Greenbridge International LLC
Specialty: ISO 14001 environmental management system training
Management: President and CEO Conrad Vernon and COO/Adviser John Reilly
Founded: 2009
Headquarters: Issaquah
2009 revenues: Less than $1 million
2010 projected revenues: $5 million to $7 million
Current projects: Training for large and small manufacturers
In October 2008, business at Vernon Environmental, which primarily serves commercial developers, was drying up.
The head of the company, Conrad Vernon, was monitoring Barack Obama’s campaign and its focus on green jobs and stimulating the economy. Through research, he came up with an idea that became Greenbridge International LLC, a rapidly growing company that trains manufacturers and their employees to implement international environmental standards that makes them more efficient.
Vernon Environmental is still operating, but Greenbridge is outperforming it.
Grant-driven training
Greenbridge has a management team but hires subcontractors rather than employees. It’s gone from zero to 33 subcontractors, and now operates in 11 states across the country. “I couldn’t be more pleased,” said Vernon, who added it’s gratifying to help manufacturers “do remarkable things for the planet.”
Key to the business are government grants that manufacturers can tap to cover the entire cost of the training.
The goal is to earn ISO 14001 certification, which is an international environmental management system. It helps companies and other organizations improve performance by polluting less and using fewer natural resources.
“The market drivers are very, very strong,” Vernon said, explaining that certification helps companies land both public and private contracts. In addition, their bottom lines improve because they’re using up to 15 percent less energy and half as much water. They reuse more materials, which reduces costs, and they’re recycling more.
Training models
What sets Greenbridge apart is that, rather than using consultants to help clients achieve certification, it provides training models. Vernon says his company is the first in the country, and possibly the world, to do so. This cuts the certification process from several years to three to six months, and helps clients implement efficiencies much sooner.
“We take the pain out of it. It’s rapid. It’s efficient, highly structured,” Vernon said. When the training is done “everyone knows their role and responsibility.”
Subcontractors work in four divisions: finance, sales, grant help and training.
Trainers use Greenbridge’s GET Method. GET stands for Green Emergent Training. Trainers initially spend up to four days with key staff members who, in turn, train everyone from “the executive down to the janitor,” Vernon said.
Training options
Vernon declined to name the company’s clients, but its largest client is a semiconductor company with 2,500 employees. The training fee was $500,000 and was all grant-funded, according to Vernon.
Greenbridge also offers what it calls green emergent consortium training, which allows small companies to receive the training together at a cost of $2,500 each. There’s also the GET Online program, which allows clients to train at their own pace.