Meet the Green & Main Team

Dennis is the electrical engineer for the power and lighting design on the Green & Main Pilot Project. “This project provides exciting opportunities to observe and study the sustainable design concepts incorporated into the building. The information gathered through these studies can help influence the feasibility of the systems and justify the long term benefits of incorporating sustainable design concepts in other buildings.”

Jean is editor for the Green & Main website and manages compliance of state and federal grants, internal processes for the Green & Main Pilot Project. “The role of operations is to make good things better. It is in this capacity that I have the pleasure of seeing the ways in which the Green & Main Pilot Project creates change through building renovation, a commitment to the environment and how we can best interact with our surroundings, both urban and rural. Central to this change is creating and sustaining a breadth and depth of community through shared experience and the transfer of knowledge. Our ongoing workshops and growing website is an important tool in this.”

Jonathan deLima views general project management and sustainability as deriving from the same core principle: using resources as efficiently as possible to generate stable and meaningful outcomes with long-standing results. “Too rarely, perhaps, production and aesthetics are considered as separate endeavors.  The same can be true regarding traditional historical preservation and sustainable design models.  After time working in both simultaneously – as in aesthetics and production – it becomes apparent how richly the “separate” practices can interrelate when encouraged, especially with long-term viability as a focus.”

Chaden is a business owner and social entrepreneur who, in 2006, began a project that was to take one to two seasons to finish. As the months passed, the project rolled into something much harder to achieve: an education and demonstration building that mixes historical preservation protocols with green renovation technologies. “This has turned into a case study in applied sustainability as well as plenty of schooling in grant writing, fundraising, historical preservation practices, local and national politics, curriculum development and community building. One of the pillars of this project is integrating applied best practices into the rehabilitation of small, existing buildings – this will then help to redefine and revitalize buildings and the small to medium-sized towns they are in. The Green & Main Pilot Project will show a variety of ways this can be done in buildings that are less than 15-20,000 SF.”

Zach is the landscape architect responsible for site plan documentation and the Sustainable Sites Initiative. “At a young age I became curious as to how nature evolved. As I grew older, I started to understand humans made the most impact on the environment. From that point, I knew I wanted a role in bettering the relationship between nature and humans. Landscape architecture was the logical choice for a career.”

Johanna oversees many of the technical aspects of our Green & Main Pilot Project outreach, workshops and growing community. “Re-purposing has been a significant part of my life. I renovated an old house in the Drake neighborhood, which took a handful of years and a lot of patience. I learned a lot, and realized that whether it’s clothes, furniture, time or our personal habits, revitalization through rehabbing is a must for me. It is important to me to pass on this message in both my professional life and my personal life .”

Tizzy, as a significant contributor to our grant writing and research, wrote many of the proposals to help fund the Green & Main pilot project. She also coordinates events for our organization. “I have been interested in green building and involved in sustainable lifestyles for many years. I was grateful to bring my skills to bear on such an important pilot project. I believe this model can help people save small businesses, small town buildings and small towns. All while helping save the environment. To say nothing of the fact that saving energy is good for the bottom line for everyone. If you know of an underused old building in a small town or city near you, call us up. We can help!”

Tracy assists with the coordination of the geothermal drilling and well field design. “I first became passionate about sustainability through practice and understanding that you can successfully integrate sustainable initiatives with traditional engineering practices without increasing project costs but yet achieve significant environmental benefits and have the economics still work out – it’s a win-win solution.”

David is the mechanical engineer for Green & Main. “This project provides exciting opportunities to observe and study the sustainable design concepts incorporated into the building. The information gathered through these studies can help influence the feasibility of the systems and justify the long term benefits of incorporating sustainable design concepts in other buildings.”

Judy’s role is to voice options for maintaining the historic character and integrity of the pilot project’s historic storefront during redevelopment. She also put together the state and federal historic tax credit application packages that are a significant part of the project’s funding stream. “Green & Main leads the way for sensitive rehabilitation of thousands of storefront buildings, showing how to combine respect for historic character with mindful and careful use of our energy resources.”

Michelle is the networking glue that keeps many parts of our company connected. “I have had the chance to travel extensively and to live in other places, both in the East and the West. Traveling is about learning, talking with people and experiencing the vibrancy of many cultures. I learned to value innovation in many forms and also to hold dear the tried and true methods of doing a task well with an established method. I see these same values at play in my job. We do so many new things, but what is at the core of it is the time-honored emphasis on community and human relationships with each other and the world around us.”

Steve oversees design specifications, handles construction documents and construction administration for the Green & Main pilot project. “The integration of green building practices and energy efficiency into an historic renovation project is particularly exciting and innovative. Ultimately, the greenest building is the one that isn’t built — this project demonstrates that high performance can be achieved within the shell of an existing historic structure. I look forward to seeing this approach replicated in downtowns and small towns across the state.”