhills, Michael worked as the Membership and Communications Manager for the Western Arts Alliance. Michael has served as an elected Board Director for the Village of Cody, since 2019. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania where he was the first person in its then 159 year history to graduate with four academic achievements: Honors, Scholars, and Outstanding Graduating Major in both English and Philosophy. In addition, Michael has a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Reed College and a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Resolution from Hacettepe Üniversitesi. His degree focus when studying at Hacettepe was in Environmental Peace, which is a big part of what led him to the renewable energy space.
Channing Bryen, controller
Channing has 16 years of Administrative Experience in the Construction Industry. Her roles over this time have included Office Manager, Accounting Manager, and Controller. Channing specializes in accounting for Electrical Projects and Medium Voltage Services. Having worked on multi-million dollar data center projects Channing understands scalability and applies her experience from more mature sectors to the growing solar industry.
Brian Boerner, Director of operations
Brian oversees and coordinates all aspects of project development including working with partners in finance and engineering, procurement, and construction. Brian has previously held positions with The Business Ethics Alliance, Kiewit Construction, BlockFi and Strike. He is a 2018 Graduate of the Heider College of Business at Creighton University. Brian continues to be involved in the community through his commitment as a big brother in the Big Brothers Big