September 27, 2012

Surveys 2012: Paladino & Co.

Image courtesy of Paladino & Co. [enlarge]

Paladino is the sustainability consultant for the 33-story Tower at PNC Plaza in Pittsburgh, where construction is under way.

Specialty: Green building sustainability consulting

Management: Tom Paladino, president; Paul Paladino, executive vice president; Julie Honeywell, vice president, talent management

Founded: 1994

Headquarters: Seattle

2011 revenues: $3.57 million

Projected 2012 revenues: $5.1 million

Current projects: Tower at PNC Plaza, Pittsburgh; sustainability services for the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Building Operations; Verizon Wireless LEED Volume Program management

Q. How has Paladino adapted to the weak economy?

Tom Paladino, president: Though Paladino was not immune to the slowdown, long-term clients remain strongly committed to building and operating sustainable buildings, which helped the company maintain a solid book of business through the last several years.

Q. How does next year look?

Paladino: Very strong. We are hiring for multiple positions to take advantage of business opportunities offered by strong markets on the East Coast, and are expanding our service offerings to meet increased demand from the real-estate development industry.

Q. What are your broader staffing trends?

Paladino: This year we’ve experienced a return to growth and increased our staff from 27 to 34 — and growing! Additional hires are planned over the next 12 months to meet organic growth opportunities. In particular, we saw a strong uptick in companies seeking to green their existing buildings, and we were able to triple the staff for that practice area.

Q. Which of your services are most in demand?

Paladino: We’ve seen a shift from companies seeking to build one signature green building with all the bells and whistles to those looking for portfolio-wide benefits driven by wholesale energy efficiency upgrades and decreased utility spend.

Q. How long has this shift been developing?

Paladino: This is a change we’ve observed over the past several years, but we’ve seen significant growth for portfolio existing buildings services over the past 12 months as owners recognize that portfolio-wide improvements can have a huge impact on energy use, carbon footprints and operations costs.

Q. Do you think the AEC industry is moving fast enough to adopt sustainable practices?

Paladino: Yes. The AEC industry has played a leading role in transforming the way buildings are designed and operated. Now the shift is towards transforming the real estate-owning business enterprise that may operate hundreds of buildings not touched by the AEC industry. Retailers are a good example.

Q. What’s your biggest project in the coming year?

Paladino: The Tower at PNC Plaza, a 33-story tower that its owner, PNC Financial Services, seeks to make the “world’s greenest sky-rise.” We’ve been involved since the inception and have been thrilled to foster this incredible project along.

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