Reflecting On 20 Years As A Green Buildings Consultant

Charlie Popeck

•

Published: November 2nd, 2022

save

Charlie Popeck

Founder, Green Ideas Building Science Consultants

Founders

Employees

Green Ideas Build...

egreenideas.com

from Phoenix, Arizona, USA

started September 2002

Founders

Employees

Discover what tools Charlie recommends to grow your business!

social media tool-icon

YouTube

Discover what books Charlie recommends to grow your business!

📗

Value-Based Fees: How to Charge - and Get - What You're W... Alan Weiss

📗

Want more updates on Green Ideas Building Science Consultants? Check out these stories:

My name is Charlie Popeck and over the past 20+ years, I have built a career as a leader in the field of building science, sustainability, and green building. As the President and founding Principal of Green Ideas Building Science Consultants, I am sought after as an expert in building science and LEED, the Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). My business responsibilities for Green Ideas include operations, business development, marketing, educational programs, technical consulting, and beyond.

Since founding Green Ideas in 2002, we have built an extensive resume of high-performance development and sustainable building experience. We have managed the certification of over 100 LEED projects and have been involved in many other sustainable projects around the world.

As a Certified B Corporation, we are actively involved with the community in which we live, work and play!

Our clients include private corporations, government agencies, universities, and real estate developers throughout the United States and abroad. The Green Ideas project approach follows the integrative design process as we work with all stakeholders from the start to implement an integrative approach to planning, design, construction, and operations.

We challenge project team members to identify “state-of-the-shelf” technologies and to develop sustainable strategies that push toward outcomes that include net-zero energy, water, and waste performance with maximized life cycle cost benefits. This proactive process allows project teams to develop structures and systems that integrate holistically to create resource-efficient projects with minimal impact on the environment and maximum return on investment.

A cornerstone of the Green Ideas approach is our commitment to evaluate each project from a business perspective. We are proud of our history of finding new ways for our clients to implement sustainable solutions with a key focus on business outcomes. We evaluate the projected performance and financial implications of sustainable strategies for our clients while considering project objectives, sustainability parameters, conservation of resources, available incentives, and business goals.

October 2022 marks Green Ideas Building Science Consultants’ 20th year of helping businesses, universities, and Architecture-Engineering-Construction professionals to create resource-efficient projects with minimal environmental impact and maximum return on investment.

What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?

As a lifelong construction industry professional, I have worked on a wide range of commercial, industrial, and residential projects with unique expertise in green building products, applications, and installation techniques. I have been a licensed California General Contractor, as well as have held senior management-level positions for general contractors, and architectural and product manufacturing firms.

My passion for high-performance design and construction, along with my construction management and tradesman background, has uniquely qualified me as one of the most versatile building science consultants in the United States.

I have been in the construction business my entire adult life. After I completed my Masters's degree, I went to work for a construction product manufacturing company (Director of Sales) that considered their product to be “green”. I quickly discovered that it wasn’t. That’s when I decided to combine my love of nature and the outdoors with my construction industry background to found Green Ideas in 2002.

At this time, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program was in its infancy, and I detected a business opportunity. I studied for the LEED Professional Accreditation (LEED AP) Exam (without any study guides or materials available) and was one of the first people in the country to successfully pass the exam.

When people in the Phoenix AEC community discovered that I was a LEED AP, I was invited to speak at many trade organization events and was also asked by several companies to conduct LEED training sessions to help employees to become LEED APs. For the first several years that Green Ideas was in business, training services became about 60% of my business revenue.

Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product.

I incorporated Green Ideas, Inc. as an S-Corp in 2002. I bootstrapped the start-up costs, and as the business grew, I reinvested profits into growing the company to the next level.

As the sustainability movement in the AEC industry started to grow, I was invited to assess several projects to determine if they could qualify for LEED certification. Green Ideas’ first project was the Institute for Ecotourism in Sedona, Arizona, owned and operated by ILX Resorts (see attached Project Profile). This project was the first in the State of Arizona to earn LEED “GOLD” level status.

Describe the process of launching the business.

The launch strategy included the development of the first Green Ideas website, attending trade shows and events with a simple trade show booth setup, and conducting public LEED AP Exam Prep training seminars to help others to become LEED APs.

Doing so, many people thought I was crazy at the time, stating “Why would you want to teach others to become a LEED APs? You are creating competition for yourself!”

I looked at the bigger picture…I was out to save the world through sustainable design, construction, and operations practices! I wanted to transform the AEC industry into one that was more responsible and respectful of the environment. Our mission statement was to “Transform the AEC industry through responsible design, construction, and operation practices.”

The public and private LEED AP Exam Prep training seminars were not only a revenue generator for Green Ideas, but the seminars also became a business development effort, as the seminar attendees were typically architects, engineers, contractors, facility managers, and product manufacturing individuals…ALL potential future clients!

As these individuals became more aware of the advantages that high-performance building design and construction provided, and they began to be invited to participate in potential LEED-certified projects they would call their teacher (me) for help. Green Ideas began to evolve from a training company to a trusted technical consulting firm.

