Winds of Change: CATALYST Sparks Inspiration at Walter H. Dyett High School 

CATALYST is more than just an Employee Resource Group (ERG), it’s a community led by peers, for peers. Shortly after joining the ERG, Mateo Grajales, proposed organizing a volunteer event for the CATALYST members in Chicago. The team decided to host an event at a local high school featuring both a career panel and a friendly competition: students would team up with CATALYST members to build model wind turbines using kits from KidWind. 

In partnership with Project OneTen, the CATALYST team engaged with the students of Walter H. Dyett High School in Chicago. The morning kicked off with mentorship sessions where team members shared their backgrounds, introduced students to renewable energy, and offered advice on how to shape their own futures, whether in clean energy or any field they felt passionate about. 

“The highlight of the event for me was seeing the genuine interest and excitement that these students exhibited while crafting each team’s turbine.” Said one CATALYST member. “I felt very proud to provide an experience like this to them and connect with them on a deeper level than a typical career day presentation.” 

The day at Walter H. Dyett wrapped up with a pizza lunch and smiles all around. 

At LRE, we strive to contribute to the communities we call home. Our CATALYST ERG demonstrated how empowering our people and investing in the communities we serve go hand in hand. We look forward to seeing how our early career professionals continue to build a culture of innovation, trust, and empowerment that makes a positive impact.  

LRE’s Employee Resource Groups are employee-led communities that foster opportunities, connections, and support for members. CATALYST, LRE’s ERG for early career professionals, focuses on leadership development, mentorship, and community building. Its goal is to cultivate innovation, trust, and empowerment while creating a space where members can expand their networks and grow together.  

About LRE

LRE (Leeward Renewable Energy) is a high-growth renewable energy company forging a sustainable future through integrity, innovation, and positive impact. We own and operate 31 large wind, solar, and energy storage projects across the United States, totaling over 4 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity.  

LRE has an ambitious goal of 10GW of operating assets by 2028 and is developing and contracting an increasing pipeline of new projects every year. We take a full-lifecycle approach to our projects, built on a long-term ownership model and a company culture dedicated to our community partners and protecting the environment. LRE is a portfolio company of OMERS Infrastructure, an investment arm of OMERS, one of the largest defined pension plans in Canada, with C$128.6 billion in net assets (as of Dec 31, 2023). For more information, visit www.lreus.com.