Former Conroe ISD coach goes high tech and Earth friendly with Green Business Bureau

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The focus of “Profit, People, and the Planet” are words coined by GBB, otherwise known as the Green Business Bureau. Built on the foundation of helping small- to medium-sized businesses, GBB is a company that guides its software users through sets of initiatives and company-specific evaluations. The program allows companies to input their information, gaining a snapshot of where they currently stand – and offers EcoPlans to improve their operations.

The Woodlands Community has been challenged to maintain sustainable practices, and – through the assistance of this user-friendly software – GBB not only offers support, but also solutions. The local impact is of paramount importance to the company’s Chief of Sustainability Development, Bryan Hill, as he was formerly a baseball coach for Conroe Independent School District for 17 years. Hill sat with Woodlands Online to discuss his transition from teaching to technology.

“The company history goes back to 2007,” said Hill. “The story began with two MIT graduates titled LEED-certified engineers, and they’d go into buildings to do sustainability assessments. What they found was that there was a significant gap between small and large corporations and their ability to afford changes in plans. They broke off to create ‘IzzitGreen,’ which years later evolved to become Green Business Bureau.”

Since 2018, GBB has switched to becoming a completely remote organization. However, this has not harmed the company culture. “We’re built on customer service, and through calls we are equally hands-on, working with our clients. We listen to what they say, incorporating every possible way to keep customers engaged,” Hill said. “I loved playing baseball as a kid, and even with the jobs that I’ve held, teaching and coaching at CISD, there’s a peace here that I haven’t felt since playing baseball.”

Within the last six months, GBB has updated its database and program. It added a carbon calculator, contributing to the unique company orientation of self-evaluation. GBB has reached more than 500 initiatives on the platform, all showing positive outcomes.

“What we’ve seen is that employee engagement has improved just by changing certain practices. The same goes for employee productivity. Businesses are able to keep their employees for longer, and this is all up to the company’s discretion,” said Hill.

Described as a D.I.Y dynamic, GBB gives businesses the resources they need to make their own choices. “What a lot of people don’t understand is that on the software, the initiatives aren’t a regulation,” Bryan added. Instead, “They’re a tool.”

“Centering back to Profit and Planet, GBB analyzes a company’s bottom line, and this is where most people might be interested – profit. Our program gives businesses an overview of their company environmentally. Now, by focusing on energy, waste, and water, opportunities to save money or earn money become available. These are part of the many examples why awareness is so important.” Hill then went on to explain that the return on investment (ROI) of a client showed a five-year projection of nearly $1.25 million, solely through a series of changed business practices.

Now, how exactly did GBB come to the Woodlands? The story continues, “Originally, the owners of GBB were from Boston, and soon its presence extended to Texas. About two years ago, we decided that we wanted to create a template community of what it meant to truly be sustainable,” explained Bryan. “We wanted to make The Woodlands the ‘Number One Sustainable Business Community’ in the country.”

It’s essential to keep in mind the effect of actions on the environment, just as it’s essential to focus on a business’s growth. GBB allows companies to realize that these two things coincide and are far from two separate variables. “Our community is great,” said Hill. “Maybe we can raise environmental awareness to make this community even better.”

If you want to learn more information, make sure to check out @green_business_bureau on Instagram or check out their landing page at https://greenbusinessbureau.com/gbb-partners/gbb-texas-woodlands-landing-page/. Be sure to keep a look out for more business news, and stay tuned with Woodlands Online.