Richard Hines is an entrepreneur and professional fundraiser specializing in food systems and agricultural sustainability. He was the lead proposal developer for Washington State University's Small Farms Program from 2003 to 2006, raising $1.5 million in federal funding for research and education, while serving as coordinator for an additional $1.2 million project on farm direct marketing in the Pacific Northwest. During his time as a core member of the staff, the program gained national recognition as one of the most innovative in the nation for research on the contributions of small farms to local food systems, on innovative ways of understanding and improving farmers markets, and on effective channels to increase farm income through direct marketing.

Rich has also worked as a major gifts officer for WSU Extension and WSU's College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences, where he helped complete a $2.25 million campaign for a new agricultural research building in Mount Vernon and raised funds for scholarships and the 4-H Youth Development Program. He was lead writer on a $60 million campaign case statement, "Food, Farms & the Future: Developing a Regional Bioeconomy," which integrated perspectives and projects from across a variety of disciplines.

More recently, Rich was co-creator of a "fiercely local" specialty food start-up company that sourced regionally and sustainably grown ingredients directly from producers in Washington State. He spearheaded product development, managed marketing and social media properties, and led sales efforts to successfully place products in 20 retail stores.

As a volunteer, he served as president of the Tacoma Farmers Market board from 2005 to 2008, in the last year helping to raise over $150,000 in cash and in-kind corporate sponsorship, including $75,000 from the City of Tacoma--the first time in the market's history that the city provided operating support. A Chinese-American, farm-raised native of Montana, Rich is tech-savvy and enjoys working cross-culturally to find practical ways of advancing sustainability at the firm and community levels.

Anne Lednicer has over 2 decades of experience identifying and developing opportunities and programs in cultural tourism, eco travel, and health and wellness. She utilizes her market research and analysis skills to assess customer need, identify market segments, and develop market leading products, programs, and tours. Her practice areas span all aspects of market research, business planning, strategy, and product development, supported by a top-ranked MBA.

Anne has traveled extensively throughout the world, following her passion to promote intercultural understanding and learn from cultures living in sustainable relationship with the natural world. Utilizing her research skills and resourcefulness she has developed tours (trips) providing an extraordinary level of connection with local people and areas of outstanding natural beauty. An avid kayaker and hiker, Anne has planned kayak trips throughout the Pacific Northwest, and developed and conducted trainings for connecting with nature. She has worked with for-profits, non profits and venture centers to identify, develop, and strategize programs and products for growth and development and is known for her business insight and eye for what will work. She developed, funded, and ran a national resource center to support the improvement of healthcare quality in communities across the U.S., and has worked on national models products testing innovative ways to promote and support the health and wellness of older adults.

Anne holds an MBA with concentrations in health care and marketing, a Masters Degree in Adult education, and specialized training in gerontology. Her Bachelors degree is in Psychology and Sociology.

She holds a bachelors degree in Anthropology, with additional degrees, certifications and trainings in culinary arts, food production management, native plant stewardship, restoration ecology and transformative personal therapy.

Dave Sales and Sandra Davis offer their expertise to communities where skilled facilitation, negotiation and balancing different interests are required in destination development and tourism planning. They successfully negotiated the explosive Klamath Basin controversy using their considerable skills.

They represent a multi-disciplinary alliance of natural and human ecologists, planners, social, organizational and management scientists, and strategic communications experts. Dave and Sandra’s work facilitates understanding that sustainable resource use, social well-being, and business productivity are grounded in the interaction of Environmental Landscapes, Community Relationships, and Organizational Opportunities. Through ecology and social sciences, stakeholder engagement, effective communications, and organizational learning, they can help our clients find the true Nature of Innovation, Sustainability and Collaboration.

David specializes in systems ecology, environmental resources management, collaboration/stakeholder engagement, and alternative energy. Sandra uses her skills in community and organizational development, collaboration/stakeholder engagement, dispute resolution, communications, and planning.

Cynthia Putnam has two decades of experience working with clients to implement customer education programs in energy efficiency and resource conservation. She has served on the management team of the Washington State Energy Office and developed the Building Operator Certification (BOC) program which keeps facility managers current on emerging energy technologies and trends. She is an instructor in the Sustainable Building Advisor Certificate Program sponsored by Seattle City Light and Seattle Central Community College. Cynthia is a member of the U.S. Green Buildings Council and a board member of the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA).

Stan Price has over two decades of experience in the design and management of resource efficiency programs. He serves as the executive manager of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council, a trade association representing businesses that provide energy efficient products and services to the Northwest marketplace. Stan was an Assistant Director of the Washington State Energy Office and has held management and teaching positions at both Seattle University and Washington State University. Currently, he serves on Puget Sound Energy's Conservation Resource Advisory Group and the Energy Trust of Oregon's Conservation Advisory Committee.

Neil Carter is passionate about delivering financially viable and environmentally beneficial solutions and is a licensed and bonded general contractor delivering turnkey energy retrofit services to the commercial market place. He specializes in conducting investment grade energy audits and financially structuring those opportunities by leveraging utility and government incentives and third party funding to facilitate capital decisions. With over 15 years of experience in the energy and sustainability fields, he works with Cynthia and Stan to facilitate the implementation of client's phased energy improvements.

