Leadership Team
Luke Phelps
Founder & CEO, Board President
Luke Phelps loves to develop new ideas to help our world become a better place. He founded Phelps Homes in 2004, Phelps Farm Service in 2009, and Red Barn Solar in 2016, where he saw a need for new kind of solar inverter to use solar power while he was installing Ag solar. This was his inspiration for Vroom Solar, founded in 2021. Luke also founded PVPallet in 2019, a sustainable solar module shipping solution, and remains on the board.
James Bartley
Chief Technology Officer, Board Member
Master electrician James Bartley, founded and sold an electrical and solar installation company, then founded and sold a solar installation and pile driving company. He’s since become a real estate investor and focused on leading the development of Vroom’s inverter as CTO. He’s almost as passionate about cold plunges as he is solar.
Robin Loyed
Sales & Marketing Director
Robin has 30+ years of experience in sales and marketing, including Account and Regional Sales positions at IBM, and positions as Vice-President of Indirect Channel Sales and Director of Small Business Marketing at Sprint Business Solutions, and Senior Director of Global Field Marketing at International Game Technology. Robin also serves as Board president and CMO for the Miracle League of Las Vegas, a non-profit organization offering children with cognitive and/or physical challenges the opportunity to play baseball in a safe and nurturing environment.
Cary Kapper
Chief Operation Officer
Cary worked at a global stainless steel manufacturing company for 30 years. With a background in design and project management, the last 14 years he was General Manager. Under Cary’s leadership, he led projects and divisions ranging from $9-50M. Cary is excited to join the Vroom Solar team and tackle new challenges.
Katherine Benson
Community Relations Coordinator
Katherine has 15+ years experience in teaching higher ed and creative problem solving, from communication design to film production. She utilizes divergent/convergent thinking for idea development and improving existing systems. Her MS in Communication Design focused on asking “what does this communicate to to someone who’s never seen it before?" a technique she continues to apply to her work, no matter what the situation.
Missy Vick
Administrative Manager
Missy provides a wide variety of experience that will help in streamlining our operational processes. Missy obtained a degree in finance as well as her MBA from the University of Central Arkansas. She has relative experience in the financial lending, insurance, and education industries. Additionally, she has homeschooled her children and volunteers as cheer coach for the Lighthouse Christian Chargers program.
Greg Herren
Business Development Manager
A veteran of the US Navy, Greg Herren has over forty years of experience in Customer Service, Sales, and Corporate Leadership working with both start-up companies, mid sized private companies, and multinational corporations. He has filled corporate leadership positions in the Fabrication, Contracting, Electronics, and BioPharmaceutical industries. Greg is active in his church and his greatest joy is found in helping people achieve their goals.
Board of Directors
Clift Briscoe
Tech Advisory Board
Clift is an electrical engineer who has designed, developed, and implemented software and hardware systems within the U.S. Department of Defense and Intelligence Communities. He's co-founded several successful IT companies, and he has led the development of power conversion, storage and power management technology for computing platforms that must operate in varying harsh environments. He also owns a lot of road racing bicycles – a lot.
Vanessa Benkert
Board Secretary
Vanessa has a MA in Communications and 14 years of design, marketing, and branding experience. She is the Marketing Director of PVpallet her marketing company, Everly Creative. Whether working with small businesses or large, established brands, her work is founded on the principle that design should be strategic, creative, and all about communication. As a board member of Vroom Solar, Vanessa brings an expert, proven approach to content development, both visual and verbal, along with a zest for meeting new challenges.
Jonathan Young
Board Treasurer
Jonathan has over 10 years in the solar industry with a focus on racking design and supply chain management. He has successfully launched and grown two different startups into multi-million dollar businesses. Jonathan owns two patents for solar racking technologies.
Nathan & Kristin Carter
Financial Board Advisors
Nathan and Kristin Carter have joined our team as Financial Board Advisors. They both have a very strong backgrounds in corporate finances and taxes. Kristin is currently the Head of Tax Advisory at Compound and Chairman of the Board at City Utilities of Springfield. Nathan is CFO at a national firework distribution company. They both are very active in our community and serve in several capacities. They are excited to help Vroom Solar navigate more complex corporate finance.