DATE: May 23, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Kay Sommers, LEED Green Associate
Broward County Pollution Prevention, Remediation and Air Quality
PHONE: 954-519-1257
EMAIL: ksommers@broward.org
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. - The Broward County Office of Economic and Small Business Development (OESBD) will host a business development session titled “The Renewal: Embracing Renewable Energy and Business Development,” as part of the Second Go Solar Renewable Energy Fest, June 6-7, at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.
The session, beginning at 10:30 a.m. June 6, in Rooms 222-223, will be moderated by OESBD’s director, Sandy-Michael McDonald. Panelists will be Cesar Rivas, senior vice president of PNC Bank’s Regional Consumer Bank; Erik Jacobsen, regional director of facilities at JM Family Enterprises Inc.; Doug Anderson, site facility manager at IKEA Miami; John Allan, general manager, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort; and Robert B. Caine, founder of Project Caine. Business proprietors are encouraged to participate in this session.
The OESBD is primarily responsible for enhancing the economy of Broward County by recruiting new industry, supporting existing industries, and creating new value-added employment opportunities for residents. The hosting of this panel on business development and renewable energy is a testament to its mission to stimulate economic development by attracting, retaining and expanding targeted industries, including a special focus on small business growth, and thereby, enhance the quality of life for Broward County residents and visitors. Panelists will share their experiences with being corporate environmental stewards as a means of encouraging other local businesses to embrace renewable energy.
About the Presenters
Sandy-Michael McDonald became the director of OESBD in 2013. Prior to this he worked for 13 years in Community and Economic Development on both local and federal programs. His expertise includes initiating tax increment finance programs, brownfield redevelopment, small business development and disadvantaged business enterprise opportunities. In Michigan, he served as the director of the downtown development authority and director of community and economic development. McDonald also served as chair of the Great Lake State Governor’s Cities of Promise initiative, working with multiple partners to collaborate on an endeavor resulting in more than $25 million in projects and technical assistance for the City of Pontiac.
Cesar Rivas, as a regional manager for the Broward-Dade West Region, is responsible for the management and overall performance of 13 branches located in themarket. PNC's net-zero energy bank branch is located in Fort Lauderdale and will host a networking event as a part of Go Solar Renewable Energy Fest. This branch is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certificated and produces more energy than it consumes through its 211 solar panels. The branch’s sustainability program also includes conserving water runoff, the use of occupancy sensors that prompt lights and computer monitors to shut off automatically in unoccupied spaces, an energy recovery ventilation system to capture and transfer energy from conditioned air exiting the building to fresh air entering the building, and a canopy covering the bank’s southern exposure to reflect sun during the hottest part of the day thereby allowing entry of natural light.
Erik Jacobsen has worked for JM Family for 16 years in various technical and management roles and is now responsible for JM Family’s solar arrays and sustainable facility management. JM Family focuses on promoting the creation of a better environment through rewarding relationships with its customers, community and business partners and encouraging environmental awareness throughout its organization by engaging its associates to participate in sustainability efforts. JM Family is currently installing two more 156 kW arrays at its Deerfield Beach headquarters, for a total of seven arrays with over 800 kW solar capacity.
Doug Anderson, site facility manager at the IKEA Miami store, slated to open this summer, was previously the maintenance team leader at IKEA Sunrise. IKEA is known worldwide for its commitment to sustainability and claims to be the largest non-utility solar owner in the state. The rooftop solar array at IKEA Sunrise consists of a 1,057 KW system built with 4,368 panels. It is designed to produce 1,554,600 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 1,181 tons of carbon dioxide. It is the third IKEA solar installation in Florida and the 35th in the country.
John Allan was recently appointed general manager of Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort, which has six wind turbines installed on the hotel’s rooftop as a part of its continued commitment to environmental stewardship. These turbines are expected to generate enough power to light the building throughout the year. Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort was the first hotel on Fort Lauderdale beach to be awarded a Florida Green Lodging designation. The hotel’s other sustainability initiatives include paper and cardboard recycling, energy saving exterior glass, LED turtle lighting, and a food composting machine.
Robert Caine formed Project Caine in 2005. The firm emphasizes responsiveness to clients' needs and has done several LEED and other energy efficient projects in the tri-county area. Caine has more than 30 years of national and international design experience for various projects, such as single family residential, multifamily residential, commercial, institutional, healthcare, university, airports and ports. He has also developed an expertise in Green Building Design including the design of Solar Photovoltaic systems. Caine, who is a LEED Accredited Professional, recently installed a 10kw PV system on the roof of his house as a demonstration of his personal and professional commitment to sustainability.
Florida Power and Light is the official energy provider of the Go Solar Renewable Energy Fest. For more information on attending, exhibiting or sponsoring, visit gosolarflorida.org.