Palmetto's New Playbook: People and Media to Power Clean Energy's Next Wave

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – December 11, 2025 – In the race to rewire America, technology has long been the undisputed star. Faster, cheaper solar panels and more efficient batteries have dominated the narrative. But Charlotte-based Palmetto, a clean energy platform valued at over $1 billion, just made a series of moves that suggest the next phase of the green transition will be won not just with silicon and software, but with something far more human: culture and communication.

The company recently announced the appointment of Hilary Lerner as its new Chief People Officer and, in a more unconventional turn, NBA champion Shane Battier as its Chief Culture Advisor. These high-profile hires came alongside the strategic acquisition of The Cool Down, a leading clean-lifestyle media platform, and a significant expansion of its Charlotte headquarters. Taken individually, they are signs of a healthy, growing company. But viewed together, they represent a deliberate and fascinating pivot—a bet that to achieve hypergrowth, a company must invest as heavily in its internal DNA and its public narrative as it does in its core technology.

The Culture Play: Building a Team to Win the Long Game

For a rapidly scaling tech firm, the term “hypergrowth” often conjures images of chaotic expansion, burnout, and a dilution of the very mission that sparked its initial success. Palmetto appears to be preemptively tackling this challenge by bringing in a unique one-two punch of leadership focused explicitly on its human capital.

Hilary Lerner, the new Chief People Officer, brings a playbook honed at dynamic organizations like the NBA and Teamworks, specializing in guiding companies through intense growth phases. Her mandate is clear: build the organizational scaffolding to support massive scale without losing the company's soul. As Lerner stated, “My focus is building the talent, culture, and clarity we need to scale with intention — and with heart.”

More intriguing is the appointment of Shane Battier. Known in the basketball world as the “No-Stats All-Star,” Battier’s value was famously measured not in points scored, but in his profound, often invisible, impact on his team's success. He built a career on disciplined strategy, data-driven decisions, and an uncanny ability to foster trust and selflessness—the essential connective tissue of any championship team. As Chief Culture Advisor, his role is to translate those principles from the hardwood to the boardroom.

“Great teams win on shared values, trust, and a culture that brings out the best in people,” Battier remarked on his appointment. “Palmetto is cultivating exactly that kind of environment.” This isn't just executive window dressing. In an industry fueled by over $300 billion in U.S. investment last year alone, attracting and retaining top talent is a fierce battle. By prioritizing a resilient and inspiring culture, Palmetto is building a competitive moat that can’t be easily replicated by competitors like Sunrun or Tesla Energy. It’s a long-term investment in organizational health, betting that a cohesive, purpose-driven team will out-innovate and out-execute a fractured one every time.

From Clicks to Kilowatts: The Content-to-Commerce Strategy

The most novel of Palmetto's recent moves is its acquisition of The Cool Down. In a first for the clean energy sector, a technology platform has purchased a media company. Launched in 2021, The Cool Down has rapidly become a go-to source for millions of Americans, offering practical advice on sustainable living—from recycling tips to understanding heat pumps. It's a brand built on trust and accessibility.

By acquiring it, Palmetto is making a calculated play to bridge a critical gap in the market: the chasm between consumer curiosity and consumer action. While federal incentives like the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have made clean energy more financially attractive, the path for a homeowner to install solar panels, a home battery, or an EV charger remains fraught with complexity and misinformation. Palmetto's strategy is to meet customers where they are—online, seeking trusted information—and seamlessly guide them toward tangible solutions.

Crucially, The Cool Down will reportedly maintain its editorial independence. This is key to preserving the audience trust it has painstakingly built. Instead of a hard sell, the integration will likely offer a clear, accessible pathway for readers inspired by an article on home energy savings to get a quote or consultation through Palmetto's marketplace. It’s a sophisticated content-to-commerce model designed to educate, build confidence, and ultimately convert interest into installations. This move acknowledges that the clean energy transition is as much a marketing and education challenge as it is a technological one.

Cementing Charlotte as a Green-Tech Hub

Underpinning this strategic expansion is a deep investment in Palmetto’s home base. The company, which relocated its headquarters from Charleston to Charlotte in late 2023, is already expanding its 7,000-square-foot office in the vibrant South End to 16,000 square feet. This expansion is projected to create up to 100 new jobs in the coming year across technology, operations, and customer experience.

The decision to double down on Charlotte is a testament to the city's emergence as a legitimate tech and clean energy hub. While long known as a financial center, the Queen City’s growing talent pool, relative affordability, and concentration of tech-focused businesses have made it an attractive alternative to traditional coastal tech hubs. Palmetto’s growth, alongside major tech outposts for companies like Lowe's and LendingTree, is solidifying the South End's reputation as an innovation corridor.

This investment creates a powerful symbiotic relationship. Palmetto gains access to a rich ecosystem of talent to fuel its growth, while its expansion adds high-quality green jobs and reinforces Charlotte's identity as a forward-looking city at the forefront of the energy transition. For a triple-bottom-line company that prioritizes people, planet, and profit, this commitment to local economic development is a core part of its impact story.

Ultimately, Palmetto's recent announcements paint a picture of a company looking beyond the immediate horizon. In a booming market where technology is rapidly becoming commoditized, this clean energy unicorn is differentiating itself by focusing on the enduring fundamentals: a world-class team, a resilient culture, and a direct, trusted line of communication with the American consumer. It's a bold strategy that suggests the future of clean energy will be built by companies that understand how to power homes and empower people.