Rosh Hashanah 5787
September 2026
As we close out the year and prepare to greet the new one, I want to wish our entire Energy Plus family a year of bracha, hatzlacha, and good health.
As I see Energy Plus continue to grow into new areas, I often think about how this all began and where we are today. What started much smaller has grown into a company serving our customers across so many areas of their buildings, with a team that continues to take on more, solve more, and build more.
This past year brought continued growth — new projects, expanded services, new systems and technology, and new opportunities. Some of that growth brought new challenges as well. But time and again, I've watched our team step up, find solutions, and keep moving forward.
To everyone who has contributed this year — in the office, in the field, and behind the scenes — thank you. And to those who joined Energy Plus this past year, welcome. Each of you brings your own strengths to the company and has helped make our team stronger.
None of this is something we take for granted. We know that ultimately, our success comes from Hashem. We are grateful for how far He has helped us come, and we pray that He continues to give us the ability to grow, prosper, and accomplish even more in the year ahead.
As we enter the new year, my bracha to each of you and your families is for a year filled with health, happiness, nachas, bracha, and hatzlacha. May we continue to share in simchos and good news together.
Kesiva V'chasima Tova,
Moshe LefkowitzPresident, Energy Plus
There's a comment I hear sometimes at work: wouldn't it be simpler if we just did a few things really well, instead of the dozens of products and services we offer? It's a fair instinct — focus is a virtue, and doing one thing excellently has real appeal. But I want to suggest that on Rosh Hashana, of all days, we're handed the opposite model.
Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of Creation. And when we look at what Hashem actually created, the striking thing is how much He made. He didn't create a single, simple, self-contained thing. He made oceans and mountains, a thousand species of birds, ecosystems within ecosystems, a human body with systems for breathing and thinking and healing and reproducing — layer upon layer of complexity, all of it interdependent, all of it needed.
If Hashem had wanted efficiency, He could have made something spare and minimal. Instead, He is called Bonei Olam — the Builder of a World — not the builder of a product. A world, by definition, is not one thing. It is countless things, each sustaining the others.
We're told to walk in Hashem's ways — v'halachta bidrachav. If the model we're meant to imitate is a Creator who looked at the world and said "there is so much here that needs tending to," then a business that finds itself doing compliance work and rebates and EV infrastructure and new construction isn't straying from a clean mission. It is the mission — because the people and buildings we serve don't have one simple need. They have as many needs as there are systems in a building, and someone has to be the address for all of them.
That doesn't mean complexity for its own sake — Hashem's world isn't cluttered, it's exquisitely organized, every piece serving the whole. The goal isn't to do more things messily; it's to hold many things faithfully, the way a world holds many creatures without any one of them being extraneous.
As we stand before the King this Rosh Hashana, maybe the takeaway is this: embrace the parts of your life or work that feel too much to manage. Sometimes that's simply what it looks like to be responsible for something that matters to a lot of people. Hashem didn't make a simple world because a simple world wouldn't have been enough to sustain all of us. May we be blessed this year with the strength to carry our own share of that complexity — faithfully, patiently, and with the sense that every piece of it is someone's whole world.
Matthew PolanieckiChief Operating & Technology Officer
I'll be honest — the moment I love most in this job is still the phone call. The deal closes, someone says yes, and for about five minutes it feels like the whole thing is finished. Then the next morning comes, and the real work starts.
Here's something I tell our team all the time: a deal is maybe 25% salesperson, 75% team. The salesperson gets the yes and puts down the papers. Everything that actually makes that yes worth something — the project manager tracking down a permit, the compliance team catching a deadline nobody else flagged, the crew showing up on a freezing morning to finish an install because the customer needs it before winter — that's the team.
None of that shows up on the deal sheet. All of it is the real business we're in.
There's an old line in sales that a salesperson doesn't close a deal, they open a relationship — and this past year, watching our systems and processes get tighter, I've seen exactly how true that is. When the team executes, the relationship holds. That's the truest thing I know about this business.
The salesperson gets the yes. Everything that actually makes that yes worth something — that's the team.
I think about that especially heading into Rosh Hashanah, because we do something similar to ourselves every year. We show up, we mean it, we sign our own "deal" with the new year — and somewhere around the middle of winter, the resolve fades a little, the way it always does.
But aiming high on day one still gets you further than not aiming at all, drift and all. The follow-through is the whole game, in sales and in the new year both.
Sales isn't a straight line, either — there are weeks that get frustrating, calls that don't land, deals that should have closed and didn't. It happens to every salesperson, and it's part of the job.