Neil is a Certified Energy Manager, a member of the Association of Energy Engineers, and sits on the Washington Restaurant Association's green task force. His broad energy background, which includes financial modeling, business development, market analysis, risk management and construction management, allows him to impact projects in many different aspects. An entrepreneur at heart, Neil has founded two energy firms and launched the Business Solutions division of Ecos Consulting while running the companies Seattle office. His clients have included IBM, Coca Cola, CKE Restaurants, Arbys, Accor Hotels, Ocean Spray, Puget Sound Energy, and Seattle City Light.

Mike Lancey is a tax incentive advisor and, in conjunction with an engineer, can help you to qualify for state and federal tax incentives. Your company may already be earning a tax incentive that allows you to keep more of your profits. Surprisingly, most business owners and their companies never collect the tax credits due them because tax incentives are complicated, administered by bureaucratic agencies, and not well publicized. Mike will review your potential for substantial savings in one or more tax incentive programs. Energy incentives, commercial building deductions, employer hiring credits, and more are the sole concern of his tax incentive advisory and support services.

Michael Laurie is a 25-year veteran sustainability consultant specializing in water efficiency work. He is certified as a Water Conservation Practitioner, Landscape Irrigation Auditor, Site Water Planner, LEED Accredited Professional, Built Green Verifier, Master Gardener, Master Composter, Rainwater Harvesting Specialist and Washington Department of Ecology Erosion and Sediment Control Lead. He has worked on water efficiency projects indoors and outdoors at a wide variety of sites including hospitals, hotels, schools, offices, industrial facilities, and homes. He has carried out over a thousand water efficiency, energy, and sustainability audits. In the last five years Michael has found a cumulative total of over $3.5 million/year in cost effective water, wastewater, storm water, and energy savings for clients. Among his other credentials, He has a BS degree in Environmental Science, an ATA degree in Energy Management, and an MBA.

Jessica Ludders has ten years of event experience. For the past six years, she has worked to partner with Microsoft on the delivery of high level executive meetings as well as large-scale conferences. Upon receipt of her MBA in Sustainable Business from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, Jessica began collaborating with the Microsoft Events Team to bring environmental sustainability to their events. She has helped Microsoft understand why this work is critical and how it can help the company reach both bottom line and environmental/social goals. Jessica is active in furthering a set of sustainability standards for the industry as the Meeting Venue Committee Chair for the CIC/APEX Green Meeting Panel and she spearheaded a trial run of the British Standard for Sustainable Events, BS 8901, in March 2009.

Mike Broili specializes in low impact development strategies in landscape design, integrated water management and rainwater harvesting. He works with clients to ensure landscaping is efficient, beautiful and protects local streams and bays.

Mike designs water management systems such as rainwater catchment systems, vegetated roofs, bio-swales and planters, permeable parking lots and pathways/sidewalks and streets. He provides advice to clients on stormwater management issues at any of the four stages of project development: Site Selection, design, construction and continuing operations and maintenance.

Mike’s work ensures that client goals are tailored to environmental and economic feasibility. He reviews designs/plans and recommends zero impact technologies and approaches that have proven to reduce environmental impacts and enhance performance while reducing project costs. He helps client develop owner operations and maintenance manuals, which include water use reduction strategies, maintenance schedules, equipment operations manuals and replacement schedules.

Liz Banse takes the results of our client’s achievements and parlays them into credible, compelling public relations and media opportunities. Liz has eleven years of experience orchestrating communications strategy and traditional and new media outreach for environmental and public health projects. Prior to her current work Liz worked as a Senior Account Executive at the public relations firm, MWW/Savitt.

Her practice areas span all aspects of communications planning, including public opinion research, message development, branding, materials development and production, crisis communications, and reputation management. She is also seasoned in organizational marketing and policy and web-based campaigning. Her media relations expertise includes earned and paid media outreach (including ethnic media outreach), media/spokesperson trainings, and media audits and analyses.

In the realm of new media, she is adept in digital/social media strategy and blogger outreach such as website evaluation and consultation, search engine optimization, blogger relations, Twitter and Facebook strategy and management, online conversation monitoring, digital media scan and analysis, social media training and consultation and more.

Rob Hyman uses design and experiential practice to bring life and creativity to aspects of organizational development such as managing change, organizational communication and culture, systems thinking and team building. He works with Liz on turning tired messages into vibrant and compelling stories. He has helped many of the region's top corporations with branding, collaboration, team building and finding fresh perspectives on old challenges. Rob designs experiences that transcend teambuilding into brand messaging, organizational learning and development, and enhancing the individual’s experience in small and large venues.

Rob's interest in experience design started in his early days creating sets, props, lighting, sound, and special effects for theater, working up to graduation in technical theater from SUNY Oswego in (very) cold upstate New York.

Moving from the presentational world to the interactive, Rob took up the reins as Technical Director and Production Manager at Entros, a groundbreaking company that combined immersive teambuilding experiences with great food in a warehouse-like party atmosphere.