20 years ago, Kevin Schroeder, fresh out of college, aspired to make a big difference at a small startup called Invenergy. Today, as SVP of Operations with 20 GW of energy under his purview, his impact at the company – and the energy industry – has been immeasurable.
As a college graduate, Kevin launched into Invenergy as a project engineer, helping oversee the construction and commissioning of the company’s fifth U.S. wind project, Victory Wind Energy Center, in his home state of Iowa. Two years later, when Invenergy expanded its own Operations & Maintenance branch (Invenergy Services) to wind farms, Kevin recognized his value in providing technical support for a growing energy portfolio and became the company’s first Operations Engineer.
Over the next decade, he grew the operations engineering team from the ground up before being tasked with overseeing renewable site operations and control room operations. In his current role as a senior leader of the company, he oversees site and field operations of Invenergy’s North American clean energy fleet, along with supporting functions such as technician training and ops system applications.
Kevin reminisces fondly on his time on the road, with Victory Wind holding a special place in his heart as his first experience with renewable energy and his opportunity to make a meaningful impact in his home state. Accepting the Excellence in Operations award from the American Wind Energy Association in 2017 on behalf of his team was equally gratifying, demonstrating the wild success of their O&M endeavors from a decade prior.
“I don’t think I ever envisioned Invenergy becoming as large as it is now,” He reflects. “I remember when our main office consisted of one part of the 19th floor…now we have seven full floors. I remember when our control center consisted of several PCs in a small room at the Camp Springs wind farm in Texas, and now we have 2 state-of-the-art control centers staffed 24/7…what hasn’t changed is that desire to keep pushing the envelope. To be nimble. To find innovative solutions for our customers. To grow and expand the business.”
When reflecting on the enormous opportunity the energy industry is seeing today, Kevin looks forward to the challenge: "If there is any company in the industry that can pull it off, it is Invenergy and the amazing people that work here."
Thank you, Kevin, for your decades of contributions to safe, reliable energy operations.
📸 Pictured: Kevin stands on top of a wind turbine at Victory Wind, 2006.
📸 Pictured: Kevin holds his employee badge, which still displays the picture taken on his first day at Invenergy, 2026.
