As part of Architectural Detail Group’s ongoing efforts to lead the green lighting revolution, we’ve teamed up with Green Businessman and Marketing Guru Richard Lloyd Roberts.

Richard has been involved in the green movement since the 1970’s, when he was growing up in England. Now, he has taken the values he learned early in life and applied to them his present life, as a green entrepreneur and marketing expert.

Talking with ADG, Richard explains how he became interested in the current trend of going green:

I was involved in the Green Movement back in the 1970’s, in England. And the reason I got involved in it was my mother actually ran a rainforest charity. So it was for the protection of rainforests and stopping the deforestation. So she was one of the first people to really look at what being green really was, even back then.

In recognition of his efforts for the green business community, Richard was recently nominated for a Green Award for Green Practices by the Charlotte Business Journal.

According to the Charlotte Business Journal, “Working with the U.S. Green Building Council Charlotte Region Chapter, the event identified companies, nonprofits and individuals in 19 categories that have made sustainability a priority.”

Richard was nominated for his involvement with GreenDrinks.org, an international organization that brings ecologically aware business owners together in a casual setting to network and help each other learn more about going green.

He explains:

The Charlotte Business Journal and the Green Building Council decided to run a green business awards. So I’ve been running a networking opportunity called Green Drinks, which basically allows people to get together and talk about environmental issues. So several of my Green Drink buddies nominated me for the award. I didn’t win it, but when you see what she did, compared to what I did, you can see why.

I’d also like people to know that I am being featured this month in Charlotte magazine for Green Drinks this month.

Richard helps companies green their business practices. He tells ADG how he first became involved with green businesses:

I ran events in Los Angeles a few years ago, for celebrities and one when one of my friends decided to start a green cleaning company. We decided to have a launch party and put all of the green cleaning products we could find into that event, so that was my initiation into the green business marketing.

With such a long history of involvement in the green scene, ADG wanted Richard to share how every business can begin going green, so we’ve put together some of Richard’s green marketing and business tips to be presented in a weekly month long series.

For our commitment to the environment and energy efficient solutions and products, Architectural Detail Group has become an Energy Star Partner:

“Environmental responsibility is everyone’s responsibility - and today I’m pleased that Architectural Detail Group is taking this motto to heart,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “By making smart energy choices, Architectural Detail Group is helping improve our nation’s energy and environmental outlook.”

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Products and buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. In 2007, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved about $16 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles.

For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES.

I believe the question should read “How do entrepreneurs adapt to a green market opportunity”. Green Entrepreneurs whether involved or concerned about the environment seem to have a different approach to business all together. However business building and momentum into pseudo new technology areas like green are easily adaptable with many current business models. Our business at Architectural Detail Group, Inc was designed to move and shift into the ornamentation and lighting areas of architecture with a design and manufacturing emphasis. Since I have had several businesses in this area over the last 20 years in the architectural community it was quite easy to make the shift. First mental and then a company wide. (small company that is)

Through the altered paradigm our model is close to that of each of our divisions. ADG Eco Lighting Products is part of our business family “a partnership group enhancing the built environment through positive relationships.” This is the mindset. The reality is that with some brief exploration and strategic planning we launched in 2008 a company that is concerned with energy reduction through induction lighting. A 50% reduction in a company’s lighting can range from $0.25 to $2.00 per square foot. Green form this side is green in dollars.

Do we face a global crisis or a global opportunity? Is business drying up or are there opportunities to expand into new markets Business is there. We have huge opportunities now placed for 2009 with triple digit growth opportunity in our company alone. The dedication to one of our partners in NC who was nominated as the Charlotte Business Journals Green Entrepreneur of the Year is equally as relevant to the growth and strategy we have taken in this market.

The real question you should be asking is, “what am I doing to position myself and/or my company to take advantage of the changes in my market and the global economy?”…SO the answer is simple. Take a position within the Green Community and look at it like we did. Our Green is equivalent to the Green on a 100 dollar bill, is good for the reduction of environmental impact, is available for LEED points, you can wrap your CFO around the concept and sell it to your COO.

