Butte, Mont. – March 16, 2009 – At the first annual Montana BetterBricks Awards, three outstanding leaders in the green building industry were honored for their efforts by BetterBricks, the commercial initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, along with NorthWestern Energy and the Montana Electric Cooperative Association (MECA). The winners were announced at the Montana Ambassadors Annual Conference, which was held in February at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena.
The BetterBricks Awards salute individuals pioneering high performance commercial buildings with an emphasis on energy efficiency in the Northwest. For this award, high performance buildings are commercial structures with a substantial level of energy savings as well as some or all of the following characteristics: incorporate day lighting with electrical lighting; reduce operating and maintenance costs; enhance productivity; consider local climate; support early design team decision-making; support commissioning. The result of these efforts: a greater number of buildings that offer improved energy efficiency and bottom line benefits.
The BetterBricks Awards also take place in three other Northwest cities: Portland, Seattle, and Boise. NorthWestern Energy and other Montana utilities encouraged BetterBricks to create a program for the Montana audience and helped facilitate the first annual Montana Awards.
Winners and finalists were selected in the following categories:
Owner/Decision Maker: Those who make decisions about strategic direction regarding investments in high performance buildings. These executives, developers, owners and managers support, authorize and generally enable high performance buildings to be built and operated.
- Winner — Gary Griffith, Facilities Director (retired) Bozeman School District. Gary focused on energy conservation for the District, and through a combination of retrofits, repairs and operational practices, he dramatically decreased the District's natural gas consumption by 50 percent. Two of the District's elementary schools are believed to be the only ENERGY STAR ® certified schools in Montana, achieved under his direction.
- Finalist — Tom Schussler, Director of Facilities, Providence St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center and Tim Chopp, Manager of Facilities Engineering, Providence St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center in Missoula. Because of Tom and Tim’s efforts, St. Patrick is the only hospital to certify (twice) under the ENERGY STAR program in the state of Montana.
Architecture: Those who design buildings and lead the design team on projects that consistently achieve high levels of energy efficiency in both new construction and major renovations.
- Winner — Randy Hafer, President and co-owner of High Plains Architects in Billings. Randy led his team to reinvent a professional office building called, “Home on the Range.” This project received LEED® Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, currently Montana’s only Platinum project.
Engineering: Those who have contributed significant solutions to the energy efficient design of mechanical and/or electrical systems for new buildings and major renovations.
- Winner — Mark Hines, Mechanical Engineer, Montana state Architecture and Engineering Division, Dept. of Administration. The State Buildings Energy Conservation Program relies on Mark's expertise to design the state’s energy efficiency projects. The program regularly saves 15-30 percent of a building’s energy costs and is reporting over one million dollars in savings a year.
Winners received beautiful ceramic sculptures representing commercial buildings, created by Northwest artist, Natalie Warrens. A panel of judges comprised of industry professionals selected the winners, including Rick Edwards, NorthWestern Energy; John Jennings, BetterBricks; Tom Wood, Bozeman Integrated Design Lab; Ken Sugen, Flathead Electric; Dave Bausch, NorthWestern Energy; and Ken Phillips, Montana DEQ.
About NorthWestern Energy
NorthWestern Energy is one of the largest providers of electricity and natural gas in the Upper Midwest and Northwest, serving approximately 650,000 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. For more information about NorthWestern Energy, visit our Web site at http://www.northwesternenergy.com.
About the Montana Ambassadors
The Montana Ambassadors is a volunteer, not-for-profit organization of leaders in business, education, and the professions with a common dedication to living and doing business in Montana and furthering the best interests of the state, serving at the pleasure of the Governor. For more information, visit http://www.montanaambassadors.com.
About the Montana Electric Cooperative Association (MECA)
MECA is a not-for-profit, statewide trade association representing 26 consumer-owned electric distribution cooperatives and three generation and transmission cooperatives serving more than 250,000 people across Montana and in the Dakotas, Wyoming and Idaho. The cooperatives' service areas cover all 56 Montana counties. Each cooperative is customer-owned, locally controlled and not-for-profit. MECA is headquartered in Great Falls, Montana along the banks of the Missouri River. For more information, visit http://www.mtco-ops.com.
About BetterBricks
BetterBricks is the commercial building initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), which is supported by local electric utilities, including NorthWestern Energy and Montana electric cooperatives served by the Bonneville Power Administration. Through the BetterBricks initiative, NEEA advocates for changes to energy-related business practices in Northwest buildings. In this era of heightened appreciation for the impact climate change is having on our environment and our economy, energy efficiency is a crucial component in addressing global warming. On http://www.BetterBricks.com, find information, tools, training and resources to help buildings make a difference to the bottom line and the environment.
Media Contact:
Claudia Rapkoch
(866) 622-8081
mailto:claudia.rapkoch@northwestern.com