If you’ve ever met Aur Beck (and if you’ve spent any amount of time in Southern Illinois, you probably have), “shy” is probably not the first word that comes to mind. Aur’s gregarious presence as part of innumerable events and organizations in the region would probably lead you to believe he is an extrovert, but as it turns out, quite the opposite is true. Aur credits “tons of passion” for helping others and serving as our Founder and Chief Tech for motivating him to regularly get out of his comfort zone.
Aur was born in New Haven, CT, but finds it hard to define where exactly he’s “from.” His family traveled constantly, and by the time he was 20 years old, he had lived in 34 states and 3 different countries. His dad eventually retired to Southern Illinois, and Aur decided to stay here as well, sensing that he could make a difference in the region. Aur loves the way that Southern Illinoisans genuinely care about each other, like during the aftermath of the 2009 derecho when the community banded together to help feed one another and spawned “Rice & Spice,” a local slow foods group.
Aur’s career in solar power started very organically. As a teenager, he saw a solar power demonstration and was instantly fascinated and wanted to learn more. That rewarding challenge of constantly learning, and helping to save the world in the process, meant that before long he was an expert in the field, and other people that were interested in solar power started coming to him for advice. It seemed only natural to start AES Solar, and 19 years on he is still passionate about educating and empowering others. These days, he enjoys working in an environment were co-workers are always pushing one another to do better.
In his free time, Aur stays very active in the community, volunteering with various organizations, and working on that comfort zone by cutting a rug at Carbondale Salsa Dance Nights. You may also recognize him as one of the hosts of Your Community Spirit on local community radio station WDBX. Like any introvert though, he needs time to recharge as well. He enjoys cooking, especially with fresh, local ingredients grown by his friends. Being largely self-educated, he is also a voracious reader across many topics and genres.
If you somehow haven’t met Aur, or even if you have, come by our Educational Showroom sometime and pay him a visit! He’ll be glad you came.