At just 21, Knoxville native Preston Holmes is building a growing business that has helped more than 3,000 households enroll in community solar programs.
From the soccer fields of Knoxville to the solar farms of New Mexico and Colorado, Preston Holmes is putting lessons learned through family, faith and athletics to work as a young entrepreneur.
Holmes, a former Webb School soccer standout and Division I athlete at East Tennessee State University, co-founded Ascend, a company that connects households with community solar programs designed to reduce electricity costs.
This year, Ascend’s teams have enrolled more than 3,000 households, representing nearly 30 million kilowatt-hours of estimated annual solar generation.
For Holmes, the journey began long before he started his company.
Knoxville roots and lessons in hard work
Growing up in Knoxville, Holmes learned early that success required effort.
His father, Dr. Lewis Holmes, was a goalkeeper at Farragut High School before playing Division I soccer. His grandfather owned Holmes Appraisals, and his family emphasized the importance of earning money rather than expecting it.
As a child, Holmes earned money doing yard work for his grandparents, while his parents paid him for reading books. When he began driving, he tried reselling items before taking a job at Long’s Drug Store on Kingston Pike in Bearden.
“Knoxville taught me the value of a dollar and the value of hard work,” Holmes said.
Those lessons continued on the soccer field.
As a member of Webb School’s undefeated 2021 soccer team, Holmes experienced the pressure of maintaining a perfect 20-0 record.
“That team taught me to handle pressure and to trust the guys next to me,” he said. “Soccer is a team sport, and business is too.”
He continued his soccer career at East Tennessee State University, where competing against international players challenged him to improve his skills and develop discipline.
Despite the demands of Division I athletics, Holmes also earned academic honor roll recognition.
“It taught me discipline, routine, time management, how to handle setbacks and how to compete with people better than me,” he said. “All of that matters in business.”
Starting a company at 21
Holmes’ entrepreneurial journey began with door-to-door sales in 2024. In 2025, he led a team for Halieus, a fiber internet sales company.
In January 2026, he committed to building Ascend with co-founder Cam Kysela.
Initially, the company sold fiber internet services, traveling through several states while searching for the right opportunities.
The early months were financially challenging.
Holmes had saved money from previous sales work, but expenses for rental vehicles, housing and travel quickly added up. Payments from completed sales sometimes arrived weeks later.
“There were definitely moments I wondered if it would hold,” he recalled.
His faith and the commitment of his team helped him continue.
In March, Ascend shifted into community solar, beginning operations in New Mexico.
“That’s when everything clicked,” Holmes said.
How community solar works
Unlike traditional rooftop solar systems, community solar allows households to benefit from electricity generated by a shared solar farm without installing equipment on their property.
Participating households subscribe to a portion of a solar project’s output and receive credits on their utility bills.
According to Holmes, income-qualified households can receive discounts of approximately 30% on the value of their solar credits, while standard households receive discounts of approximately 10%.
Customers receive their regular utility bill showing solar credits and a separate bill from the solar provider for those credits at the discounted rate.
Holmes says enrollment is free, with no cancellation fees.
Ascend works as an independent sales partner with solar developers SunShare and US Solar. The developers operate the solar farms and manage subscriptions, while Ascend helps households enroll and earns commissions for verified customers.
Currently, the company operates in New Mexico and Colorado, where community solar programs are available.
Tennessee does not yet offer the same type of household community solar opportunity, but bringing the business home remains a long-term goal.
“If community solar opens up here, I would love to bring the team home,” Holmes said.
Photo: A community solar farm in New Mexico, where Ascend helps households enroll in solar energy programs.
A community solar farm in New Mexico, where Ascend helps households enroll in solar energy programs.
Building a team and reaching milestones
Ascend’s growth has required a different kind of leadership than Holmes initially practiced.
At first, he worked alongside his sales representatives, demonstrating the effort and persistence he expected from others.
As the company expanded, Holmes began developing leaders and establishing systems to maintain consistent performance.
The company holds regular leadership meetings, daily team meetings and companywide activities, including a Wednesday Bible study on Zoom.
His approach to recruiting has also evolved.
“Culture matters more than talent,” Holmes said.
He looks for coachability, work ethic and character when selecting team members.
The company recently celebrated a milestone when its New Mexico and Colorado teams enrolled households representing 2 million kilowatt-hours of estimated annual solar generation in a single week.
Previously, the teams had struggled to move beyond approximately 1.3 million kilowatt-hours per week.
Their next target is 3 million.
Holmes says Ascend is reinvesting its earnings into growing the company and reaching additional households.
Faith, family and the road ahead
Despite the company’s growth, Holmes continues to point to the people who helped shape his character.
His father remains a major influence, along with Webb soccer coach Jared Ziegler, whom Holmes credits with building his confidence and competitive mindset.
“Coach Ziegler was always in my corner,” Holmes said. “He believed in me, he helped me grow as a person and he gave me a strong mentality from day one.”
He also emphasizes the importance of co-founder Kysela and the leaders who stayed committed through difficult early months.
Looking ahead, Holmes hopes to expand Ascend into additional markets as community solar opportunities become available.
His advice to other young people in Knoxville considering an entrepreneurial path is straightforward.
“Start before you feel ready,” Holmes said. “You’ll learn more in your first month of doing it than in a year of planning.”
He also encourages young people to surround themselves with individuals who challenge them to improve.
“Learn how to communicate and how to serve people,” he said. “Those skills will carry you anywhere.”
For a young man who grew up earning money through yard work and working at a neighborhood drugstore, watching his company grow has been especially rewarding.
“Seeing the whole journey come together,” Holmes said, is what makes him proudest.
“Watching it all come together is beautiful and exciting.”
