Other Champion Nominees
Entrepreneurs for Sustainability
November 2003

• Brian Schneiderman
• Bill Oatey
• Scott Gordon
• Scott Gordon
• Hayat El- Khoury
• Roberto Rodriguez
• Frank DeTillio *winner*
• Sister Mary Schrader *winner*
• Mike Challender
• Mary Eileen Boyle

Champion: Brian Schneiderman – Shorebank Enterprise
(Nominated by: ShoreBank and Shorebank Enterprise – Cleveland)
Our nomination for Sustainability Champion is Brian Schneiderman, ShoreGrowth Fund Manager at ShoreBank Enterprise. We are nominating him in the “other” category because his work is really focused on urban neighborhoods.
ShoreBank, America’s first and leading community development bank, is a triple bottom line company. Brian has not only led Cleveland’s efforts in embracing this tenet, but he is one of the most powerful spokespeople with in the ShoreBank urban markets (which include Chicago and Detroit as well as Cleveland). While championing our early attempts to reduce paper consumption, Brian has constantly pushed his colleagues to think beyond the basic concepts of reducing waste. He fervently believes that we must find ways to incorporate sustainability into every aspect of the products and services we offer at ShoreBank. And he has led by example. As one of the founders of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability, he convinced management that our non-profit affiliate should serve as fiscal agent for E4S so that funds could be raised to get the effort formally started. Through his lending and business development work with start up companies in the construction industry, he is an active advocate for green building practices, especially within the City of Cleveland. He is an advocate for Cleveland’s emerging Green Contractors Association. He not only referred the developers of Cleveland’s Environmental Center to ShoreBank but also worked with the loan officer to help ShoreBank to provide the lead financing on the building. When the Plain Dealer ran a story about the environmental hazards faced by children in Cleveland’s neighborhoods, he sent it to all his colleagues and challenged us to find ways to correct this is the type of problem within our target neighborhoods. There are many other examples of how he has been our champion. We think he deserves to be recognized as one of your champions as well for working to make life healthier in Cleveland’s neighborhoods.

Champion: Bill Oatey – Oatey Company
(Nominated by: Pete Accorti – Talan Products)
Bill Oatey from Oatey Company as a 2003 sustainability champion. Bill has brought significant resources to bear in the implementation of sustainability principles into his company. At Oatey they are looking at all aspects of their business through a sustainable lens and have projects ongoing in the areas of waste elimination, resource optimization and new product development. Oatey Company has also broken ground on a 250,000 sq. ft green building in Cleveland`s Bellaire Puritas neighborhood that will be the largest project of it`s kind in the state of Ohio. Bill`s leadership on implementing sustainability principles is inspiring many of us to rethink our own approach to business. Oatey`s story is one of the most exciting in the region, and perhaps even in the nation.

Champion: Scott Gordon – Rosby Resource Recovery
(Nominated by: Brian Schneiderman , Shorebank Enterprise)
Now there is someone with some energy and passion. Scott was on track to be a very successful mainstream professional. But he knew he wanted more and had more to offer. He put a great deal of time and energy into finding his personal (or next) path in sustainable business. He know the next step had to be entrepreneurial. He walks the talk. When he would talk about deconstruction and useable waste, he knew because he would find the most amazing items in other people`s "trash." He has since joined Rosby Resources and is already developing new product lines of business for the company. He is both innovative and aggressive at looking at waste and turning it into an opportunity and profit. So for that and the fact that he had the courage to jump off the career track and follow his passion and skill, I nominate Scott.

Champion: Scott Gordon – Rosby Resource Recovery
(Nominated by: Mark Berry – The Core Group)
I would like to nominate Scott Gordon of Rosby Resource Recovery for Champion of Sustainability. I introduced Scott to E4Sustainability about a year ago. Scott at the time was an Operations Manager for an e-mail marketing company located in Cleveland and was in search of a new career. Scott has always taken a personal interest in the environment and how he as an individual could make it better. After attending his first E4Sustainability meeting, Scott came away with an idea of possibly starting his own company or go to work for a company that was promoting Sustainability. His thought was if he could make lots of money and make a positive impact on the environment at the same time, what better career could there be.
Scott networked and met with lots of members of the organization in search of his new career. Scott eventually found a position with Rosby Resource Recovery located in Brooklyn Hts. Scott turned in his suit and tie for blue jeans and boots to recycle construction and development waste streams. Recently he has also gotten involved in Rosby’s Green House operation as well. You can now find Scott at the Shaker Farmers Market on Saturday’s selling mums in biodegradable pots (green pumpkins).
Scott has found his ideal career and is making a positive impact on the environment. It is safe for me to say that Holly Harlan and the members of the E4 Sustainability Organization played a key role in his quest to find his new career.

Champion: Hayat El- Khoury – Oatey Company
(Nominated by: Bill Oatey – Oatey Company)
Hayat championed the design and installation of a calcium carbonate bulk handling system and the new 32 oz. cement line improvements. Both projects qualify as excellent triple bottom line examples. Hayat is an active participant in Oatey’s Waste Elimination Team that created EcoMetrics to measure their progress.

