Solar streetlight startup hires supply chain guru

A rapidly expanding solar-powered streetlight startup has hired a new executive. John Hantzis formerly managed operations at Amazon, and helps advise the FBI on critical infrastructure threats.

Hantzis will serve as Streetleaf’s new director of operations. The Tampa-based company inked a deal with D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest homebuilder, in August and is now the leading provider of solar streetlight services in the U.S.

Hantzis most recently served as director of logistics for AAMP Global, an automotive technology solutions company, where he oversaw the optimization of delivery processes and tariff reductions. Streetleaf believes he will propel the startup’s supply chain strategy and ensure reliability and quality from component suppliers.

“I have admired Streetleaf for their innovation and sustainability mindset for quite a while,” Hantzis told the Catalyst. “Being able to join early on was and is a fascinating opportunity.”

Streetleaf installed its first lights, built to withstand hurricanes, in 2019. The process takes about 15 minutes, and solar panels fully charge batteries in a few hours.

The system can operate for three to five days without additional sunlight. The company’s streetlights can light up a community without connecting to the electric grid.

Streetleaf’s utility-grade products have withstood several named storms. Hantzis noted he also previously worked at Signify, a global connected lighting manufacturer that “focused heavily on sustainability targets well ahead of where the rest of the industry was going.”

He has over 25 years of experience in merging the worlds of supply chain efficiency and environmental resiliency. Hantzis considers the work important and fascinating; he also wants to help make the world a better place for his two children.

“To be able to achieve this is in my everyday work pushes me more each day to make Streetleaf operationally better tomorrow than we were today,” Hantzis said.

John Hantzis, director of operations for Streetleaf.

He managed operations for online shopping behemoth Amazon and currently acts as a transportation sector chief advisor for InfraGard. The nonprofit organization is a public-private partnership between various industry experts and the FBI.

InfraGard provides an interconnected forum to share information that mitigates critical infrastructure threats. Hantzis said his role on the joint task force is to help Tampa Bay businesses with “transportation-related proactive and reactive planning.”

He added that the local chapter collaborates with law enforcement and primarily focuses on cybersecurity. His role in the transportation sector is to “serve as an informational outlet and occasionally assist businesses in need of government assistance with cyber threat scenarios.”

Hantzis said his overarching goal is to have the “least amount of imprint from the transportation of our products.” He seeks out freight forwarders and carriers that balance safety and efficiency with sustainability.

Hantzis plans to combine orders “as much as possible,” use shipping lines that comply with current mandates, and purchase equipment that further minimizes environmental impacts. He noted the company also plants a tree for every installed light.

“As we plan to light up the world around us, we need to do so without creating a large shadow behind us in order to achieve that success,” Hantzis said. “Our mindset will fuel our growth.”

He said a LinkedIn post initially attracted him to Streetleaf. It highlighted new hires, from upper-level management to warehouse staff.

Hantzis appreciated that company leadership highlighted the people who have supported their success. Joining at an early stage “was and is a fascinating opportunity,” he said.

CEO Liam Ryan believes supply chain efficiency is critical to Streetleaf’s continued growth. A formal partnership with D.R. Horton should propel the startup’s trajectory as the Texas-based company built over a million homes between its launch in 1978 and 2023.

Streetleaf builds its lighting systems to withstand 160 mph winds.

Hantzis said smart planning, ordering and shipping decisions will bolster supply chain efficiency, which will allow Streetleaf’s leadership to focus on growing the company without increasing operational expenses. He believes it will also enable them to take a proactive rather than reactive approach to related issues, like tariff increases or port strikes.

Hantzis compared his role to a football team’s quarterback – he takes Ryan’s plan and balances it with “who we have in the organization, compared to what issues we are facing at the time. Our efficiency is our strength to react quickly and provide the best outcome for our customers.”

Streetleaf has installed over 8,000 lights in 175 projects nationwide through partnerships with developers, local governments, utilities and homeowner’s associations. The carbon-neutral certified company has also offset more than three million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.