EDWARD Stevenson and Bruce Khouri were doing a fine job running a roofing company when they gambled everything they had--$ l 0 million between them--to move into solar and build a factory in downtown Los Angeles.

Two years later, Solar Integrated Technologies has received $80 million in new orders from clients such as Coca-Cola Co. and Frito-Lay Corp. And a unit of General Electric Co. wants to finance year in a London stock offering, but in February the founders stepped aside, bringing in a more seasoned chief executive to prepare the company for its next stage of growth, which could include a U.S. initial public offering.

"We needed skill sets that required professional public-company experience," Khouri said. "We needed to put together an A-list team of talent."

The new chief executive, Jon Slangerup, is trying to get more U.S. companies to consider the product, which incorporates solar modules directly into the roofing so nothing needs to be mounted on top of the building. The technology is primarily used on large buildings, and one-third of the sales are being targeted for Europe, where renewable energy products are accepted more easily.