From pitch, to pints, to power: How two dads built a five-star sustainable energy business

Greg Newman  and Pietro Lanni might seem an unlikely business partnership at first glance – one a London marketing executive, the other a hands-on electrician – but their complementary skills have created a formidable team tackling the region's growing demand for renewable energy solutions.

From pitch, to pints, to power

The seeds of The Lanman Group were planted on a muddy Suffolk football pitch back in 2017, when Greg, newly relocated from London, met Pietro through the Witnesham Wasps football team that Pietro managed and Greg's son played for.

"Over a pint or two, we figured out that merging both my branding, marketing and business experience with Pietro's electrical and solar installation knowledge could work well," explains Greg. "It quickly became obvious that setting something up from scratch together would be the best option, and The Lanman Group was born."

Pietro brought valuable hands-on expertise to the partnership, having become a fully qualified electrician in 2000 and one of Suffolk's early adopters of solar panel installation work in 2012.

Greg's background couldn't have been more different – after studying at Kings College London and earning his Masters in digital media, he established Higher Ground, a marketing agency in Covent Garden that grew to around 20 staff working with major clients including Deutsche Bank, Land Rover/Jaguar, and Sony.

Powered by purpose

For both co-founders, however, the motivation went beyond business opportunity. With five children between them, creating a more sustainable future for their families was a driving force.

"Having 5 kids across both families, we are passionate about leaving the planet in as good a state as possible for future generations," says Greg. "So doing as much as we could to help the environment on a daily basis was a huge driver for us."

This commitment to sustainability was evident from day one, with the company pledging to plant a tree for every day they were in operation and becoming corporate sponsors of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

Growing a green reputation

In a competitive market, The Lanman Group has distinguished itself through exceptional customer service – recently being described by one customer as the "John Lewis of Suffolk Solar."

"Starting a sustainable energy solutions business in an already saturated market is a challenge," Greg admits. "But the key for us has been doing something differently, and for us, that's the customer service piece and quality of work."

This approach has earned them a perfect five-star Google review rating – something almost unheard of in the sector.

Steady expansion

Today, the company works across East Anglia, with a number of teams providing solar panel installations, battery storage solutions, EV chargers and air-to-air heat pumps for both commercial and domestic clients.

"We are now 50% commercial projects and 50% domestic work," explains Greg, "covering anything from three panels working off-grid on a beach hut in Wrabness, up to nearly 1,000 panels on the Earlham Institute in Norwich."

Rather than focusing on aggressive growth through external investment, the company has concentrated on maintaining its high service standards and growing organically through customer demand, re-investing internally as they grow.

Milestone moments

Looking back on their journey so far, both founders point to several landmark moments, including "seeing our first branded van and getting our first office at the brilliant Westerfield Business Centre, where we now have the penthouse office!" Greg recalls, before adding "winning our first sustainability award in 2023, to being a finalist in the East Anglian Daily Times Startup of the Year award for 2024" to the list of achievements.

Local community involvement has also been important to the company's identity. "We've been Platinum sponsors of the Copdock Cricket Club for two years now, and a highlight was definitely seeing all the branding going up there," says Greg. "Another one was also providing the sponsorship for the Witnesham Wasps (where Pietro and I met) and seeing the lads in their new kits."

The team behind the technology

While the company's success can be measured in installations completed and awards won, Greg and Pietro are most proud of the team they've built.

"From Amelia, Roy and Greg in the office keeping everything running smoothly, to Lewis, Malcolm, Pietro and the rest of the installation guys out in the field," Greg says. "There is a really fantastic 'feel good' feeling at The Lanman Group, and that comes across to both our commercial and domestic customers too."

This sentiment is reflected in their unblemished customer feedback.

The bottom line

In an era of spiralling energy costs and growing climate concerns, The Lanman Group  has found success by combining technical expertise with exceptional customer service. From beach huts to research institutes to cricket clubs, they're helping the region transition to renewable energy one installation at a time.

The Lanman Group

The Lanman Group is an award-winning, fully MCS-accredited sustainable energy company with a 5-star rating on Google. From its offices in Suffolk, it serves businesses and homes across East Anglia.