Managing solar growth with a portfolio-wide view

The Challenge

Catalyze’s transition from solar contractor to independent power producer meant managing not just construction, but a growing portfolio of long-term energy assets. That shift required greater visibility into budgets, documentation and contractor performance across dozens of projects — something that spreadsheets and fragmented systems struggled to provide.

The Solution

Catalyze implemented Procore as its centralized operations platform, bringing budgets, documentation and contractor data into one place. By standardizing workflows and capturing structured project information across its portfolio, the company gained the visibility needed to manage cash flow, support investor reporting, and make more informed strategic decisions.

A solar platform built for scale

In 2023, the company operated just 9 megawatts of solar assets. Today, that figure has grown to approximately 335 megawatts across dozens of projects.

The company’s rapid expansion has also earned industry recognition. Catalyze was named as a Top Community Solar Contractor in 2025 by Wood Mackenzie and has become a leading interconnecting community solar developer in New York.

But Catalyze’s story is not just about growth. It’s also about a change in identity.

The company originally approached projects as a specialty contractor, focusing on building and delivering installations. As Catalyze expanded and began owning the assets it developed, its role evolved into that of an independent power producer responsible for managing long-erm infrastructure investments.

That shift required a fundamentally different way of thinking about projects. 

“Our growth has been immense, but the big leap was changing from a specialty contractor mindset to an owner mindset,” said Marc DiGuiseppe, Vice President of Project Delivery. “You have to start thinking at the 50,000-foot level about the business, not just the construction.”

From the Wild West of data to a unified platform

When Catalyze began scaling its operations, the systems used to manage projects were no match for the new level of complexity. Project teams relied heavily on spreadsheets and shared drives to track budgets, documentation and compliance records, and information frequently fell through the cracks. “It was essentially the Wild West when it came to data collection and historical filings,” DiGuiseppe said. Finding key documents could be difficult, and budget updates arrived inconsistently. But as projects multiplied, maintaining clear documentation became increasingly important — especially with investors and financial partners involved.

Seeing the portfolio, not just the project

One of the biggest advantages that came with adopting Procore was a shift in perspective. Instead of managing projects as isolated efforts, Catalyze could begin viewing its operations as a portfolio — tracking how construction timelines, contractor performance and capital deployment interacted across dozens of projects. “Procore is a very unique platform,” DiGuiseppe said. “It brought everything together.” For an owner responsible for long-term asset performance, that visibility is essential. “Using Procore has really helped us make strategic planning decisions about where we want to spend capital in order to grow the business,” DiGuiseppe said. With clearer forecasts of project spending and timelines, Catalyze’s leadership can decide when to accelerate development, slow procurement or shift priorities across the portfolio. The structured data inside Procore has also changed how Catalyze evaluates its trade partners. “So much of this business relies on the F word — feelings,” DiGuiseppe said. “Using Procore lets us validate feelings with facts.” Rather than relying solely on hunches or anecdotal evidence, the company now reviews multiple performance signals. These insights help Catalyze develop a more balanced understanding of contractor performance in an industry where perfect execution is rare. “Using all those tools to really understand a full, comprehensive picture of the contractors — it’s not so binary anymore of good or bad,” DiGuiseppe said. “There are always going to be headaches. It’s about understanding which ones you can manage.”

Harnessing AI to Scale Operations

With structured project data flowing through the platform, Catalyze has also begun experimenting with artificial intelligence tools within Procore. The company has tested AI agents to assist with time-consuming tasks such as balancing project budgets, reviewing submittals and organizing documentation. “I love that with Helix, I don't have to manually tag every email anymore,” DiGuiseppe said. “I can just ask for 'interconnection emails' or 'permit discussions,' and it spits out the information without me needing to organize it first.” So far, Catalyze is just scratching the surface of what technology can do. But the goal is to reduce administrative workload for project managers so they can handle larger portfolios without increasing overhead. “We’re very much in the exploration phase of AI,” DiGuiseppe said. “But we’re already seeing a lot of benefit.” Chief among that benefit is empowering team leaders to do more with less. Much more. “AI allows project managers to multitask at a level that simply wasn't possible before.” said DiGuiseppe “It’s like having bionic arms; allowing us to operate with a lean organization while maintaining growth and operational cadence.”

Turning project data into investor confidence

For Catalyze, the impact of Procore goes beyond construction management. As an owner of solar assets, the company must regularly communicate project health and financial performance to investors and financing partners. “All of this culminates in building the project,” DiGuiseppe said. “And to build the project, you need to make sure the funds are moving fluidly.” By centralizing financial and operational data, Catalyze can provide clearer reporting and maintain stronger confidence with the partners funding its growth.

A strategic partner for innovation and growth

As Catalyze continues expanding its solar portfolio, the company sees Procore not just as a software platform but as a strategic partner. With renewable energy development accelerating and portfolios growing larger each year, that partnership will likely play an even greater role in helping Catalyze manage the complexity ahead. Because for a company responsible for hundreds of megawatts of clean energy infrastructure, success depends on more than delivering projects—it depends on seeing the entire portfolio clearly. “Procore has been a pivotal relationship and partner in Catalyze’s growth and success story,” DiGuiseppe said. “It’s how we turn project data into real business decisions.”