September 6, 2013
It is a privilege and pleasure to work with outstanding team members who are so motivated to assist SR Inc’s extraordinary Member Executives. One of those Member Executives for several years has been Laura Rodormer, whom we are now proud to call a colleague.
Laura, who is now based in Boston, was recently, and for several years, the Director of Corporate Sustainability at San Francisco-based McKesson, a Fortune 14 global leader in healthcare. She was attracted by SR Inc’s collaborative team and commitment to client service. In the interview below, Laura shares that SR Inc’s full-time team’s expertise long ago attracted her to SR Inc, and now we are very pleased to have Laura leveraging her two decades of experience leading in sustainable buildings and business to assist and guide SR Inc Member-clients.
– Jim Boyle, President & CEO, Sustainability Roundtable Inc.
Jim Boyle: Tell me about your background.
Laura Rodormer: I have enjoyed a dynamic 22-year career developing and implementing programs, projects and partnerships in Fortune 500 companies and diverse public sector settings, with particular focus on sustainability and environmental initiatives. In the early 90’s I was fortunate to work with EPA’s Facilities Program where I had the opportunity to learn about, and practice, integrated building management. That experience truly sparked my interest in the built environment and the potential to save resources and costs and led me down the path of sustainability.
JB: What has surprised you about more sustainable buildings?
LR: I am surprised with how fast the building industry has changed, and continues to change, to meet the demand of building owners, managers, occupants and regulatory parameters.
I am energized by the fact that there is a growing competition to design, build and manage highly efficient and healthy buildings. The technologies available today that allow instant access to building data, not only improve building operation, but also empower occupants to take ownership of their actions – a tool that is priceless for superior building operation.
JB: What has surprised you about more sustainable business?
LR: The “a – ha” moments when a senior leader understands the environmental, economic and social benefit of making business more sustainable. I enjoy tying all of the benefits of sustainability together to generate a comprehensive business case that benefits many aspects of the applicable business model.
I have been fortunate to work with leaders in Federal Government and the private sector who have been able to literally turn the normal operating processes of large organizations into sustainable business processes.
JB: This may be unfair – but what are you exceptionally good at?
LR: I really enjoy working with organizations on developing sustainability strategies. For example, when I worked for the Department of Environment in San Francisco (SF), I had the opportunity to design a Green Building Policy that set out to increase the number and quality of green buildings built in SF. The policy, which was intended to make SF the leader in green buildings, was strategically designed to protect and improve environmental aspects in SF including reducing waste, increasing use of PV, and preventing storm water runoff – all issues that were a liability to SF.
JB: You have been a client of SR Inc for several years – what attracted you to the service?
LR: I was introduced to SR Inc in 2009 and was very impressed by the team’s enthusiasm and in-depth knowledge of sustainable real estate.
As my respective places of employment pursued ways to be more sustainable, we turned to the work that SR Inc has completed on several common sustainability initiatives. SR Inc’s research and case studies provided us a starting point and gave us confidence in moving forward.
My initiatives have directly benefitted from SR Inc’s research on Energy Management Systems, energy efficient power strips, and examples of Earth Day activities.
JB: What is the aspect of SR Inc’s business service do you most appreciate?
LR: I have most appreciated learning about best-in-class operations in order to jump-start my respective programs. Also the case studies and getting unbiased information to provide the basis for making decisions has been very valuable.
JB: What is a “lesson learned” for you in helping to drive more sustainable outcomes?
LR: There have been two factors that come into play when driving sustainability initiatives through the corporate structure – cost, and case studies. I have learned that solid case studies give senior leadership confidence that the technology or approach has been vetted and is worth assessing.
Laura Rodormer has been a leader at the intersection of green buildings and corporate sustainability for more than 20 years. She is a LEED accredited professional who managed green building consulting at Swinerton Construction and served as Co-Chair of San Francisco’s Existing Buildings Task Force, which created the guidance for city’s current green buildings requirements. Most recently, Laura served as the Director of Corporate Citizenship at McKesson Corp, a Fortune 15 leader in Healthcare Services, where she was responsible for developing and implementing environmental sustainability strategies throughout company operations and led Corporate Citizenship reporting.