But before I thank anyone for a number this year, I want to thank the people who make our numbers mean something: everyone who picks up the phone one more time, pushes a deal forward, and follows through on the parts nobody sees. None of this year's success happens without you, and I don't take that for granted.
This past year, our team pushed through more than a few challenges that looked insurmountable going in — and got there anyway, not through any one big move, but through the kind of steady persistence that doesn't always get noticed. That's really the story behind every number we'll report this year.
As we step into 5787, my bracha for each of you, and your families, is a year filled with health, joy, growth, and blessing. May it be a year where the effort you put in — visibly or quietly — comes back to you many times over, and a year of accomplishment we get to share together.
Kesiva V'chasima Tova.
Moshe FreundChief Revenue Officer
Rosh Hashana is upon us, and we all pray and hope that the new year brings blessings and happiness. We eagerly anticipate a year of growth and achievement, where we can take on new challenges and win.
The world is abuzz with discussions about AI and its revolutionary impact. Investors are flocking to the market, seeking companies that will lead the AI revolution. Companies are exploring ways to leverage AI to enhance their operations and reduce costs. Some even find joy in using AI for entertainment and fun.
The past year has been dominated by AI, and it seems that this trend will continue for the foreseeable future.
It's crucial for each of us to reflect on how AI has reshaped our world. It has democratized knowledge, making it accessible to everyone at their fingertips. However, this accessibility has also led to a decline in face-to-face interactions, handshakes, and heart-to-heart conversations.
While scarcity often leads to increased demand, the limited availability of these human connections may actually make them more valuable. We all possess unique qualities and personalities, and it's essential to prioritize personal interactions. Technology can't steal our human touch; it actually makes it more precious. People still want to hear from you, see you, engage with you. Don't let your G-d given personality and talents be channeled only through technology.
When we say "FaceTime," let's truly mean using our faces and dedicating time to meaningful communication, active listening, learning, and inspiring one another.
I look forward to working together this coming year as a team. With heart, passion and dedication that supersedes anything AI is capable of.
A year of building —
across the business.
Six divisions. One shared year.
Here’s what got built.
5 months. That is how long VUE took to build; it now carries 1,200+ properties. Behind it, 4,700+ projects run through Airtable, QuickBooks feeds it directly, and the company moved from WhatsApp to Google Chat.
1,000+ Local Law filings completed through automated processes this year, alongside 400+ Benchmarking projects. LL152 and LL11 both launched.
50 active projects, representing more than $500,000 in work.
5 new utility partners, opened by a newly launched Research Division, which did not exist a year ago.
1,000+ roof, wall and air curtain projects — 400+ roof, 300 wall, 300 air curtain. And those are three categories out of many.
1,500+ EV chargers in process this year, including, IY”H, our first in California. The Berry Street Charging Complex is expected to launch this fall.
When we first introduced VUE, the goal was bigger than building another customer portal. We wanted to create one place where the information behind a building — its projects, compliance requirements, documents and activity with Energy Plus — could come together. This year, that idea started becoming something our teams and customers can actually use.
VUE is now pulling live project information from Airtable into the customer experience, while Find a Building gives our own team a quick way to understand the compliance requirements tied to a property. Energy Certificates have also moved into the portal.
But perhaps the bigger story is where VUE is headed. As Energy Plus grows across more services, projects and properties, VUE is being built to connect those pieces — making it easier for our customers to see what is happening in their buildings and easier for our teams to see the bigger picture.
See the year in motion
→ page 14
It has been a busy year for the EV division — a lot of change, a lot to learn, a lot of progress. As the permitting process evolved and the pipeline grew, the team had to adapt quickly. What Michael has appreciated most isn't any single win. It's the attitude everyone brought to getting there. Now, that work is showing up in the numbers.
To everyone on the EV team: the progress we're making would not be possible without the people behind it, and I'm excited about what we can accomplish together in the year ahead. There is a lot ahead of us, and the momentum is real.
Shana Tova to you and your familiesMichael Elhav — Head of EV
In our last issue, Bedford and Varet were moving through charger procurement, site coordination, operational planning and permitting.
EPlug's planned fast-charging hub at Bedford Avenue continues moving forward.
Located at the Williamsburg Bridge corridor, the site is planned to bring 44 DC fast chargers to a key connection point between Manhattan's Lower East Side and Williamsburg, Domino Park and the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
This summer, the project reached an important milestone with DOT approval, moving the flagship site another step closer to becoming a major charging destination for New York drivers.
