The Company a Father Started, and a Son Saved: The Story of Castillo Engineering

Castillo may be a nationwide solar engineering firm now, but it started with just one man and a few solar water heaters. 

Rick Castillo founded Castillo Engineering in 1998 with a simple bet: that good engineering, done honestly, would find its audience. He began with solar water heaters, back when renewable energy was still a niche conversation in most parts of the country. But Rick could see where the industry was heading, and he built the company to grow with it.

By 2007, Castillo Engineering had completed its first 1-megawatt solar project, a milestone that put the company on the map in utility-scale renewables. It was proof that a smaller, family-run firm could compete on technical quality and practical design, not just on volume or name recognition.

Over the next decade, Rick kept building deeper expertise, bigger projects, more clients, and a reputation for getting things done right.

Then, in July 2017, Rick woke up to find he had lost his hearing. 

A Health Crisis That Changed Everything

The silence Rick now lived in was sudden, unexplained, and total. In addition to the trauma of losing one of his five senses, the timing couldn’t have been worse for a business owner in the middle of active projects and client relationships.

Then his son Christopher stepped in.

At that point, Christopher wasn't even part of the business. He was a rising star in a Fortune Global 500 engineering firm, having recently won Rookie of the Year. But he showed up for his dad, ready to help however he could. 

While holding down his original job, Christopher started forwarding Castillo client calls to his own phone. He sat with his dad and typed out conversations in real time so Rick could follow along and stay engaged. He even moved in with his parents temporarily, to help Rick keep the business afloat. Day after day, he kept projects moving and the business growing.

What started as a son helping his father through a health crisis gradually became a lasting partnership. While Rick eventually regained much of his hearing with a cochlear implant, Christopher's involvement continued to deepen. He ultimately joined the firm full-time as CEO, and over time, the two built something together that Rick never could have imagined on his own in 1998.

Castillo Engineering Today: Built with Respect, Support, and Ambition

Together, Rick and Christopher have grown Castillo Engineering into one of the most experienced utility-scale solar and energy storage engineering firms in the country: licensed in all 50 states, with more than 25 years of experience and over 10 gigawatts of completed projects.

That close partnership, built on the Castillo family values of respect, support, and encouragement, is the foundation of the company. Those values guide the entire culture Christopher and Rick have built for their team: one where they seek engineering talent from all backgrounds, encourage ambition, and provide the collaboration, structure, and support needed for talented, ambitious engineers to grow their careers. 

In fact, in 2025, the firm made a $2.5 million investment in talent, tools, and technology to expand its capacity without compromising quality. In particular, Castillo Engineering’s Design IQ platform simplifies workflows and automates multiple tedious tasks, all within a single user interface. Design IQ automates the collection of calculations and design assets, helping engineers turn designs around more quickly and accurately and making decades of hard-won lessons from experience easily available to all Castillo engineers. 

Why This Story Matters (If You're an Engineer)

The culture at Castillo didn't come from a handbook. It grew out of the relationship at the center of this company, with a father and son who trusted and supported each other completely when things got hard. That same instinct to show up for each other is what we've built into the firm at every level.

We're growing, and we're not shy about what we're looking for: engineers who want real responsibility, room to grow, and a workplace that treats them like professionals.

If that sounds like the kind of place you want to do your best work, we'd love to hear from you – check out our open positions online!