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Award-winning project demonstrates how local investment and clean energy can create lasting community impact
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — GreenSpark Solar, Foodlink, and local entrepreneur Bob Bechtold have been recognized with a 2026 Rochester Business Journal Top Projects Award for the Foodlink Solar PV Project, a rooftop solar installation that demonstrates how local investment, clean energy, and mission-driven organizations can work together to create long-term community impact.
The Rochester Business Journal’s Top Projects Awards honor the most notable building and construction projects completed across the Rochester region during the past year. Selected by the publication’s editorial staff, the Foodlink x GreenSpark Solar PV Project was recognized as one of just 10 projects named a 2026 Top Projects winner.
Installed atop Foodlink’s headquarters and distribution center on Mt. Read Boulevard, the project includes a 679-kilowatt rooftop solar array featuring more than 1,100 solar panels. The system required no upfront capital investment from Foodlink and is expected to generate approximately $200,000 in electricity savings over the next 25 years. Made possible through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), Bechtold financed and owns the system and GreenSpark served as developer, installer, providing ongoing operations and maintenance for the life of the system.
“This project represents the best of what community partnerships can achieve,” said Kevin Schulte, CEO of GreenSpark Solar. “It’s a privilege to be part of a story where a local entrepreneur is using the success of a mission-driven business to invest in clean energy for a food bank that serves our most vulnerable neighbors. It’s a full-circle moment that reflects the power of local action driving lasting impact.”
This project serves as a model for how nonprofits can transform underutilized rooftop space into a long-term asset through innovative solar financing. By eliminating upfront costs and delivering decades of energy savings, the project demonstrates how clean energy can help mission-driven organizations maximize their impact while advancing sustainability goals.
Visit the Foodlink solar project case study to learn more about this award-winning project.
