2012 Green Book |
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Oct 5-18, 2012 www.ncbr.com greenSUSTAINABILITY AND CLEAN ENERGYbook IN NORTHERN COLORADO A Special Publication of the Event Supplement inside Northern Colorado Business Report Oct. 5-18, 2012 | greenbook | 1 FEATURED ARTICLES: Green enterprises adapt to downturn ........................................................................3 Going green for less ...................................................................................................5 Solar: Why stiff competition, tight margins have dimmed its outook .........................7 A note from the publisher Wind: Power generation amid turbulent politics.........................................................9 Ritter as pointman for new energy ...........................................................................11 RANKED LISTS: he economic recovery hasn’t been particularly good to the green ener- Clean-Energy Manufacturers ......................................................................................4 gy sector, despite its promise and potential. Energy Evaluation Firms .............................................................................................6 Solar and wind have both experienced setbacks in the past year, Environmental Service Organizations .........................................................................8 T LEED Organizations ..................................................................................................10 some because of competitive pressures from overseas, some related to waning support for government subsidies amid higher-than-ever national debt levels. Recycling Companies ...............................................................................................12 Our newsroom looked into the trends buffeting the industry and prospects for the year ahead in a couple of in-depth stories in these pages. Our 2012 CATEGORICAL INDEX OF GREEN BUSINESSES: Green Book Directory also includes: ARCHITECTS AND ENGINEERS ..............................................................................13 AUTO DEALERS WITH HYBRID MODELS ...............................................................15 • A look at how smaller alternative-energy companies are coping at the BUSINESS SERVICES ..............................................................................................15 moment. CLEANING SERVICES AND SUPPLIES ...................................................................15 • How companies are finding new ways to make green projects affordable. CLOTHING ...............................................................................................................16 • A conversation with former Gov. Bill Ritter, the head nowadays of the CONSTRUCTION SERVICES AND MATERIALS ......................................................16 Center for the New Energy Economy at CSU. ECO-BROKERS ........................................................................................................17 • Rankings of the region’s largest clean-energy companies, LEED-certified EDUCATION AND TRAINING ...................................................................................17 organizations, recyclers and more. ENERGY AND FUEL .................................................................................................17 • Our annual Green Book directory, with hundreds of listings of companies ENERGY STAR BUILDERS .......................................................................................18 in this space. FOOD AND BEVERAGE ...........................................................................................18 GREEN TRAINING ....................................................................................................18 There have been many developments from this front in recent months. As HOME AND GARDEN ...............................................................................................19 in all that we do, we hope that what you’ll read in these pages helps bring you INSPECTORS, ASSESSORS, AND CONSULTANTS ................................................19 up to speed and gives you the insights you need to make the right business LEED ACCREDITED ORGANIZATIONS ....................................................................19 decisions. LEED BUILDERS ......................................................................................................20 I, for one, am hoping for brighter times LEED BUILDINGS .....................................................................................................20 ahead for the green economy. Our eco- LIGHTING .................................................................................................................20 nomic health depends on it. MERCHANDISE RESELLERS AND CONSIGNMENT ...............................................20 Please send any additional ideas for cov- MUNICIPAL SERVICES ............................................................................................21 erage of this sector to me at jnuttall@ncbr. NON-PROFITS .........................................................................................................21 OFFICE FURNITURE ................................................................................................22 com or to our editor, Allen Greenberg, at RECYCLERS ............................................................................................................22 [email protected]. JEFF NUTTALL TRANSPORTATION ..................................................................................................22 Publisher WASTE MANAGEMENT ...........................................................................................23 Thank you, WATER ......................................................................................................................23 2 | greenbook | Oct. 5-18 2012 Northern Colorado Business Report Green enterprises adapt to downturn BY STEVE LYNN [email protected] orthern Colorado companies with environmentally friendly ambitions have seen more than their fair Nshare of struggles this year. Examples include Abound Solar of Loveland, which shuttered its solar panel manufacturing operations when it declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in July. Danish turbine maker Vestas also made big headlines when it laid off work- ers at its Brighton and Pueblo plants. Whether there’s more bad news ahead is unclear. A quick turnaround, however, isn’t likely, especially in light of attacks on industry subsidies amid tighter times for govern- ment. Surviving will take luck, smarts and good fortune. The Business Report caught up with a few smaller alternative- energy businesses and organizations to see how they’ve responded and what they’re doing to adapt to tougher cir- cumstances. Judy Dorsey’s engineering consulting company, Brendle Group in Fort Collins, has reworked its strategy. Dorsey, Brendle Group president, said her clients include local government and utilities, schools, ski areas and resort towns. Brendle Group provides sustainability measurement and management services. The firm has customers in 15 states, including the city of Cleveland, for which it is developing a climate action plan. “Business this year is good: not great, but according to plan,” she said. That plan includes new ways for customers to pool resources so they can better afford the company’s services. As an example, Brendle Group provides a service for the National Ski Areas Association that its ski area members can join to have their greenhouse gas output measured. Those 18 ski areas pay a smaller fee to participate in the program than if they hired an independent consultant to conduct such an inventory. The firm also has responded by avoiding competition in what Dorsey calls “commodity services.” Those are common services offered by multiple com- panies such as evaluations of buildings for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. “Sure, we will do that for our customers who ask us for it, but we’re also better situated to offer them more services that are leading edge in sustainability,” she said. Cyrus Green, who describes himself as an “eco-broker” with High Street Real Estate in Fort Collins, has seen a shift in green real estate opportunities amid the weak new-ener- gy and wider economies. People once wanted to build homes outfitted with green features; now they’re more likely to remodel older homes. JONATHAN CASTNER Taking advantage of the trend, Green markets govern- “Eco-broker” Cyrus Green, who procured the doors pictured ment loan programs that offer lower interest rates to rural from the Denver Library for a client. homeowners who want to fund installation of items like solar panels. Green’s business is “largely based on these loan pro- grams that are designed to let people keep their liquid capital,” he said. Mark Benjamin, president of Crown Jade Design and Engineering, also has changed his approach. “We guide them toward, ‘Why not build it right?’” A certified “passive house” consultant, Benjamin designs — Mark Benjamin, homes sealed off from outdoor air for greater heating and cooling efficiency. president of Crown Jade Design and Engineering He expressed frustration that people cannot seem to _______________________________________ See Adapt, page 4 Northern Colorado Business Report Oct. 5-18, 2012 | greenbook | 3 BUSINESS REPORT Clean-Energy Manufacturers LIST Ranked by number of local employees Phone/Fax Person in Charge No. of Local E-mail Title RANK Company Employees Products/Services Website Year founded Woodward Inc. 1,474