Dear Thomas,

There is actually a simple resolve to you question about a green revolution. I am the CEO and founder of a small company called Architectural Detail Group, inc. We are a partnership group enhancing the built environment’s needs thought positive relationships. About 5 months ago we launched and are developing a 36 month implementation plan for Eco friendly lighting. This is actually a combative but complimentary resolute to alternative energy sources. (Reduce consumption strengthens supplemental sources by using a smaller footprint, but is combative for those that are biased to a larger publicly traded revenue for their source only replacing existing energy/ power sources. The entire shift must be complimentary and for pro consumptive-reduction) http://www.architecturaldetailgroup.com/induction/

Sustainability is the key to early 21st century business development and growth. I am the also heading a new Green Affinity Industry Network for the Los Angeles chapter and our NY chapter of EO (Entrepreneurs Organization; combined the 200 members of our chapters generate 2 billion dollars in Revenue and are part of a global organization www.EOnetwork.org ) As Director at Large I am offering collaborative sources to your book. We are currently undergoing several surveys to better understand the impact of green in business. See EO listed stats below.

My company’s ADG Eco Lighting Products Division is a sustainable operation that provides Induction Lighting as the power reduction source in commercial, industrial and municipal lighting arenas. We calculate that the per watt savings of our Miller Induction lighting products will save on average 50% of those buildings lighting needs annually. i.e., we just calculated that a California based REIT would save 1 million dollars annually by replacing lights in 60 parking structures. This estimate has a 3+ year ROI and a 10 year life span. Running at 24 hours per day that is an additional 7 million dollars back to their bottom line. Another study for a big box retailer is 300 million dollars saved in a 12 year period http://www.adgwebnet.com/blog/blogengine.net/post/2008/04/Induction-Lighting-Systems-Saves-Big-Money.aspx . Our largest obstacle to date is the power companies that do don’t truly want to see the reduction occur since it is revenue reduction to them.

The industry should evolve much quicker since we are on the coat tails of a 120 year old technology and overseas this has been a SOP for municipalities and companies to adapt. This is a multi billion dollar industry that the big guys do not want you to know about. They stand to loose billions to stock holder so while at a boutique level we are happy to infuse our knowledge and rational to those who are willing to listen and those who purchase from ADG Eco Lighting Products.

From a pure grass roots movement here in the US we are the California, North Carolina, Seattle, Gainesville, Chicago and Atlanta distributor of Miller Induction Lighting. http://www.architecturaldetailgroup.com/induction/video.htm. Our projections are huge and should be largely successful since the Cost Benefit Analysis we are computing for many companies involves a simple but multi layered opportunity. We have addressed obstacles and issues in this manner; a brief Energy survey of the lights in facilities will typically compute to a 1 to 4 year ROI that has a product life of 20 years virtually maintence free.

Conceptually this immediately provides a source for a high yield return that can be financed only through our source at Manufactures Bank and Élan Leasing. http://www.architecturaldetailgroup.com//induction/materials/ADG%20Induction%20Lease%20Package.pdf This then falls into the category of lease payments that may be 100% tax deductible- Avoids obsolescence and related risks- Finance 100% of equipment cost and related soft costs- Tailored payments to meet cash flow needs- Preserve working capital and keep lines of credit open- Flexible terms structured to meet your company’s needs- Fixed monthly investment through out the term of your lease. Little know about the incentives such as portion of the Stimulus Act of 2008 that has increased the eligibility for Section 179 tax deductions by qualifying new equipment purchases up to $250,000. Previously, the code limited the deduction to purchases up to $128,000. The equipment must be placed in service by the end of the calendar year to be recognized for this benefit. Due to inflation, equipment and deduction amounts will likely be adjusted in upcoming years. We are also placing a nation wide Green Recycling program for 2009 that continues the link to providing additional revenue but also alternative job opportunities for a Waste and Recycling collection company.

