1/ Meet Scott Van Kerkhove—a Baton Rouge native who watched his father work multiple jobs, determined not to follow the same path of struggle.
2/ Growing up, Scott Van Kerkhove learned invaluable lessons about hard work and grit. As he put it: “I never knew what the word quit was.” Those early family values lit the entrepreneurial fire in him.
3/ At first, his dream was to become a physical therapist. But after a rocky start at LSU (“I completely blew it by going to LSU and playing around”), his dad gave him tough love: “I can’t keep paying for you to do this.”
4/ Time for a reset: Scott Van Kerkhove joined the Navy, became a hospital corpsman, stepped into leadership roles, and—crucially—figured out the discipline and drive it would take to build his dream life.
5/ After 20 years managing hospitals and clinics, he faced another crossroads. The traditional work model required constant relocating. He wanted more: “I made a change.”
6/ Enter entrepreneurship. Scott Van Kerkhove ventured into construction, custom homes, insulation, and energy efficiency—eventually landing a major deal distributing polyurethane insulation nationwide. But then…
7/ 2008 crash: The housing market imploded, killing the construction pipeline overnight. “We had to start all over again. There’s no more of this business that we had.”
8/ Faced with “rock bottom,” Scott Van Kerkhove didn’t give up. He pivoted, targeting the commercial market and looking for opportunities beyond Louisiana. His mantra: “Be a survivor and be resourceful.”
9/ The breakthrough? LED lighting. A single big residential project led to a Burger King client—and now Scott Van Kerkhove’s company supplies lighting to Burger Kings across North America!
10/ Today, Scott Van Kerkhove runs EnergyWise Solutions, a boutique energy consulting firm known for helping clients save money and navigate energy rebates, not just pushing product.
11/ It’s not all business: Scott Van Kerkhove found unexpected community and joy through pickleball, building friendships (and clients) across the country. Work-life integration, on and off the court!
12/ What advice does he give his younger self? “Don’t screw up opportunities put in front of you. Appreciate the things that are given to you.” Sage words for us all.
13/ Scott Van Kerkhove’s legacy goal? To be remembered as someone who built relationships, gave back where he could, and made an impact well beyond business.
14/ Resilience, reinvention, relationships—this is the real entrepreneurial journey.
