Priority Power ranked No. 7 on the 2025 Real Leaders Top Impact Companies list in recognition of lighting the way to a clean energy world.

Priority Power is a leading independent energy solutions provider focused on lowering energy costs, meeting sustainability goals, and removing growth impediments for large corporate and industrial customers. Priority serves over 10,000 clients, totaling approximately $1 billion in energy spend across 40 states. Its team of subject matter experts has a long history of successfully working together, along with deeply embedded relationships with its broad base of customers. To date the company has reduced over 10 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. Here Priority Power CEO Brandon Schwertner shares his knowledge and experience with Real Leaders.

Real Leaders: How do you thrive in the impact space?

Brandon Schwertner: To thrive in the impact space, a business must achieve profitability and scale. The two are interrelated and co-dependent. To truly set an example of a lasting impact platform, scale must be achieved in order to be noticed, inspired, and replicated.

RL: What milestones have you achieved this year?  

Schwertner: Priority Power builds electrical infrastructure that covers over $1 billion of energy spend a year — and that is the OPEX portion. Violent weather impacts our customers directly. During winter storm Uri, over 80% of the natural gas processing plants in Texas were Priority Power clients. As the ice fell over north and west Texas, these facilities began to fail, and the power plants failed due to lack of fuel. Our teams worked 24-hour shifts that week — hand in hand with customers, the public utility commission, and the governor’s office — to restore power in the field and get fuel to the plants. The grid was within minutes of a complete failure where the entire state would have lost power for multiple weeks. Without our impact during this and other storms, things would be much worse.

Also, in July 2024 I Squared Capital (“I Squared”), a leading independent global infrastructure investment manager, entered into an agreement to acquire Priority Power.

RL: What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?

Schwertner: Our biggest challenges have been a six-year, 45% compound annual growth rate during the pandemic, inflation, and rising interest rates. Energy prices are more volatile — and the grid is less reliable — but the demand for power has risen significantly, driven by the growth in data centers and manufacturing. Priority Power helps businesses and institutions manage their energy costs and accelerate their expansion plans by delivering innovative solutions that marry data, market expertise, infrastructure, and sustainability while reducing emissions.

RL: What is your best strategy for finding investors?

Schwertner: Profitability at scale while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

RL: What is your long-term, mission-oriented dream?

Schwertner: To automate the economic consumption of power across the planet, including bringing electricity to every human on the planet.

RL: What is your best advice for fellow impact CEOs?

Schwertner: Put yourself in uncomfortable situations, and outwork everyone around you.