First Light Solar Powers Green Cycling Team at Mars Hill College

Asheville, N.C.– Through a charitable donation of $3500, First Light Solar, an Asheville-based solar energy company, becomes key sponsor of Mars Hill College Cycling and helps create a Green Cycling Team in the process.

According to Mars Hill College Cycling Coach Hugh Moran, the donation could not have come at a more opportune time. In an economy being compared to the Great Depression and team travel expenses looming large, Mars Hill College Cycling was in desperate need of sponsorship funding and a new way to promote its cause.

“Calling and asking companies for money to support our cycling team was not an easy job,” says Moran. “After getting rejected so many times due to the economy, I decided I needed a different strategy.” Then came the donation from First Light Solar.

“The donation from First Light Solar, a local company that shares our college’s commitment to environmental stewardship, was the spark that led me down the path to creating a Green Cycling Team,” says Moran. “Once I started calling potential sponsors and explaining the connection between cycling – the most economical and sustainable form of transportation – and their company, and that we could be a promotional vehicle for their cause, the money came a lot easier!” says Moran.

To date, the First Light Solar donation is the largest charitable contribution that Mars Hill College Cycling has received. “We would not be where we are today or able to support our riders if First Light Solar had not given us such a generous sponsorship and sparked the idea of a Green Team that has such obvious appeal to other eco-friendly companies,” says Moran.

“This sponsorship was a natural fit for us,” explains Grant Gosch, director of First Light Solar. “We have 10 avid cyclists on staff, and when you add in the fact that FLS, the partner company of First Light Solar, is completing one of the top five solar thermal installation projects in North Carolina at Mars Hill College, you have a match made in environmental heaven,” says Gosch.

With continued support from First Light Solar and other eco-friendly companies, the Green Team at Mars Hill College can continue to race at national competitions across the country while championing sustainability and environmental awareness.

For more on First Light Solar visit http://www.firstlightsolar.com or contact Grant Gosch at 828-350.3993. First Light Solar, based in Asheville, N.C., is an award winning solar energy design and installation company providing residential and light commercial clients with the latest technology in photovoltaic (PV) and Solar Thermal (hot water) energy systems. For more on Mars Hill College Cycling contact Hugh Moran at 828-275-3950 or visit http://marshillcycling.com/green-team/.