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September 29, 2016

Survey: Evergreen Certified

Photo by Tucker English
Evergreen Certified was the third-party energy certifier for New Rainier Vista, 42 units of market-rate housing developed by Dwell Development.

Specialty: Green project verification and green technology consulting

Management: Tadashi Shiga, owner

Founded: 2009

Headquarters: Seattle

2015 revenues: $600,000

Projected 2016 revenues: $750,000

Projects: New Rainier Vista housing development for Dwell Development, Columbia City; 13th and Pike Passive House apartments for Cascade Built, Capitol Hill; Grow Community multifamily development for Asani, Bainbridge Island



Tadashi Shiga, owner of Evergreen Certified, didn’t exactly pick the most auspicious moment to start his new green consulting firm.

That was in 2009, “during the worst real estate market of our generation,” he said. “There were foreclosures going on all around us.”

Yet here he is, still standing seven years later.

Company revenues have been growing at a 30 percent clip annually “almost since we started,” Shiga said.

Evergreen Certified now has six employees and plans to hire more staff next year.

Green is not expensive

Shiga said the difficult economic environment in 2009 challenged him to consider how to help clients make more cost-effective decisions.

Builders sometimes think green building “is expensive and not profitable,” Shiga said, but “during the downturn we proved that building green is good for business.”

Evergreen Certified is who you call when you need a third party to certify your Built Green project. The company also consults on green technologies and how to meet requirements for other green-building standards, such as Energy Star, Passive House, Net Zero Energy and National Green Building Standard.

The company counts among its clients more than 200 builders and 30 architectural firms. Most of its consulting work is for residential projects.

Green building programs

Evergreen Certified inspects projects throughout the construction process and then tests them once they’re complete. It also tracks construction waste, recycling, and more — “the effects of the whole building cycle,” Shiga said.

The company is looking to expand its reach to the commercial and industrial sectors, mainly as a technology consultant.

Shiga lauded Seattle as a city with a “bright and sustainable future,” and one where continued population and economic growth will supply a steady stream of new business.

The city does a great job promoting its green building programs, he said, but the suburbs need to catch up.

“I would like to see others follow Seattle’s lead” in promoting sustainable development and encouraging higher densities, he said.





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