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by Ren\u00e9e Tillotson<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Let me tell you about a young man who is creating a path for himself, and so for the rest of us.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I keep hearing from 20-somethings that they want to make a difference. They are worried about this world of ours. They\u2019re not interested in buying a lot of stuff, and they\u2019re very interested in knowing a lot about what they do buy. They\u2019re more into travel<\/span><\/p>\n than into things \u2013 I think they want to take in all the beauty this world has to offer, maybe while they still can. My heart kind of aches for them\u2026 they feel so much responsibility to clean up messes that generations before them have created.\u00a0Perhaps they\u2019ll come to recognize themselves as Earth\u2019s gifts to itself\u2026 more on that later!<\/span><\/p>\n The lad I\u2019m telling you about is my 26-year-old nephew, Ryan Auker, who now works for the company that built the first electric pickup truck that\u2019s come to market. And therein lies the tale, how he cut a trail for himself that did not exist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Going through college, Ryan toyed with a lot of career ideas. But when push came to shove and he needed to decide a direction of study, he realized how much he loves this Earth and how worried he is about it.<\/span><\/p>\n So, he went with a double major in Environmental Studies and Economics to prepare himself to make a dent in our country\u2019s extravagant overuse of fossil fuels. Ryan has spent his whole life recreating in the outdoors, enjoying frequent\u00a0 trips to the mountains. But getting there is fuel-intensive.<\/span><\/p>\n As early as freshman year, Ryan took a course from an influential professor whom he affectionately describes as \u201cold as dirt\u201d – who also sounds like \u201csalt of the earth\u201d. Professor Mel Manalis introduced the class to energy systems and moving beyond The Grid. From that time on, Ryan KNEW energy would be his field. He told me, \u201cI knew I had to do my part to mitigate climate change and help the planet last longer.\u201d Ryan learned years later that his mom Karin had been similarly inspired by the same professor!<\/span><\/p>\n His mom became an important leader in California\u2019s field of responsible energy use. Before even graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Ryan got a summer internship in the energy company where she worked. The work intrigued\u00a0<\/span>him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once he graduated, the same company eagerly hired Ryan, recognizing a highly intelligent, motivated employee when they saw one. There my nephew worked with 100 clients on a hundred different energy topics, getting broad exposure to the field.\u00a0 On his days off, he enjoyed the natural world he wants to preserve.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to specialize in electric transportation,\u201d comments Ryan. \u201cIt\u2019s where I felt I could have the biggest impact. We have so much to do to develop renewable-powered electric vehicles.\u201d His job was to pay attention to all the developments in the industry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n How was he going to put wheels on his vision and let the \u2018rubber meet the road\u2019?<\/span><\/p>\n Ryan surveyed the field around him. Where was the cutting edge? Who was doing something significant in the fuel industry? One company commanded his attention as soon as he saw it: Rivian, brand-new car company out of Normal, Illinois that was building an electric pickup. As Ryan says, \u201cRivian is a company entirely driven by impact: it\u2019s working on vehicles, electric charging stations and renewable energy!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Rivian had decided the most important contribution it could make to the driving public would be a pickup truck and an SUV.\u00a0 Why would they do something so seemingly crazy? Because these vehicles – especially pickups \u2013 have a higher fuel consumption than the sports cars or sedans.<\/span><\/p>\n So an electric version of THESE vehicles would make a difference.<\/span><\/p>\n As soon as Ryan learned about Rivian, he KNEW he belonged there.\u00a0I recall Ryan<\/span><\/p>\n telling us in our family zoom conference near the beginning of the pandemic: \u201cI\u2019m going to be getting a job at Rivian.\u201d \u201cOh! Did they offer you one?\u201d I asked. \u201cNo, not yet. But they will,\u201d Ryan assured me.<\/span><\/p>\n Ryan knew no one at the company, they had no public contact lists, and he had never worked in the auto industry. Yet Ryan had no doubt in his mind: Rivian needed him\u2026 they just didn\u2019t know it yet!<\/span><\/p>\n Rivian at that point, was a lean, scrappy young company. They were doing proprietary (secret) R & D work, so they were holding their cards tight to avoid getting infiltrated by their competitors. That fact also did not deter Ryan, a similarly lean, scrappy young man.<\/span><\/p>\n Ryan attended a public Rivian event. As an avid surfer, Ryan felt particularly comfortable at the venue Rivian had chosen: a taco shop near a local surf spot. With the one Rivian business card Ryan got at that event, Ryan began a networking campaign to get to know every possible employee there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you knew this kid, you\u2019d like him.\u00a0And he\u2019s got smarts. From each conversation, Ryan learned the names of a few more folks working at Rivian. Once he figured out their email formula, he began cold-emailing others. He introduced himself and his skill set, telling them about his interest in their project. And eventually he got an interview! Yes!<\/span><\/p>\n Then Covid struck. Hiring froze.<\/span><\/p>\n Ryan explains why he was willing to go through this long waiting process: \u201cI felt drawn by Rivian\u2019s inspirational CEO who believes in the \u201cwhy\u201d for the company \u2013 very<\/span><\/p>\n different from some other CEO\u2019s. He believes in \u2018impact\u2019 himself.\u00a0 He\u2019s a big dreamer, motivated by the impact of putting the planet on the \u201cpath of forever\u201d with decarbonization. Rivian looks at every single part that goes into their vehicles for sustainability, right down to the packaging the part comes in. They’re committed to lowering the harm that this industry has on the lands and oceans.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n