going green

Greening
America: Ohio
takes the LEED
By Joan Carroll-Flowers

H
ow often have you heard the saying, “As Ohio goes, so natural environment. For those who aren’t aware, green build-
goes the nation?” People generally associate that kind of ing is the idea of designing, constructing and operating build-
prediction with a presidential election. But, when you ings in ways that minimize environmental impact. The U.S.
hear about a movement happening in Ohio from people who live Green Building Council recognizes excellence in green build-
in California, then you know it must be something remarkable. ing practice and performance based on a LEED-rating system
What is surprising everyone is that Ohio has taken a leader- that incorporates energy and water conservation, waste mini-
ship role in green building and the state has more Leadership mization, pollution prevention, resource-efficient materials
in Energy and Environmental De- and indoor quality.
sign or LEED-certified schools than “This [green building] adds up
California, Washington, Oregon, to a big challenge for meeting
Texas, New Mexico and Florida inclusion goals,” said Icy L. Wil-
combined. It’s not just state govern- liams, former supplier diversity
ment that has a stake in green build- leader at Procter & Gamble Co.
ing either. Growth through sustain- While Cincinnati is home to more
able development is a strategy in LEED projects and more LEED-
cities from the shores of Lake Erie registered schools than any other
to the banks of the Ohio River bor- city in the state, few small and
dering Kentucky, and nowhere is diverse businesses fully partici-
the green movement more evident pate in the city’s green building
than in Greater Cincinnati. The city industry. For example, when the
encourages green construction by public school system embarked
offering a 15-year tax abatement on an unprecedented 10-year $1.1
on buildings valued up to $515,000 billion rebuilding project, school
that meet LEED certification. A 10- board members aimed to give mi-
year tax abatement period is also nority contractors one-fifth of all
offered for residential remodeling the work. Six years later, the 20
projects as small as $2,500 that percent inclusion goal has never
meet LEED certification standards. been reached, and it’s more hotly
The incentive has spurred a wave of debated than ever.
remodeling of existing commercial In 2006, Williams and Procter
building, as well as green residen- & Gamble were the driving force
tial construction, and more projects behind a citywide collaborative to
are on the horizon. connect minority-owned construc-
Major contractors in the build- tion and construction-related firms
ing profession have responded to with clients looking to boost inclu-
the call to reduce the impact of the sion in their commercial projects.
Icy Williams
nation’s buildings on the planet’s (continued on page 80)

©Copyright 2010 MBN USA Magazine

 (continued from page 78)
She worked with Allied Construction
Industries, a major local trade group, to
create a Web site where project owners
could find qualified MBE companies.
But, because most of the city’s MBE
firms lack the capacity to compete with
larger, non minority-owned competi-
tors, the majority of the MBE compa-
nies were skeptical of submitting infor-
mation for the site.
“The anticipation was that the Web
portal would simplify the process of
identifying MBEs, and this would lead
to higher levels of minority participa-
tion,” said Williams, who now views
the green economy as a way of leveling
the playing field. She believes that supplier diversity will become
secondary in a 21st century economy that focuses on pollution
prevention, waste minimization and reduction of the earth’s non-
renewable resources. She is quick to point out that 20 years ago
there was no such thing as a commercially available Internet, yet
during the dot-com era, minority entrepreneurship was able to ad-
vance because of innovation.
“The No. 1 challenge for minority-owned firms continues to
be a lack of customer demand for services that are based on an
economy of past years,” Williams said. And it’s easy to believe
her when she adds, “Minority entrepreneurs need to think outside
of the box, because with challenge comes opportunity.”
Clearly, the American economy and industries across the board
are transitioning to sustainable development. And along with that
change, Williams is on a mission to transition small and diverse
firms into certified green businesses that can meet current mar-
ketplace needs. She said, “The reality of the green economy is
The reality of the green economy
is that there aren’t enough workers with
the knowledge or technical skills to meet
modern workforce demands.
— Icy Williams
that there aren’t enough workers with the knowledge or technical
skills to meet modern workforce demands.” The intent is to bridge
the gap with MBEs that know how to apply the science of sustain-
ability to the work they perform.
With this goal in mind, Williams and Dr. Calvin Green, an envi-
ronmental engineer/ scientist with Procter & Gamble, co-founded
the National Sustainability Coalition in 2009. After retirement,
Williams decided to spearhead an effort that brings together envi-
ronmental professionals, corporate leaders, business development
organizations, educators and award-winning trainers not only to
foster the principles of sustainability, but also to prepare small
and diverse businesses to be the drivers of change. Ohio is on
the cusp of what could be a green revolution among small and
diverse businesses, and the seed is being planted in the construc-
tion industry.
The Coalition is partnering with Cincinnati-based Messer Con-
struction to launch a grass-roots effort to provide sustainability
©Copyright 2010 MBN USA Magazine
training and technical assistance
Coalition Messer
targeted to 400 small firms, as well
as to promote connectivity be-
tween what construction projects
need and what green MBEs can
provide.
“Most of these small firms are
heavily concentrated in just a few
specialties,” Williams explained.
“And rather than struggle to com-
pete for public projects that are
thick with bonding requirements
and upfront costs, the idea is to pro-
vide these small companies with
specialized sustainability training
and green businesses certification
that can build value and competi-
tive advantage into a supplier classification.”
Tom Keckeis, Messer’s CEO and president said, “Our regional
economy depends on the success of small-, minority- and women-
owned enterprises in particular.” Messer is a longtime advocate of
inclusion for minorities and women. The employee-owned com-
pany also owns one-third of TriVersity Construction Group LLC,
one of the tri-state area’s largest MBE firms.
Keckeis encourages other project owners and prime contractors
to make the same commitment and build legitimate relationships
with green MBE firms that are on a path to sustainability.
The Coalition’s 12-week “Green Construction Boot Camp”
series begins with basic sustainability training at Messer’s head-
quarters, located in the urban community of Bond Hill. The build-
ing has been redesigned to include a number of green features,
recently earning the ENERGY STAR rating for energy manage-
ment. In addition, it was recently submitted for LEED Existing
Building Operations and Maintenance Gold certification. The ba-
sic training includes a “show and tell” tour of what
makes a building “green,” and classroom instruction
is combined with an online interactive e-course to
encourage innovation.
Yet, learning about green construction and LEED
principles is only part of the training. The transition
to sustainability continues with the creation of a plan
of action. The Ohio Small Business Development
Center at the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati
provides technical assistance using the Coalition’s
online tutorial and sustainability-planning template,
a tool that is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. The idea is for participating companies to
develop and implement a sustainability plan and
then receive third-party green business certification. Additional
technical assistance is being provided by the Coalition through a
network of certified green business consultants with expertise in
everything from LEED green building practices to wastewater, air
quality, waste management and electrical engineering.
As for the road not taken, the Coalition is revamping the Web
site, hosted by trade group Allied Construction Industries, to pro-
file MBE businesses that are “going green.” As construction man-
agers search for ways to involve more minority firms, Williams
wants them to factor sustainability into the equation.
If Ohio is an indicator of things to come, look for the “Green
Construction Boot Camp” to expand into Indiana, Kentucky and
Tennessee as Messer and the National Sustainability Coalition
continue to roll out the program in 2011.
For more information, visit the National Sustainability Coali-
tion website at http://www.nscoalition.com or contact Icy Wil-
liams at 513-242-1066.