If I may continue with, the Term “Greening a Revolution” rather than the Green Revolution, The ideal is that with a consideration to where consumption occurs you reduce that consumption and take an alternate position or product that requires less consumption it creates a new revenue source. While in the short run it can and will displace revenue form the existing entity it will eventually with what I feel would be rapid succession replace and strengthen the industry. Innovation is Green, Reinvention and revelation is Green. Implementation with obstacles is business and implementation with acceptance is good business.

I am not an economist but I am an innovator, a CEO, a founder that has identified several areas other than lighting that can transfer opportunity that will shift job responsibility and help to heal our current bleed-out then strengthen the future.

To evolve as taken from Wikipedia is …”in, evolution refers to changes in the inherited traits of a population … from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection. …(and) are passed on to …. produce the inherited traits that are the basis of evolution. These traits vary within populations, with ….. showing heritable differences in their traits. …(and), … may have new or altered traits.” The Greening of a Revolution” allowing a shift in the policies of large and small businesses supported by mandates and regulated by oversight will and can produce alternate selections only if supported by the mandate and not stifled by the origins. Industry growth demands this. If not, i.e. we should all be using gas burning lights not the light bulb we all know. But dangerously the Green Washing and marketing objectives of the larger than life GE and Sylvania’s of the world underscore that competition from the small guy is not good and the sloshing along of the same product with minor variation has become an acceptable perspective- and should not be. As an EOer and part of the 2/3 of the American Backbone, small businesses, it is my mission to shout from the highest mountain top that the big boys are wrong. Or at least in our corner of an evolving business to begin a climb and ask for support from the communities we know will be accepting of the message.

Another recent product that we have taken on is the Eco friendly tile spacer. This small item the size of a quarter represents a 500 million dollar per year industry and produces just from the construction waste 2 football stadiums per year in waste. Currently as a petroleum based product it also created toxic waste during its products as well as after use disposal. The inventor of the Thin Set Tile Spacer has a small following but the innovation of this product stands to be bullied by a larger than life industry supplied by big box retailers. http://www.adglighting.com/search.asp?keyword=tile Through another grass roots effort we are helping to guide and direct the potentials of this little but mighty one shot one use no waste product (a widget). Though licensing, manufacturing and altering the form of function we know we this will evolve as well.

The “Greening of a Revolution” is about the bottom line dollar. A Green Revolution is about change. Less consumption of just these two products will ripple though construction, replacement, building management and the Eco-centric industries. One of my favorite architects Meis VandeRohe said “less is more”. Little did we know in the 20th century that less consumption in just two industries would provide more opportunity, or cash in the next century.

Best,
Gerald Olesker
CEO/ founder ADG, inc,
Director at Large – EO, Los Angeles
EO Statistics
Total sales of all members worldwide: More than US$101 billion
Total members worldwide: More than 7,000
Total number of workers that members employ worldwide: 924,000
Total number of chapters worldwide: 113
Number of countries represented: 38
Average member age: 39
Average member sales: US$14.4 million per year
Average member employees: 131

October 18, 2007, 10:05 am http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2007/10/18/going-green-not-an-entrepreneurs-priority/

