Welcome to our 2023 Impact Report
Brendle Group is a full-service sustainability consulting firm integrating engineering, planning, engagement, and analytics to collaborate on meaningful projects with big impact. We’ve been at it for more than 28 years and remain committed to embodying sustainability practices within our own operations.
Our 2022 B Corp certification served as a helpful, holistic framework for evaluating and refining our practices in 2023 and we’ve used that framework to inform our approach for this annual report. Ultimately, we’ve found that B Corp reinforces our impact-driven, people centered approach and focus on operational excellence.
With this in mind, this report is framed around these three pillars:
Looking ahead to 2024’s annual report, our newly approved 2024-2026 Strategic Plan will lay the foundation for even greater impact to come. This plan includes growing our talented team and expanding our board of directors to support our mission to accelerate equitable solutions to the climate crisis.
Accelerating Equitable Solutions to the Climate Crisis
Customers
Customer work directly benefited 143 entities in 2023
1
state agency
2
water utilities
11
counties
2
school districts
77
cities
2
universities
2
energy utilities
46
businesses
Ongoing Multi-Year Program Delivery
- Xcel Energy Partners in Energy
- National Ski Areas Association Climate Challenge
- Northern Water Commercial Water Audits
- Sonoran Institute Growing Water Smart
- Annual GHG accounting/review for various customers
Elevated Equity in Our Service Delivery
- Launched community engagement specialist positions, prioritizing engaging community members with diverse backgrounds including under resourced, low income, and English as a second language.
- Researched workforce development needs for beneficial electrification – highlighting the need to provide equitable access to new jobs through recruitment and training processes.
- Developed an Inflation Reduction Act Resource Guide as part of Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy program that emphasizes opportunities to stack incentives – reducing barriers for adoption.
- Supported 15 communities with electric vehicle planning and/or implementation including mapping to Justice 40 communities and targeting underserved or hard to reach populations.
- We start each meeting with an equity moment or a reinforcement of our equity guiding principles.
“Brendle Group expanded the resources they provide to deliver Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy to include Community Engagement Specialists who not only spoke Spanish but also understood the local culture and were able to connect and engage with our customers.
Having representatives who understand the benefits of our energy efficiency programs and have the ability to help communities access them is invaluable. Brendle Group’s ability to do local outreach enables us to have a trusted presence at existing community events rather than plan standalone events.”
Sofia Troutman, Program Manager for
Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy
Community
Served on Non-Profit Boards
Served on Community Advisory Boards
Shared Our Expertise Through Professional Presentations
Supported Our Local Community Through Donations
“I was drawn to Brendle Group because of its commitment to equitable solutions to the climate crisis, which is apparent in the work produced and through B Corp certification. It was important to me to work for a company that supports its employees, society, and our world, and that’s exactly what I found at Brendle Group.”
Laura Robinson, Senior Analyst
Joined Brendle Group in October 2023
Lasting Impacts that Sustain and Inspire
Staff
9
new employees
100%
company bonus participation
27
years women-owned
3
full team trainings
Continued Providing Women Leadership Opportunities
- Women owned for more than 27 years
- 60% of the management team identifies as female
- 71% of project managers identify as female
Provided Full Team Trainings
- Justice, equity, diversity and inclusion
- Change management
- Delivering and receiving feedback
Maintained Strong Staff Benefits that Support Individuals and their Families
- Competitive, living wages
- 100% company bonus participation
- Health benefits with employer covering 100% of employee and 50% of dependent premiums
- Professional development opportunities and support
- Time off – both generous PTO and summer Fridays!
- Time flexibility to fulfill other passions and commitments
- 94% of 2023 team members were salaried
“Brendle Group was quick to support my request to transition to a part-time schedule. Shifting to part-time has helped me cultivate better balance, allowing me to show up more fully at home and at work.”
Sarah Kaye, Senior Planner
Walking the Talk
Environment
25%
of employees drive
an electric vehicle
71%
diversion rate of
solid waste
50.7 MPG
commuter weighted average
95
Energy Star score
for our headquarters
Brendle Group is a carbon-neutral company
Most importantly, we reduce our emissions and resource usage as much as we can. What we can’t eliminate, carbon offsets are purchased through Trees, Water & People that also support the health and economic empowerment of Central American communities. In addition to providing our carbon offsets, they’ve been a collaborative partner for climate justice topics and our work in climate migration.
Brendle Group’s total 2023 greenhouse gas emissions were 42.76 MTCO2e. This was 39% higher than 2022’s emissions. The increase was driven by increased business travel, a larger staff size, and new community engagement specialist staff who travelled around the state engaging local community members.
42.76 MTCO²e Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Note, our emissions do not include electricity grid emissions because our electricity is purchased through the City of Fort Collins Utilities Green Energy Program providing 100% renewable electricity to our office.
Governance
Mission
Our mission serves as a guide for all activities – including project delivery, business development, team member recruitment, and operations.
Vision
Launched new organizational structure that empowers career growth and transitioned from a leadership team to a management team to align with our new organizational design and business strategy.
Equity
Evaluated progress and set targets for the third year in a row using the Washington Race Equity & Justice Initiative (REJI) Organizational Race Equity Toolkit as a guide.
“Looking back on 2023, Brendle Group has made great strides in re-envisioning our governance structures and models to align with B Corp best practices, support our growth, address broader continuity in operations, and continue developing leadership and leaders within the company. We are furthermore happy to expand our board to include three inside and two outside board members effective January 2024 – providing strong governance and strategic direction.”
Daniel Epstein, Senior Director of Analytics
and Chairperson of the Board of Directors
