PowerChampions Founder Ashish Achlerkar to Speak at EGSA Fall Conference on People-First Business Building in Critical Power

Entrepreneur and skilled-trades platform builder will share lessons from helping companies grow while strengthening leadership, culture and opportunity; PowerChampions will also sponsor the EGSA Awards Lunch

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashish Achlerkar, Founder and CEO of PowerChampions, will take the stage at the 2026 EGSA Fall Conference Washington, DC on Monday September 14^th, to share a message he has spent years putting into practice: strong companies are built by investing in people first.

In his session, "People First, Power Always: Why People-Centric Business Building Matters in Critical Power," Achlerkar will explore why technician development, leadership, culture and workforce investment have become business imperatives for companies operating in the critical power industry.

The perspective draws on Achlerkar's own entrepreneurial journey.

He began his career in investment banking, working in mergers and acquisitions. But after years in finance, Achlerkar found himself looking for a more direct way to contribute to the economy and the communities around him. That search ultimately led him to the skilled trades — industries including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and critical power that are essential to everyday life, but increasingly challenged by an aging workforce and shortage of skilled talent.

In December 2018, Achlerkar founded NearU, his first platform in the skilled trades, and served as CEO for five years. During that time, he acquired and worked alongside 24 companies, gaining firsthand insight into what it takes to help entrepreneurial businesses scale while preserving the people, culture, and leadership that made them successful.

Beyond the companies he has founded, Achlerkar has continued to invest in, advise, and help guide businesses across the skilled trades. He serves at the board level and works with emerging technology companies seeking to better understand and support the industry. His role has consistently been that of a builder and partner, using his background in entrepreneurship, capital, growth, and leadership to help other owners and companies succeed.

"Capital can help a business grow, but capital alone cannot build a great company," said Achlerkar. "You need people who believe in where the company is going, leaders who can bring others with them, and an environment where technicians and employees can see a future for themselves. If we want to build stronger companies in critical power, people strategy must drive business strategy."

At PowerChampions, Achlerkar has applied lessons learned as an entrepreneur to three core commitments: aligning with capital providers who share a long-term perspective, intentionally building a strong leadership culture, and investing in the training and technology required to help companies and their people grow.

He is also co-founder of the American Skilled Trades Academy (ASTA), an organization focused on workforce development and technical training. ASTA is another reflection of Achlerkar's belief that addressing the skilled-labor challenge requires industry leaders to actively participate in developing the next generation.

A Business Issue, Not Just a Workforce Issue

During the EGSA session, Achlerkar will challenge industry leaders to think differently about the role people play in business performance.

Demand for reliable backup power continues to create significant opportunity across the industry. Yet for many generator service companies and electrical contractors, the constraint on growth is increasingly not the availability of work — it is the ability to recruit, train, develop and retain enough people to deliver it.

The session will explore several issues facing business owners and leaders today, including:

• Why technician recruitment and retention should be treated as a growth strategy, not simply an HR challenge
• How training and career development can create stronger companies and stronger teams with two-way accountability
• Why founder-led companies often reach an inflection point where leadership must extend beyond the owner
• How culture directly affects service quality, accountability and customer trust
• Why building the next generation of leaders is essential to succession and long-term business value
• How companies can pursue growth while protecting the people, identity and legacy that made them successful

Achlerkar will also discuss why the strongest companies of the next decade may not necessarily be those that grow the fastest, but those that intentionally develop the people and leadership required to sustain growth.

PowerChampions to Sponsor EGSA Awards Lunch

PowerChampions will also sponsor the EGSA Awards Lunch during the Fall Conference.

The sponsorship is a natural extension of the company's people-first philosophy and its commitment to recognizing the individuals, technicians, leaders and companies whose work strengthens the critical power industry.

"EGSA brings together many of the people who have built this industry, and we believe recognizing those contributions matters," Achlerkar said. "The future of critical power will be built by people — technicians, owners, service leaders and teams. Supporting an event that celebrates those people is very much aligned with who we are and what we believe."

For PowerChampions, participation in the Fall Conference is also part of a broader commitment to industry education and collaboration. The company is working to create conversations around workforce development, business building, leadership, succession and the evolving ways independent generator service companies and electrical contractors can grow while preserving what they have worked hard to build.

About Ashish Achlerkar

Ashish Achlerkar is the Founder and CEO of PowerChampions and co-founder of the American Skilled Trades Academy. After beginning his career in investment banking and mergers and acquisitions, Achlerkar shifted his focus to entrepreneurship in the skilled trades. He founded NearU in 2018 and served as CEO for five years, acquiring and nurturing 24 companies across the skilled-trades sector. His experience has shaped a business-building philosophy centered on long-term thinking, strong leadership cultures, workforce development, training and technology.

About PowerChampions

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., PowerChampions is a people-first, technology and training-enabled critical power platform that is building a national network of locally operated service companies and branded depots. By combining national scale with deep local expertise, PowerChampions delivers generator installation, maintenance, and energy resiliency solutions that keep critical facilities powered and protected. Through investment in training, operational excellence, and advanced technology, PowerChampions empowers its teams to deliver best-in-class service and raises the standard for the skilled trades and the customers they serve. Learn more at power-champions.com.

Media Contact:
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SOURCE PowerChampions