Marian Young, recipient of the Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award talks about what makes her a great leader. Read the conversation here…

Zweig Letter

Environmental Consulting Firm Ranks #3322 on Inc. 5000 List With Three-Year Sales Growth of 100%.

WILMINGTON, DE – September 22, 2015 –BrightFields, Inc., an environmental services firm, has been named to Inc. Magazine’s “Inc. 5000”, a list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies.  The list represents a comprehensive look at the most important segment of America’s economy – independent entrepreneurs.  Appearing on the list for the third time, BrightFields is proud to be included in the recognition of U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent companies that have demonstrated consistent high growth.  Ranked at 3322, BrightFields has a three year sales growth of 100%.

“We are thrilled to be on the Inc. 5000 list for a third time and proud to be one of the 14 companies in Delaware recognized,” said Mark Lannan, a Principal in the firm.  “Working with our clients and their communities, our commitment to sustainability and long-term protection of the environment remains strong”.

About BrightFields, Inc.

BrightFields is a 45-person environmental consulting and remediation services firm headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland.  We are a certified woman-owned business in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.  We are certified nationally by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).  BrightFields specializes in the following:

• Environmental Site Assessments
• Tank Management Services
• Remedial Design/Remedial Action
• Brownfield Redevelopment
• Asbestos and Lead
• Permitting and Compliance Services
• Environmental Demolition
• Sustainability
• Stream and Wetland Restoration

Visit www.brightfieldsinc.com or call Cheryl Titcher at 302-656-9600 for more information.

WILMINGTON, DE – September 10, 2015 – Marian Young was awarded the 2015 Jerry Allen Courage in Leadership Award by Mark Zweig, Founder and CEO of Zweig Group on Thursday September 3, 2015 in Boston, MA.  This award is given each year to someone working in an AEC firm who has demonstrated in a unique way, personal courage in their actions that have impacted their firm.

Marian is passionately devoted to her employees and clients.  She listens carefully to all stakeholders and is a highly creative problem solver.  She has built a 45-person company of technically strong, responsible and proactive employees who solve environmental challenges for clients and communities.  Marian says, “I know the caliber of each person on the BrightFields Team, and the intelligence, passion and dedication that they bring to work every day.  Each person contributes their time, talent, hard work and individual creative personality to our collective knowledge, growth and success.  I am very proud to work alongside every single one of our employees.  We teach and inspire each other as we work on environmental cleanup efforts that are our responsibility and legacy to future generations.  Together, we serve our clients and communities, we improve our environment and create success for our company.”

At the same event, BrightFields was recognized by the Zweig Group, the nation’s leader in enhancing business performance for architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms, as number 72 of the fastest growing firms listed as 2015 Hot Firms, and as number 3 on the 2015 Best Firms to Work For, in the environmental category.  This is the fifth time BrightFields has been named to the Zweig fastest-growing list.

The Hot Firm List, based on a survey of industry firms conducted by the Zweig Group, recognizes the 100 fastest-growing architecture, engineering, planning and environmental consulting firms in the U.S. and Canada.  The list ranks U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent companies according to highest percentage revenue growth and dollar revenue growth over a three-year period.

The Best Firms to Work For List recognizes the top architecture, structural engineering, civil engineering, environmental, and multidiscipline firms in the U.S. and Canada.  The list ranks firms based on employee provided insight regarding firm culture, workplace practices, employee benefits, retention rates, and professional development.  BrightFields is proud to reflect an organizational culture of positivity and high morale that has grown from selfless leadership, team-based decision making, and encouraging rewards.

“Consistent with BrightFields’ major focus, our biggest area of growth continues in environmental remediation with 3-fold revenue growth in the past three years.  Tank removal activity doubled and building services grew by almost 60%.  A significant factor in this growth has been expansion of the client base and service area from a concentration on redevelopment projects in Delaware to federal government subcontracts, and longer distance projects in all the Mid-Atlantic states,” said Mark Lannan, a Principal in the firm.  “We are fortunate to be involved in interesting projects that allow our team to use creativity to solve environmental challenges.  Our culture of teamwork and continual emphasis on learning provides a solid foundation for our team to serve our clients with the highest level of quality.”

About BrightFields, Inc.

BrightFields is a 45-person environmental consulting and remediation services firm headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with offices in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Baltimore, Maryland.  We are a certified woman-owned business in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey.  We are certified nationally by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).  BrightFields specializes in the following:

• Environmental Site Assessments
• Tank Management Services
• Remedial Design/Remedial Action
• Brownfield Redevelopment
• Asbestos and Lead
• Permitting and Compliance Services
• Environmental Demolition
• Sustainability
• Stream and Wetland Restoration

Visit www.brightfieldsinc.com or call Cheryl Titcher at 302-656-9600 for more information.

BrightFields has been named the 2014 Superstars in Business in the 25-59 Employee category.  The Marvin S. Gilman Superstars in Business awards program, established in 1998, is given annually to extraordinary businesses in honor of Marvin S. Gilman, who was a distinguished small business leader in Delaware.  The Superstars in Business award honors businesses and non-profit organizations for their outstanding achievements and model approaches to business and management.

