On June 21, Philadelphia City Council unanimously approved legislation that requires commercial building owners over 50,000 square feet to benchmark and report on their energy and water usage. The bill, which takes effect in June of 2013, requires the use of a free online tracking program, the EPA’s Portfolio Manager. Understanding building energy use is a critical first step to engaging building owners in energy efficiency and retrofit strategies.

GPAEE's November meeting will offer the perspectives of both the legislators and the end users.  Alex Dews, from the Office of Sustainability will review the key points of the legislation.  Laurie Actman with the EEB Hub will describe her groups efforts to improve data access from utilities to help accelerate the market for retrofit by driving interest in improving building energy use.  We will also have a panel of real estate professions speak to the legislative process and touch on the impact it has had on their organizations, PIDC and BOMA.  

Speaker Biographies:

Alex Dews - Policy and Program Manager

City of Philadelphia Mayor's Office of Sustainability

Alex Dews is Policy and Program Manager for the City of Philadelphia Mayor's Office of Sustainability. Alex focuses on implementation and progress tracking and manages green building policy and greenhouse gas accounting and climate adaptation planning. Alex holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Design from Philadelphia University, where he is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Architecture.

Laurie Actman - Deputy Director for Management and Administration

Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub)

Laurie Actman serves as the Deputy Director for the Energy Efficient Building Hub (EEB Hub) in Philadelphia.  In that role she helps to lead and manage The EEB Hub’s policy, deployment and workforce activities related to achieving a 20% reduction in energy use by average size buildings in the Philadelphia region.  Previous to joining the EEB Hub, Laurie was the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Public Policy for Viridity Energy, a leading-edge smart grid and load management technology company where she developed projects and partnerships with cities, transit agencies and large energy users as well as positioned Viridity with key policymakers and elected officials.  She joined Viridity in March 2010 after serving as a consultant for two years to Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, helping to launch the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and the Metropolitan Caucus.  Her work through both those efforts helped lead to the region’s success in winning a $25 million Recovery through Retrofit grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for regional commercial and residential energy efficiency and retrofit activities. 

Prior to working for the City of Philadelphia, Ms. Actman served as the Chief Policy Development Officer for the CEO Council for Growth and Select Greater Philadelphia, economic development affiliates of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, where she pursued policy initiatives to improve the City and region’s infrastructure, fostered increased technology transfer and commercialization and improved the quality of the region’s workforce.  Ms. Actman holds a Master degree in Regional Planning from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University, St. Louis.

Robert G. Gorgone - Director, Navy Yard Energy and Sustainability

Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation

With over 40 years of experience in the Maritime and Manufacturing Industry,  Mr. Gorgone is currently responsible for Energy and Sustainability Planning & Management at The Navy Yard, for the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation.  In this role, he manages the day to day utility operations, utility capital projects and is directing Smart Grid improvements and a comprehensive Energy Master Plan at The Navy Yard. Responsible assets include a central steam power plant, water and sewer system and electrical distribution system. The Navy Yard is considered one of the largest non-municipal, private electric distribution systems in the region whose energy needs are projected to triple over the next decade.

Previously Mr. Gorgone served as the Director of Business and Strategic Planning at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where he directed the Navy’s business operations. Mr. Gorgone has been involved in the economic development and re-use of the former Philadelphia Naval Base and Shipyard including the privatization of the former public shipyard into a location considered a national center for research, education and commercialization of energy related technologies.  Mr. Gorgone holds a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the University of Massachusetts and has completed graduate coursework at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northeastern University and Penn State University.

Richard J. McClure 

BOMA Philadelphia - Codes and Legislation Committee 

Rich has been a member of BOMA for fifteen years, participating at both local and international levels.  He served as the Chairman of BOMA Philadelphia (2008-2009) and currently serves as the Co-Chair of its Codes and Legislation Committee.  Rich was educated at Penn State and Drexel, graduating from the latter with a degree in Business Administration.  He is married, lives in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and has three daughters. 

Donald S. Haas

BOMA Philadelphia - Codes and Legislation Committee 

As a BOMA member since 1995, Don was the Education Committee Chairman from 1999 to 2006, Board of Director from 2001 to 2004, Nominating Committee Chairperson in 2004, Chair of BOMA Philadelphia 2009-2010, and has served as a BOMI instructor. Don has been Co-Chair of the Codes & Legislative Committee since 2011.  Don earned his BS in Business Management from Rutgers University. He is a graduate from Ryder Technical Institute and holds a Class A Engineers License in Philadelphia and a Black Seal in New Jersey.

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