Champion: Roberto Rodriguez – Oatey Company
(Nominated by: Bill Oatey – Oatey Company)
Roberto is the company champion who is identifying, designing and installing energy and water savings initiatives. A energy efficiency audit gave the company some low hanging fruit ideas. Roberto has implemented those suggestions as well as others he is discovering. He is also an active participant on Oatey’s Waste Elimination Team.

*Winner* Champion: Frank DeTillio - President Lorain County Chamber *Winner*
(Nominated by: Michael Dungan – Business Interiors and environments, inc.)
Frank DeTillio, President of the Lorain Chamber of Commerce has long recognized that implementing principles of sustainability as an organizational best practice is a vital tool for fostering a positive operating environment and improved lifestyle for interested organizations or communities. With an eye toward the retention of existing companies in Lorain County and the attraction of new companies to the region, Frank created the position of Director of Sustainable Development to encourage sustainable principles and practices among their membership. Michael Challender, a LEED accredited professional, was appointed to head up this new effort on behalf of the business community in Lorain County. As an economic development tool, sustainability has found a seat at the table at the Lorain Chamber, with the goal of encouraging a more efficient, more productive work and living environment across Lorain County. Other cities and counties have taken notice of the efforts of the Lorain Chamber of Commerce, allowing the idea of a sustainable region across NE Ohio to take root. I hereby nominate the Lorain Chamber of Commerce, represented by Frank DeTillio and Michael Challender, as a charter member of the Champions of Sustainability.

*winner* Champion: Sister Mary Schrader – Sisters of Saint Joseph *wnner*
(Nominated by: Stephanie Strong – Earthday Coalition, Clean Fuels Program Director)
Like all local environmental leaders Sister Mary Schrader is more than extremely busy she is constantly on the road, on the phone or in a meeting. However, she maintains an open door policy for groups interested in replicating St. Joe`s sustainability projects. She is on the Earth Day Coaliton board of trustees and is well known in the Cleveland environmental community. One recent example of her outreach efforts includes being the guest speaker for Shaker Lakes Brown Bag Series. Most importantly, Sister Mary and the Sister`s of St. Joseph sustainability projects lead area businesses and other campuses by example and doing it first. Sr. Mary and her peers forge ahead and are showing us all how it should be done.
The St. Joseph Convent is known as St. Joseph Center and is located on the Westside of Cleveland. The building houses both retired and actively ministering Sisters, central administration offices, the St. Joseph Worship Space, Conference and Learning Facilities, and the St. Joseph Wellness Center. It sits on 37 acres of property bordering the Cleveland Metroparks and overlooking the Rocky River, St. Joseph Center was renovated in the late 1990s with the environment in mind.
While the entire Congregation is committed to the environment Sister Mary Schrader has worked tirelessly to `spread the word` concerning the importance of business and community sustainability practices that have been launched at the Cleveland Sisters of St. Joseph`s campus. The Sisters currently have launched a wind monitoring project to determine if they can install a wind turbine to power part of their center. Students from St. Joseph`s Academy`s environmental science program will use this data bringing real-world environmental practices into their classroom. Sister Mary worked with GEO volunteers to actually put the tower in the ground. The Sister`s also have a alternative fuel vehicle fleet that consists of 13 Honda Civics which run exclusively on compressed natural gas. Again Sister Mary was involved hands-on meeting with the contractors and industry fuelign representastives to get the project done. Other sustainabiity steps taken as a community include:

• Landscaping their grounds with the environment in mind
• Designing a nature trail system
• Creating wildscape areas for birds, deer, and other creatures
• Conserving energy and water
• Recycling and using recycled products
• Exploring earth-friendly alternative forms of energy, such as solar and wind power
• Working with other community organizations to promote environmental awareness.

Sister Mary is the epitome an Inspirational Sustainability Champion.

Champion: Mike Challender – Lorain County Chamber
(Nominated by: Bill Doty – Doty & Miller Architects and Planners)

Champion: Mary Eileen Boyle - Esperanza Threads
(Nominated by: Steven Tompkinds & John Hanson)
Mary Eileen Boyle`s company, Esperanza Threads, is the premier manufacturer of organic clothing in the Midwest. Mary Eileen has taken the time to learn a tremendous amount about organic textiles and to apply that knowledge to designing and creating a range of products which is truly fantastic and ranging from clothing for women, children, and men to custom fabrications. Esperanza Threads is a non-profit, democratically operated cooperative with a preferential option for employing the poor that is guided by the principals of economic, environmental, racial, and gender justice. Mary Eileen, in her sincere respect for the earth and its inhabitants only manufactures organic cotton clothing that is free from harmful pesticides and herbicides and in turn promotes cleaner soils, air, water and well being for her workers and customers. Additionally, despite her hectic schedule, she still makes time to educate people about her mission, causes, and the benefits of organic clothing.