And started offering Energy Modeling Services and Corporate Services.

Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?

The primary strategy that I have used to retain clients is to always complete projects on time and within budget…even if a project is not as profitable as planned. Green Ideas has always finished our projects with the client’s best interest in mind. Sure, I’ve lost money on several projects over the years, but we have ALWAYS completed everything according to plan.

This approach has established credibility for Green Ideas and me personally as a trusted advisor. Many clients have told me that the word on the street is “If you want it done right…call Green Ideas”.

Many of my clients have found Green Ideas on the internet when searching for “LEED Consultant”. This is evident as we are currently working on a medical/dental facility for the federal government in Guam. The client found Green Ideas through an internet search. (I have several more examples of this).

In 2022, our 20th year in business, I decided it was time to freshen up our marketing efforts to ultimately celebrate our extensive resume of high-performance development and sustainable building experience as we make massive strides to transform the AEC industry!

Recently, we have started to ramp up our email newsletter, PR efforts, SEO strategy, and social media again. Our most important social media channel is Linkedin, both professionally and personally.

Awards and public speaking has been incredibly important in developing myself, as well as my company, as a top service provider. We have managed the certification of over 100 LEED projects and have been involved in over 100 sustainable projects in the Americas, let alone my home state, Arizona.

One that comes to mind is the LEED certification for the Phoenix Convention Center. We were able to collaborate with the State of Arizona, the City of Phoenix, and a very talented Phoenix-centric project team to achieve LEED certification on April 14, 2008.

The innovative strategies implemented for the project will help to save millions of gallons of potable water each year and will reduce energy consumption by half.

Then, on May 7, 2009, was the Achievement of Green Ideas’ and Arizona’s fourth LEED “Platinum” level project, the Arizona Game & Fish Department Headquarters Building.

This significant milestone vaulted Green Ideas into the national spotlight as one of the top green building consulting firms in the United States. The innovative design enabled the project to receive LEED Platinum certification, when originally only targeting Silver. Continuing on the topic of the last 20 years, we have earned the following awards and recognition:

The first four LEED Platinum level projects in the State of Arizona
Phoenix Business Journal “Green Pioneer” Award -Charlie Popeck (2010)
ASU W.P Carey Spirit of Enterprise Award (2009)
New Mexico Business Journal “Sustainable Business Award (September 2013)
2006-Valley Forward Association Environmental Excellence Awards
Crescordia Award (Top Honor) – Public Assembly
2006-American Institute of Architects – Western Mountain Region
Honor Award
2006-American Institute of Architects – Arizona
The Kemper Goodwin Award
2006-American Institute of Architects – Arizona
Citation Award
2007-US Green Building Council LEED – Gold Certification
Arizona Commercial Real Estate Magazine – Featured in September / October 2007 Edition
2008 American Institute of Architects – Arizona SRP Sustainable Award
GSA Mariposa Land Port of Entry. Nogales, AZ 2016
Design Award - U.S. General Services Administration / Public Buildings Service - GSA Mariposa Land Port of Entry. Nogales, AZ 2016
2016 GSA Design Excellence Program - Honor Award In Architecture

How are you doing today and what does the future look like?

Green Ideas is doing great! The future is extremely bright, especially as the Biden administration has passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which provides tax incentives for energy-efficient construction.

Our short-term goal is to continue growing the business by accepting projects from clients that “get it”. By that, I mean working for clients that truly want to be more sustainable through responsible building practices. This would include targeting projects that target higher levels of LEED certification (Gold or Platinum) instead of just getting by. (the Burwell Center is a LEED Platinum building and the first Platinum building at the University of Denver).

Long-term goals include continuing to transform the commercial and residential real estate markets into business sectors that are more sustainable and respectful to our planet. I will do this by not only expanding Green Ideas’ business operations but by illustrating to others how to do it. (I teach the “Sustainable Construction” course at ASU in the “School of Sustainable Engineering and the Build Environment” in the “Del E. Webb School of Construction” department, and also teach “Sustainability” and “Applied Sustainability” courses at The School of Architecture (formerly The School of Architecture at Taliesin) in Scottsdale, AZ and Spring Green, WI).

PS: Teaching is also a business development effort for Green Ideas, as many of my former students are now employed by AEC firms and they contact Green Ideas to help with projects.

PSS: I have also been a member of the USGBC National Faculty

Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?

Finish what you start.
Stick with it.
Become a “sales-based” organization (not accounting)
Educate your clients
Don’t finance what you don’t need
Find unique ways to market your services

What platform/tools do you use for your business?

The typical Microsoft products (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc.) along with building science software programs like “Energy Plus”, Procore and Bluebeam. These are all standards in the AEC industry.

What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?

In addition to reading many articles on the internet to keep up with new developments in the industry, I have also read several “how to” professional consulting books, with plans to write my book about how to become a leader in the sustainability consulting profession. Books that I have read and applied to both my life and business include the following:

Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?

My advice for entrepreneurs of all ages is to be technically sound in whatever you choose to do. Provide solutions to your clients, and work to know your competition. As a business, provide value-based fees. Most importantly, always finish what you start.