In 1990, Byron Zerphy, founder and president of Solar Technology, Inc., had an idea that would go on to transform an industry.

“I was stuck in traffic on I-95 and saw a diesel arrow board sitting in the median, surrounded by dead grass and leaking oil. I remember thinking – there has to be a better way. That’s when the idea for solar-powered traffic equipment really began.”

Diane and Byron Zerphy

At the time, arrow boards in highway work zones relied on fuel-consuming engines that required constant refueling and maintenance. They were noisy, dirty, and inefficient. Byron believed innovation could solve all of it.

Drawing on his background in electrical engineering and computer science, he began developing equipment powered entirely by solar energy – eliminating fuel, reducing maintenance, and operating cleanly and quietly. Working from the garage of his rented home in Allentown, with the support of his wife Diane, Solar Technology, Inc. was born.

“February 25, 1991 was incorporation day. That’s when it became real. We were committed.”

Thirty-five years later, that commitment remains at the core of who we are.

From pioneering full-matrix LED message signs and integrated board communications, to launching Command Center, expanding into GPS fleet tracking with SolarTrak, and advancing Intelligent Transportation Systems with SmartZone, SolarTech has continued to evolve while staying grounded in the same founding philosophy:

“Everybody thinks you have to be first. You don’t. You have to be best. It doesn’t matter who’s first – it matters who does it right.”

Today, we celebrate 35 years of innovation, resilience, and the employees, customers, partners, and family who made it possible – as we continue building what’s next.