Going Green–Not An Entrepreneur’s Priority?
Posted by Wendy Bounds
Last night I took a look at a survey coming out today by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a group with 6,600 members worldwide with collectively about $100 billion in annual sales. The focus was basically “What Matters Most To Me.”
The surprise headline is that while the mainstream media is blaring “going green,” that’s not top of mind for the members surveyed in this crew. Neither are energy prices.
And hang the bathrobe back in the closet. Nearly two-thirds of the respondents say 10% or fewer of their employees telecommute regularly (two or more days a week).
Plus, despite the predictions of some economists, the majority of this clan isn’t convinced that the economy is on the upswing. About 57% say it will stay the same or slow down. What they DO care about is less of a shocker: the upcoming election and the impact of rising health-care costs.
You can read the full survey here. The sample was 347 U.S. EO members.
I asked EO’s president, Shelby Scarbrough, why the media’s message doesn’t square with her group’s concerns:
“Entrepreneurs are known for being cutting-edge and innovative when it comes to new ways of working, but the bottom line seems to be that it’s traditional benefits like competitive salaries and health-care coverage that really help business owners find and keep good employees.”
But what about this environmental ambivalence? I don’t go a day without a pitch about an entrepreneur’s green props.
“These results were really surprising to me…. It made me wonder how our members in other parts of the world would have answered this question. A fellow EO board member, Sunjay Kapur of Sixt, India, [who owns a car-rental company] even includes a note in his email signature urging recipients to avoid printing out the email if at all possible….
“Even entrepreneurs with established businesses still occasionally struggle with challenges as basic as making payroll during a month when the accounts receivables are stacking up, so they’re focused on day-to-day business survival issues. If it were clear that being green would be competitive and cost efficient, I think more businesses would rise to the occasion.”
Along these lines, there’s an interesting column this morning about the struggles to make a market for eco-fashion.
Do these findings mirror what’s happening at your firm? Is going green more marketing hype than good business?
Permalink Trackback URL: http://blogs.wsj.com/independentstreet/2007/10/18/going-green-not-an-entrepreneurs-priority/trackback/
Save & Share:
–>Share on Facebook Del.icio.us Last night I took a look at a survey coming out today by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a group with 6,600 members worldwide with collectively about $100 billion in annual sales. The focus was basically “What Matters Most To Me.”
The surprise headline is that while the mainstream media is blaring “going green,” that’s not […]
–> Digg this –>Email This Print
More related content

Comments
Report offensive comments to independentstreet@wsj.com
Wendy, as a member of EO, I don’t think I responded to the survey but I think there are pretty fundamental reasons why entrepreneurs don’t telecommute. Part of why people work in entrepreneurial environments is because of the energy, intensity and passion that comes with building something yourself. We all carry many hats inside of our companies, often the environments are incredibly dynamic and if you are at home, you miss a great deal of what happens.
As for fuel expenses, my business is definitely impacted by higher fuel costs. We have 20-30 trucks driving 100 to 250 miles/day and the incremental fuel expenses hurt. Having said that, I think healthcare costs are the most out of control expense that we face as young company. The money we spend to insure our employees and their families is directly dollars that we don’t spend on marketing, sales and hiring more employees. Our healthcare costs are hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and while that may not be a big number for a Fortune 500 company that is highly profitable, that is a major drain on us. Since entrepreneurial companies and the engine that fuels employment in this company, I can only imagine the additional employment that would occur if we could use some of the money we spend in health insurance on growing our businesses.
Co
mment by Trevor Price- NYC EO Member - October 18, 2007 at 12:05 pm
As a member of EO, I’d like to respond to the aspect of thinking Green. Our lighting division at ADGLighting.com definitely recommends to our clients, that utilizing LED bulbs is far more efficient than Compact Fluorescent for their decorative lighting that we manufacture. However, as a replacement in existing lighting it still is not the most usable; because of the LED’s ability to throw light. That is why, when we advise or consult on projects we must make sure that “greening” it up is truly beneficial and not just a marketing term.By the by, I got rid of my huge SUV and now drive a Luxury Lexus that gets incredible gas mileage (liking it too), outsource with a variety of companies that can provide more efficient services, created a leaner staff operation and provide the option for telecommuting. I also have a showroom that is part of a space that the owners, (another L.A. EO member), thinks Green and we support consumerism that does not create as much waste as we did in the past.In addition to ‘Greening it up’, from a personal level my family truly tries to keep the waste to a minimum, the time with family to a maximum and to provide as much in community give-back. We have even had discussions with our Insurance Company at C.M. Meiers (another L.A. EO member) about being greener and the impact it has on operations and insurances.Thinking Green, thinking sustainable is at least our Entrepreneurial momentum, and even though the survey may say different surrounding myself with sustainable options will hopefully make a difference in an all around healthier lifestyle.
Comment by Gerald Olesker, CEO Architectural Detail Group, Inc, L.A.EO member - October 18, 2007 at 2:45 pm