We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Steinbrink a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, thanks for joining us today. So, let’s start with trends – what are some of the largest or more impactful trends you are seeing in the industry?

Despite some news that characterizes ESG (Environment, Social, Government) as dead or woke, companies of all sizes are adopting sustainability as a core value-driver for their business. At Emerald, we refer to sustainability as, “the E in ESG,” and it means taking a serious look at the company’s environmental footprint, creating solutions to reduce it, and reporting progress towards publicly stated goals.

One way we see evidence of this is the number of times we are asked to propose services for a company seeking Net Zero energy for its building project. From 2008-2020 we only needed a few fingers to count the times that topic was seriously considered by an owner and project team. Starting in 2020, and through to today, most corporate new construction projects include some level of net-zero analysis in their design process.

Another way we see evidence of corporate America adopting the E in ESG as a value-driver is through the number of companies that share B Corp certification with us. When we achieved B Corp Certification, a third-party designation of our company as a for-benefit organization, rose from <4,400 worldwide in 2022 to over 8,100 today.

And, then there are the number of companies seeking a sustainability roadmap, reporting support for annual GHG emissions reports, TCFD, GRESB, or other sustainability reports like CDP, SASB, and THESIS. Our growing client base is evidence that more companies are seeking these services, which support their ability to gain value from their commitment to sustainability.

Finally, simple empirical evidence suggests over 90% of companies report neutral or positive benefits from investments placed toward the E  inESG. https://www.thomsonreuters.com/en-us/posts/investigation-fraud-and-risk/financial-materiality-esg/

Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started this work in 2008 after a successful 15-year career as a non-profit executive. After being tasked with writing the business case for a large medical institution that sought to determine why they should pursue sustainable buildings and LEED certification for a $3B campaign. Soon thereafter, I enrolled in business school to achieve my Masters in Sustainable Business Administration, which I received in 2010.

It was clear to me when the opportunity to advocate for sustainable buildings and to consult on the topic was presented, that I had found the nexus between my career and my personal passion for nature and the earth. Furthermore, the idea that shelter is a critical basic need further compelled my desire to build a for-benefit business whose services were designed to build a sustainable future: one that creates healthy spaces for people and the planet.

Our clients come to us for expertise. They also come to us for our business-minded approach to the work. Our 4-step process called The Emerald Way, guides us in all the work we do. We focus first on listening & strategizing. Then we evaluate and plan options. We support the implementation of the plan. And finally, we test & measure performance.

Approximately 75% of our projects are building-specific, meaning our clients are asking us to help them improve the performance of a new construction project, a major renovation, a commercial building’s interiors, or the ongoing operation of a building. Sometimes the “built environment” is a neighborhood, a redeveloped district, a park, or a campus. We help our clients set and achieve their sustainability goals. That often means we are pursuing a sustainable building certification like LEED, WELL, Fitwel, or Energy Star. We also conduct whole-building energy models to aid design teams in understanding the ROI of investing in higher-performing systems and building materials. We conduct life-cycle assessments on projects to articulate the embedded carbon. We test energy-using systems to confirm they are operating as designed, a service called Commissioning. And, we conduct energy audits and facility assessments to help existing buildings set plans for improved performance.

When we are not working on a building, our clients come to us for sustainability strategies and reports. Emerald is a small but mighty group of professionals with advanced business degrees, engineering degrees, and building science credentials with decades of experience among us. We set ourselves apart with the way we create cross-functional project teams and root our recommendations in data and experience. We are known for our ability to craft action-oriented plans.

We love all of our clients and engagements, celebrating the fact we have touched over 1,656 sustainable environments (a company counts as 1 environment if we are doing a report or strategy) towards our 2030 goal of 2,030. Yet, a few stand apart.

We are working on several buildings related to the investment in US-based semiconductor chip manufacturing.

We are working on several buildings in the UK that are owned by US-based multinationals, seeking to comply with European emissions standards.

We are being tapped by PE backed platform companies to develop sustainability strategies and GHG reports.

We LEED Certified the first steel production facility world-wide in 2017 and were recently tapped for what will be the first rebar facility to achieve LEED certification in the US.

We supported Children’s Museum of Cleveland in achieving LEED Certification at the Platinum (highest) level under the brand-new LEEDv4.1 Operations & Maintenance rating system in 2019.

We achieved B Corp certification in 2022.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

We believe in bold goals at Emerald. In 2021, we realized we needed to up our game on goal setting and declared a 2030 goal to enhance 2,030 sustainable environments. 2030 goals are important in the sustainability space as the year 2030 represents the first milestone of achieving 50% reductions in global emissions. As we started adjusting our internal recordkeeping to articulate how many environments (a single building, a company, or a complete space inside a building such as leased tenant space) vs. how many projects we had completed to date, I realized we had touched over 400 projects. This epiphany came to me at 2am, like many, which then became the foundation of #365DaysofSustainability. The epiphany date was approximately December 20th, 2021, and the campaign began January 1.

For 365 days in 2022, Emerald posted one project per day, highlighting our teams, our clients, and the services provided. We grew followers and friends, and the process endeared us to many supporters. While the internal team responsible for producing all those social posts may have been taxed at times, we did not miss a day.

The process was so successful, we are back at it in 2024. Starting January 1, we are posting #365DaysofSustainability each day. Follow us by searching the hashtag!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I am a risk taker. I do not need a lot of information to make a decision or to take action. This is both a strength and a weakness.

I have a political science degree and an MBA. I spent 15 years post-graduation in the non-profit industry at national, state, and local organizations focused on topics ranging from at-risk youth to community leadership, and then healthcare. I took one segment in 8th grade on architecture, deciding my penmanship would be my demise (prior to computers, there was a specific way we were forced to write on the drawings and I found it challenging to do so).

In 2007 I wrote the business case for sustainability for my then-employer, which paid for me to take the test to achieve my LEED Accreditation. I sold my first consulting engagement in 2008 to LEED certify a building and two tenant spaces within it, Then, I learned I needed to know how to read architectural drawings.

Luckily, my now-business partner was a friendly team member, tasked with supporting the LEED certification with energy modeling and commissioning services. I was to organize the strategy and documentation for third-party review. Amazed that I had sold the job (with no credible experience), we decided to trade services. I would sell for us, bringing in his engineering firm to do modeling and commissioning, and they would back me up on building-related things that were outside my expertise. This went on for 9 years. He taught me to find key elements on drawings, like CO2 monitors and ventilation systems, and I sold new opportunities.

From the year 2014-2016 we traveled to Arkansas from Ohio about every other month as we worked on the first LEED certified steel production facility and the first LEED certified e-waste facility. During those trips, we talked about what we wanted the businesses to be “when we grew up”. In 2017, nearly simultaneously as the steel mill achieved certification, our formal business partnership was born. Matt Setzekorn joined Emerald as a partner in February 2017.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emeraldbe.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emerald_b_e/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmeraldBuiltEnvironments
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/emeraldbe
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Emerald_B_E

Image Credits
Emerald Built Environments