Atlanta business owner paves the way for young people of color in the electrical field
One Atlanta company recently marked a major milestone, celebrating 25 years of transforming communities and breaking barriers in the electrical industry.
Tonya Hicks, founder, president, and CEO of Power Solutions International, has spent a quarter-century building both power and opportunity in a field where few women—and even fewer Black women—are represented.
Hicks entered the electrical trade at a time when women were routinely told they didn't belong.
"My professor said they don't hire women to do that," Hicks recalled.
But encouragement from her grandmother inspired her to persevere. "She said women ran this country while men were gone to war. So it was never in my mind or in my heart that I couldn't do this work."
Even when she felt isolated on job sites, Hicks relied on fierce determination to stay the course.
Now, at 53, Hicks leads Power Solutions International—a multimillion-dollar Atlanta-based electrical company she founded.
"We work on power, lighting, distribution, utility-scale solar, just to name a few things," Hicks said.
Originally from Mississippi, Hicks has spent decades making an impact across Georgia and around the world. In 2019, the U.S. State Department selected her to represent American energy entrepreneurs at a global summit in the Netherlands.
"When you work abroad, you're just American," she explained.
Still, Hicks believes some of her most important work is happening at home. She runs a paid internship program that supports students from Morehouse, Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Georgia State University, and Georgia Tech. Interns help plan community events and create educational tools connecting energy, public health, and sustainability.
Her community focus also extends to Best Academy, where her team designed and installed the electrical systems for a hydroponics lab that powers grow lights and climate controls—bringing fresh produce to a neighborhood considered a food desert.
Hicks is also the founder of Women Do Everything and She EV, programs she created to open new pathways for women in energy and technology.
After 25 years, Hicks's message remains clear: power has no gender, and opportunity multiplies when it's shared.
"The opportunities are endless around the world," she said.