A Story of Innovation, Integrity, and Tenacity
Our Founders
Kevin Wolf; President and CEO
Until his recent move to the role of President, Wolf served as Wind Harvest’s Chief Operations Officer, overseeing the company’s science, engineering, project development and website. He facilitated the engineering team that developed the Wind Harvester v3.1, wrote all the grants and developed the relationships and projects in Scotland, Barbados and California. His science degree, environmental background, consensus-based facilitation expertise, and years of work with the company helps in his leadership role with Wind Harvest where he now leads the capital raising campaign. Wolf graduated with honors from UC Davis in 1980 with a degree in Evolution and Ecology. He volunteers as the chair for the California Clean Money Action Fund, which works on campaign finance reform. He co-founded and lives at N Street Cohousing in Davis, CA.
Bob Thomas (1933-2019), Founding Engineer and Board Member
Bob Thomas (1933-2019) was the creative genius behind WHI’s core turbine design. He pursued a methodical approach to design and had built and tested over a dozen prototype VAWTs from 1976 to 2012. Thomas’ approach to innovation and engineering always placed an emphasis on the critical wind turbine aspects of durability, performance and cost-effectiveness. This approach led to a series of patents that form the core of WHI technology including the Coupled Vortex Effect.
In the early 1970s Thomas recognized the need for effective renewable energy technology to combat the increasing environmental damage caused by fossil fuel consumption. He applied his engineering experience in the aerospace industry with his understanding of ecology toward the invention of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs). Bob held a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan.
George Wagner (1932-2015); Founding President/Business Development
George Wagner (1932-2015), was a co-founder along with Bob Thomas and Sam Francis of Wind Harvest Company. He served as President and over the course of thirty years as the major fundraiser for the company. He established a large group of enthusiastic investors whose money, energy and good will have have kept the start-up company going in a very challenging business climate. Alternative energy companies have not been given as much support as they have needed to launch an effective clean energy industry. Without George’s confident spirit and perseverance, WHI would not have survived. He was unflagging in recognizing wind energy as fundamental to creating a cleaner and healthier energy industry all over the globe. He was unstoppable in his efforts to bring WHI’s VAWTs to the world market.
George was the father of two children when he died in October 2015, he was the proud grandfather of two grandchildren. Through over fifty years of marriage, he worked closely with his wife, Suzanne in raising a family and committing to work that demanded much self-sacrifice and long term planning, but which brought many emotional rewards. He was a man who loved reaching out to people and made many friendships with people from all over the world. He will be missed greatly by all who knew him.
Sam Francis (1923 – 1994), Inspiration and Financier
Sam Francis (1923-1994) was an amazing artist, environmentalist and visionary. When he met Bob Thomas and George Wagner in the 1970s he was captured by Bob’s idea of vertical axis wind turbines and how they could help reduce the world’s dependency on polluting fossil fuels. He quickly encouraged the start of the Wind Harvest Company and joined Bob and George as the founders. Over the years, Sam became the company’s leading investor and supporter.
Injured severely in WWII, Sam was in the hospital for several years where he started painting. After he recovered, he returned to the University of California, Berkely for his BA and MA degrees. Because he worked and exhibited in the United States, Europe and Asia, Sam Francis is credited with helping secure international recognition for postwar American painting. In 1991, he was elected into the National Academy of Design.
Born in 1923, Francis shared a strong connection with Bob Thomas and George Wagner in their being students of the work of Carl Jung. The friendship and business relationship with the three men lasted until Francis’ death in 1994. The logo of Wind Harvest Company was an adaptation of a painting Sam Francis created especially for Wind Harvest.