EV Sales Executive | Energy Plus & EPlug
New to the EPlug team, Moe is already learning the EV market, chasing down opportunities — and turning some of them into projects.
"Learning everything I can about EV charging, incentives, the market, and where the next opportunity is hiding."
"Two weeks into the job, I got a 20 Level 2 charger project approved. Hopefully we'll get it installed in the next few weeks."
"Good conversations, politics, stocks — and arguing about all three."
"Red Bull, always."
A year of growth, in six numbers.
Growth isn't only measured in projects. This year ten new team members joined Energy Plus across different areas of the company.
Assistant to Moshe Freund, CRO
Reizy joined Moshe Freund's team this year as the steady hand behind a fast-moving sales operation — the one keeping communication, priorities, and a dozen moving pieces on track so the team can focus on the phone calls that matter.
Welcome, Reizy — we're glad to have you with us!
EV Sales Executive | Energy Plus & EPlug
Moe joins EPlug at an exciting time, as our EV pipeline continues to grow and new projects take shape. He's been diving into the EV market, incentives and new opportunities — and just two weeks into the job, already had a 20 Level 2 charger project approved.
Welcome aboard, Moe — a great start!
Meet Moe → page 16
Sales Representative, Business Development — Energy Efficiency & Incentives
David joined the Energy Efficiency & Incentives team with a clear focus: connecting building owners with incentive dollars they didn't know were on the table.
Welcome, David — we're excited to have you on the team!
Accounts Receivable Specialist
Five years deep in collections, billing and account reconciliations, Christopher joined our Accounts Receivable team working alongside Mrs. Kohn to keep customer accounts current and connected to what's happening in the field.
He's based in California, running on New York hours, and finishing his Bachelor's in Economics on the side.
Welcome to Energy Plus, Christopher!
Airtable Developer
A recent Touro College Computer Science graduate who spent time in the fashion industry before landing in Airtable development, Roza now sits at the center of Energy Plus's systems — turning requests from teams across the company into trackable tasks and better processes.
If you've filed an Airtable Support request on Google Chat lately, there's a good chance it landed with her.
Welcome, Roza — we're excited to have you with us!
Mrs. Silber · Ms. Schwartz · Mr. David Baturo · Mr. Hoch · Mrs. Rosenberg
Warmest Mazel Tov to Mrs. Greenfeld and family on the birth of their baby!
Wishing the entire family much nachas, good health, and many more simchas.
Welcome back, Mrs. Green! The office hasn't felt quite the same without you these past few months, and it's genuinely good to have you back where you belong.
A Record-Size Building Envelope Project
2,900 Apartments134 Buildings
For David Baturo, Glen Oaks started the way plenty of sales opportunities do: with a consultation. What came from it was anything but ordinary. The opportunity grew into a roof-and-wall insulation project spanning 134 buildings and approximately 2,900 apartments — the largest building-envelope project of its kind in Energy Plus history. But for David, the size of the project isn’t the only takeaway.
Continued → page 22
Some customers give you one piece at a time. Others see the opportunity and give you the whole portfolio. You never really know which one you’re standing in front of.
After 10–15 years in sales, his approach is less about finding one spectacular break and more about recognizing what works — and doing it again.
Glen Oaks proved the model on an unusually large scale. But it also revealed how much opportunity is still out there: other centralized co-op, management and ownership portfolios across New York, some made up of dozens of buildings, facing many of the same needs. For David, that makes Glen Oaks less of a finish line than a blueprint.
This complex worked. Now the goal is to duplicate the method and, IY”H, reach the next one.
Roof + Wall Insulation · 134 Buildings · Approx. 2,900 Apartments · Brought in by David Baturo
Glen Oaks
Sales trainers have a name for what David is describing. Nearly a century ago, the writer Robert Collier put it this way:
— Robert Collier
It's a line usually aimed at salespeople staring down a slow pipeline. But it isn't really about sales. It's about the difference between waiting for one big break and building something out of the same honest effort, shown up for again and again — the extra call, the follow-up nobody asked for, the willingness to sit with a customer even when the room they're offering looks small.
Glen Oaks didn't start as a 134-building, 2,900-apartment project. It started as one consultation David could have treated as routine. The lesson isn't specific to roofing and insulation, or even to sales — it's the same lesson Rosh Hashanah asks of all of us: that this year's biggest outcomes are rarely announced in advance. Most of the time, they look, at first, like just one more ordinary thing done well.
Photographs: Glen Oaks Village · Tdorante10 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wishing the entire Energy Plus family a כתיבה וחתימה טובה.
"…your energy, creativity, and dedication inspire us to reach higher together."