WHO WE ARE:
WENDY COOPER'S BIOGRAPHY
Wendy Cooper, LEED AP, LEED for Homes Green Rater, and MSW is President of Green Homes & Buildings Pro, Inc. She is a consultant to commercial and residential developers, building teams, homeowners, and government agencies for the high-performance building of new construction, additions, and retrofits.
She serves as LEED AP to obtain LEED certification on projects via the US Green Building Council. Prior to relocating to Florida to lead a team in the development of a green building project, she was a major contributor to the Baltimore City Green Building Task Force and the Baltimore Environmental Network of Synagogues. As consultant to the sponsor, the US Green Building Council, she negotiated, coordinated and obtained 26 paying vendors for a green section at the annual 350-vendor event by the Home Builders Association of Maryland.
She wrote a sustainability column for the acclaimed OPW Magazine and is co-author of the recently published book, "Spirit of Women Entrepreneurs."
She has served on several non-profit boards and was President of Earthome, Inc. that produced the world-renowned film, The Next Industrial Revolution. She was interviewed for BBS Network Inc., a syndicated radio show, on green building in the public and private sectors and is a member of the Sarasota County Construction & Demolition Project Team. Wendy was recently elected Co-Chair of the US Green Building Council Myakka River Branch LEED for Homes Committee. Wendy's first career was that of group therapist, providing her with skills to negotiate for conflict resolution and lead teams to produce results.
DON HERRMANN'S BIOGRAPHY
Don Herrmann is a Consulting Building Scientist, LEED® Accredited Professional, High Performance Building Design Professional, Certified Building Commissioning Professional, Florida Certified Mechanical Contractor, Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional and Council-Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant. He has over 30 years proven experience in mechanical system and indoor environmental design and energy conservation projects in the public, industrial, institutional, and residential building sectors. He has expertise in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of today’s high performance buildings including: HVAC and energy load analysis, building sustainability, indoor environmental quality, codes & standards and the interoperability of building systems. Don additionally incorporates infrared and thermography technologies when appropriate.
ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) is devoted to the advancement of indoor-environment-control technology in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning industry, and serves to provide guidelines and a code of ethics for the industry and the public. ASHRAE Level energy audits are internationally respected and recognized.
Don has performed numerous ASHRAE energy audits in accordance with ASHRAE’s “Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits.” Other ASHRAE publications used during these audits include:
• 2007 ASHRAE Handbook – HVAC Applications, Chapter 35, “Energy Use and Management” and Chapter 40, “Building Energy Monitoring”,
• ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 100-2006, Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings and
• ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 105-2007, Standard Methods of Measuring, Expressing and Comparing Building Energy Performance.
These Standards and publications, in addition to years of hands-on experience, provide a comprehensive energy audit that far surpasses those typically performed by utility companies.
Moreover, Don has enabled building owners to obtain the prestigious ENERGY STAR building label that demonstrates that the building performs in the top 25% of similar buildings within the United States. In addition, Energy Star buildings are typically 30% more efficient and provide a marketing strategy to attract prospective tenants and buyers.
GAYE HUKEL'S BIOGRAPHY
As LEED AP and Director of Administration for Green Homes and Buildings Pro, Inc., Gaye has more than 18 years of experience working in the area of sustainable building practices. She has been an active participant in and/or completed the LEED administration process for 14 LEED projects. Gaye has extensive knowledge about numerous building systems such as cisterns and solar PV. In 2009, Gaye was chosen as a select group of candidates to participate in a weeklong process via the GBCI (Green Building Certification Institute), in Washington, DC, to develop the new LEED AP exams for the US Green Building Council. Prior to her experience on LEED projects, Gaye spent 10 years working with a sustainable community in Arkansas where she collaborated to build housing that incorporated a variety of sustainable methods and gained experience developing green community infrastructure.
Green Homes & Buildings Pro Membership Affiliations:
US Green Building Council
US Green Building Council/Florida Gulf Coast Chapter
Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC)
Florida Home Builders Association
National Association of Home Builders
HBA Manatee-Sarasota
Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
Green Business Partnership