Holtz inks endorsement deal with Shine Solar

Lou Holtz is returning to Arkansas. No, not to coach, but to endorse solar energy. Specifically, he will endorse residential solar products and services sold by Bentonville-based Shine Solar.

The legendary college football coach – who also spent a one-year stint coaching the New York Jets – will be in Bentonville Jan. 17 for a Shine Solar kickoff event held at 6 p.m. at The Record in Bentonville. The event is not open to the public.

According to Shine Solar, the endorsement deal begins in early 2020 and will include radio, television and online ads targeting the Arkansas market during the year. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Holtz was the head football coach at the University of Arkansas between 1977 and 1983. He was fired by then Athletic Director Frank Broyles. He would then coach two years at Minnesota before taking a 10-year coaching stint at Notre Dame that included winning a national championship in 1988. He closed out his coaching career with the South Carolina Gamecocks (1999-2004). Holtz was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.

“A lot of thought went into what type of company spokesperson would best exemplify the qualities we value at Shine Solar and that Arkansans would immediately trust and endear. Coach Lou Holtz is known throughout the country as a straight-shooter and a person of the utmost integrity. We’re all excited for his return to Northwest Arkansas this month to visit the community and kick off the new year together at our event,” Nick Gorden, co-founder and CEO of Shine Solar, said in statement issued Wednesday (Jan. 1).

Since Shine Solar was founded in 2016, the company has installed solar panels on more than 2,000 homes in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. The company, which employs 135 in the four states, works with customers to reduce utility costs and access tax credits related to renewable energy.