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Lance Schmidt
F.G. Ayers Inc. & President-Elect of Home Builders Association serving Portage & Summit Counties

The Nominator: Lisa Bostwick, Greater Akron Partnership for Sustainability

How has the nominee implemented sustainable business practices in his or her business or organization and what are the triple bottom line benefits (people, planet, prosperity) of the nominee`s work?
Lances holds certifications from the National Association of Home Builders in Building Management and Green Building for Building Professionals, the Building Analyst Professional from the Building Performance Institute, and most recently Certified Passive House Consultant from the Passive Institute USA. Not only does Lance reduce waste during construction,(no dumpster) but he requires that all materials be recycled.

How has the nominee inspired you to implement sustainable business practices?
Lance is currently demonstrating that environmentally conscious building practices are economically feasible to local policy makers, the general public and the members of the construction industry through a home being built in a low income neighborhood and is working with students in the Akron Public Schools` Education in Action program to provide hands on green building techniques during the construction. Lance also sits on the HBA’s Green Committee and serves on three green building task forces: the Cities of Akron and Alliance, and Summit County, as well as Summit County’s Green Policy Task Force Deconstruction and Demolition Subcommittee.

How can someone else translate the success of the nominee? Is the work of the nominee an example or model that others can follow?
Lance has inspired me to work harder to support and strengthen the development of sustainable housing in communities most devastated by lack of opportunity.

How does the nominee actively participate in the sustainability community? How do they collaborate and share their knowledge with others?
Lance`s professional and personal interest in sustainability, in particular the development of leading edge Passive House construction in NE Ohio, along with how he and his wife Cheryl grow their own food, raise chickens for eggs, to heating his home with bio mass, provide us a broader and deeper understanding of sustainability.