HPE aka Hot Purple Energy
When we set out on our journey to help our friends and neighbors live more sustainable lives through implementing solar and energy solutions, we did not imagine the confusion that our name—Hot Purple Energy, would cause. Now in our 10th year of being in business, we look back and are humored by the numerous misinterpretations of both our name and business. Though many of the locals now recognize us as Hot Purple Energy or as HPE for short, it sure took us a moment there to clarify that a) HPE, short for Hot Purple Energy does not stand for Hewlett Packard Enterprises and b) that we are in fact a Solar & Energy Solutions Company.
The significance of HPE goes beyond the acronym and an easier way to say our name, it has become part of our logo and brand. Nonetheless, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, the software and services company, sister to the computer technology brand known by many as HP, actually owns the domain hpe.com thus causing a little bit of confusion to those googling us under “HPE”. Still, we have been lucky in this respect where these individuals have been able to find us by tagging on solar in their google search. As a result, we have done our best to use our full name so as not to confuse people. Yet it seems our name is still ambiguous to some since we’re regularly asked by people at community events if we are numerous different things. For instance, we have been asked if we are:
- An Energy Drink—understandable right? There is after all the ever-popular drink Monster Energy and while it doesn’t save you money, it does give you a caffeine boost.
- A Catering Business—not so—but we do our fair share of community involvement which has included being a water bottle sponsor and hosting events that resemble a cocktail hour.
- A Music Management Company? This one sounds fun! But, no dice. Although this one makes a little more sense than the others. We do in fact sponsor bands for several events ranging from a craft beer festival fundraiser to private charity events.
- An AV Production Tech Company. Though we have provided tech support for events in the audio/visual/lighting department, the credit is all to our employees who are always willing to dive in, use their talent and resources to help make the events we participate in as good as they can be.
- The Purple Room? Unfortunately, no. While the thought of sitting in a lounge all day listening to music sounds incredibly enticing to all of us at Hot Purple—we’re not. But you can! The Purple Room Supper Club in Palm Springs is open to the public and you can visit at your own leisure. Learn more on their website.
Which brings us to the golden question that we are asked quite often…
How did Hot Purple get its name?
Since day one, founder Nate Otto made it his mission to distinguish Hot Purple Energy in the solar industry, starting with the name. Unexpectedly, Nate found himself facing his young daughter one morning as she held up a painting showing him a blob of color and said, “Look, daddy, I created a new color…Hot Purple”. Nate, amidst the process of building the company, took his daughter’s color and named Hot Purple Energy. Fast-forward 10 years later and his daughter continues to leave her mark on Hot Purple specifically in our most recent advertising campaign–Think Solar, Think Purple. Hot Purple Energy.