Roundtable Members Encourage and Assist Each Other to Reduce Energy Use
and Minimize Environmental and Carbon Footprints

The Energy & Sustainability Leaders Roundtable began its third year of collaboration today by celebrating another achievement by one of its members—a 176-panel solar energy system installed at the Wilmington headquarters of BrightFields, Inc., a regional environmental services firm.  Third District City Council Member Darius Brown hosted a news conference today to congratulate BrightFields, his business constituent, and to encourage other businesses to join the Roundtable.

The Energy & Sustainability Leaders Roundtable is a membership-based forum created in June of 2012 to engage the business and development community in reducing members’ energy use and minimizing their environmental and carbon footprints.  The Roundtable’s goals of reducing environmental and carbon footprints are achieved through building construction and operation as well as through business operations and employee commuting.

BrightFields Chief Financial Officer Don Short, who also served as manager of the solar project, said his firm’s decision to install panels on the roof of their 15,000 square foot building in Wilmington’s 7th Street Peninsula is consistent with the firm’s environmental stewardship charter and grew out of the company’s connection to the Roundtable.  Short said BrightFields has already established a recycling program and an on-site vegetable garden, completed building improvements that have already reduced electricity consumption by 4,182 kilowatt hours annually and is in the process of building a retro-commissioning assessment by Brooks and Wright Commissioning of Philadelphia.

Andrea Kreiner, who coordinates the quarterly meetings of the Energy & Sustainability Leaders Roundtable, said BrightFields decision to invest in energy sustainability was encouraged by the business, development and government representatives of the Roundtable.  She said the group shares information about their respective energy reduction achievements or their plans regarding the future sustainability of their facilities.  Kreiner said members know the success of local, state and regional efforts to reduce energy use and the carbon footprint is more achievable when various interests each do their part for the environment.

Short said the 49 kW solar panel system at BrightFields will replace about 25% of the company’s current electric purchases and save about 137,000 pounds per year of carbon dioxide emissions.  He said excess energy produced will be “sold back” to Delmarva Power as a credit through an Interconnection Agreement.

“BrightFields is excited to support alternative energy options, to increase reliance on clean energy, and to begin, almost immediately, a reduction in our electricity purchase costs,” said Short.  “As a result of the Delaware Green Energy Grant, the Federal Tax Credit and SREC sales, the system should payback in about six years.  SRECs are Solar Renewable Energy Credits; this program is managed by the Delaware Public Service Commission (DPSC) through the Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility (SEU) in concert with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.”  Partners on the BrightFields solar project included local businesses KW Solar, United Electric Supply, Nickle Electrical Companies, and Delmarva Power.

Other examples of energy and sustainability initiatives by Roundtable members include:

AstraZenenca, Wilmington Campus
Energy efficiency and conservation initiatives include paper, plastics and metal recycling; building automation including stop/start optimization and reduced outside air during non-business hours; lighting controls including lighting occupancy sensors that moderate HVAC temperatures; variable-frequency drives utilized on HVAC and chilled water/hot water systems; planned induction lighting in parking garages; a renewable energy (solar) system and compostable cups in the cafeteria.

Barclaycard US, Wilmington
The company began an energy efficiency project in December of 2013 at its Dryrock Facility at 125 South West Street in Wilmington which encompasses the chilled water plant operation, the boiler plant operation and includes an upgraded building automation system to better control the air handling units and the VAV air distribution system.  Results will include a sizable reduction in both electricity and natural gas consumption at the site.  Barclaycard will reduce its energy consumption by 1,930,000 kWh and 107,000 therms of natural gas annually which means an overall reduction of 28% in Barclaycard’s electricity consumption and a more significant reduction of 68% in natural gas consumption.  Barclaycard partnered with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control on this project and was awarded a $70,750 grant from the Delaware Energy Efficiency Investment Fund.

Seiberlich Trane
Energy service company Seiberlich Trane recently assisted WhiteOptics, LLC, a leading provider of highly reflective, highly diffuse white reflector products for LED and fluorescent lighting, in a custom lighting retrofit project for the entire IM Pei-designed building at 1105 N. Market Street in Wilmington.  The goal of the project was to reduce electricity consumption by over 50% without compromising light levels.  Using patented reflector technology, WhiteOptics engineers designed a custom lighting reflector to perfectly suit the existing light fixtures while simultaneously reflecting and diffusing the maximum amount of light into the space below.  With the addition of the custom built reflectors, Seiberlich Trane was then able to remove two 32-watt fluorescent lamps from each fixture and replace them with only one 28-watt lamp, reducing electricity consumption by 56%.

The Energy & Sustainability Leaders Roundtable
To learn more about your business becoming a member of the Roundtable, please contact Andrea Kreiner at 302-423-2766 or email her at akreiner@verizon.net.  The Roundtable is open to all business and non-profit entities interested in undertaking efforts to reduce their environmental and/or carbon footprints.  The Roundtable meets quarterly and members may join or resign at their discretion.  The members assist one another through sharing case studies of sustainability and greenhouse gas emission/energy use reduction practices already implemented, including both successes and lessons learned from efforts that faced significant challenges.

Current Members of the Roundtable include:

Anchor Health Properties
AstraZeneca
Bank of America
Barclaycard US
BrightFields, Inc.
Christiana Health Care Services
Delaware Supermarkets, Inc. (Shop-Rite)
Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility
Delaware Technical Community College
Green Fabrication Technologies, Inc.
Preferred Electric, Inc.
Seiberlich Trane Energy Services
The Efficiency Network
Wayman Fire Protection