LOVELAND - Thomas Tiller has been appointed chief executive officer of Abound Solar effective Jan. 18.

Tiller has served as CEO of Polaris Industries for the last nine years and worked for General Electric for 15 years before that. He will replace interim CEO Doug Schatz, who will assume the role of chairman of the company's board of directors. Schatz has been serving as CEO since June, when Pascal Noronha announced his retirement.

"In the last year, Abound Solar has reached several key milestones, including commercial production of modules and achieving product certification," Schatz said in announcing the appointment. "With Tom's strong track record of delivering outstanding results -- both at Polaris and General Electric -- the Abound Solar board of directors is confident he is the best person to capitalize on that progress and build the next leading solar module manufacturer."

Tiller worked at General Electric, first in aerospace, later as VP of manufacturing at GE Appliances, and finally as GM of GE Silicones. Polaris, based in Minnesota, manufactures snowmobiles and other outdoor recreational equipment.

Tiller said he was "very excited and thankful" to be given an opportunity to lead a company "at the cutting edge of solar energy innovation."

"Abound is uniquely positioned to leverage its proprietary manufacturing technology in reducing the cost of solar power, and I look forward to playing a significant role in the company's continued growth," Tiller said.

Abound Solar, which makes thin-film solar power panels, began as a spinoff from Colorado State University known as AVA Solar. The company opened its first manufacturing facility in Longmont in April. It is headquartered in Loveland, with a research and development lab in Fort Collins.