The Center for Leadership and Service at the University of Florida created the Purpose 20 Awards to honor the contributions made to Alachua County by local for-profit businesses. These 20 businesses provide invaluable cash and in-kind donations while supporting the community with efforts in environmental sustainability, serving as role models for change within the community and encouraging staff members to give their time to local causes. All of this work often goes unrecognized. The Center for Leadership and Service hopes that by recognizing these businesses, we inspire others through their example and demonstrate that business is about more than making a profit — it is also about having a purpose to build a better community.
“Without a community, there is no business. And needless to say, without a planet, there is no business. As our planet, its inhabitants and our culture thrive, so does our business”
– Wayne Irwin, president
From its founding in 2004, Pure Energy Solar has strived to be actively engaged in the community while protecting the environment by promoting solar energy as a clean, safe and reliable energy source. PES supports numerous local charities through donations and staff who volunteer their time. They often speak on renewable energy at various events around Alachua County, and the company provides solar power to a variety of festivals and events including the annual Touch-A-Truck event, Cinema Verde, 5th Ave Arts Festival and the Downtown Festival and Art Show. PES is a member of the Solar Energy Industries Association and the U.S. Green Building Council, which advocate for increased sustainable energy use. In the future, PES will continue to seek out and support community-oriented organizations while continuing to create ways to provide solar energy directly to the entire community at large.