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A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO SUSTAINABILITY: A CASE STUDY OF
WEST VIRGINIA SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
Edward R. Crowe, Ph.D., P.E., CEM, West Virginia University
Bhaskaran Gopalakrishnan, Ph.D., P.E., CEM, West Virginia University
Gregory E. Adolfson, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
Gerald Biser, West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership
Kathleen Cullen, West Virginia University
ABSTRACT
This case study presents the impact of the West
Virginia Sustainable Communities initiative working in
unison with a new program called Economy, Energy
and the Environment-West Virginia (E3-WV).
Highlighting the synergy of these programs, this paper
will discuss how these initiatives are designed to help
local governments and industries thrive in a new
business era to promote sustainable government,
manufacturing, and economic growth throughout West
Virginia. The roles of the respective partners are
emphasized with a focus on the potential for future
development that can result from strong government,
university, and private sector collaborations. The
results to date will be presented.
E3-WV focuses on energy performance,
environmental stewardship and economic development
to assist West Virginia businesses address energy and
sustainability challenges. The primary objective of E3-
WV is to identify and evaluate opportunities for energy
efficiency and waste reduction through visits to local
government and industrial facilities. The scope of this
initiative includes a lean review of manufacturing
processes, logistics, inventory management and related
production functions, an energy use assessment to
identify opportunities to reduce energy use, costs and
associated environmental emissions, an environmental
assessment to identify waste streams and minimize
environmental impact on air, water, and solid waste,
and a carbon footprint analysis via the examination of
carbon sources resulting from plant operations both on
and off site.
E3-WV is a collaborative partnership among the
West Virginia Division of Energy, the West Virginia
Department of Environmental Protection, West Virginia
University, WVU Industrial Assessment Center,
Industries of the Future-West Virginia at the WVU
National Research Center for Coal and Energy, and the
West Virginia Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
BACKGROUND
WVU and Energy Efficiency
West Virginia University, a land-grant university
located in Morgantown, WV, has a strong commitment
to industrial energy efficiency research and outreach
with programs such as Industries of the Future – West
Virginia (IOF-WV), WVU Industrial Assessment
Center (IAC), Save Energy Now-WV, a USDA
program for agricultural producers and small rural
businesses, and Projects with Industry. The IOF-WV
program alone has a 15-year track record of conducting
more than 70 Energy Efficiency/Renewable Energy co-
funded projects involving approximately 80 industry
partners, national laboratories, and other universities, as
well as plant-wide and industrial energy assessments,
technical assistance workshops and conferences.
Under the leadership of the WVU IAC, teams have
conducted more than 700 industrial and commercial
energy assessments. Results reported by the companies
implementing recommendations from the 423 U.S.
Department of Energy funded IAC assessments alone
have saved approximately 3.4 trillion Btu/yr for an
annual savings of over $18 million.
WV Manufacturing Extension Partnership
The mission of the WV Manufacturing Extension
Partnership (WVMEP) is to strengthen manufacturing
in West Virginia. The WVMEP team consists of
experts in their individual disciplines who work directly
with all levels in an organization to improve
production, marketing, quality systems, information
systems, health and safety, manufacturing management,
product design and development, industrial
engineering, and general manufacturing. For over a
decade the WVMEP has been assisting West Virginia
businesses become more competitive through services
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that promote continuous improvement such as lean
manufacturing and quality. In addition, the WVMEP
staff provides expert services in operations support such
as occupational health and safety, manufacturing
processes, and computer aided drafting and design. In
the past five years the WVMEP consulting staff have
conducted or led over 100 energy assessments for a
broad range of businesses including small to mid-size
manufacturers, agricultural and commercial businesses,
and institutional buildings. These assessments varied in
scope from basic energy efficiency evaluation to more
extensive Energy Value Stream Mapping (EVSM). The
innovative EVSM approach makes a direct connection
between plant energy use, process productivity, and
sustainability.
WV Sustainable Communities
West Virginia Sustainable Communities (WVSC) is a
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
initiative housed at the Sustainability Institute at
Bridgemont Community and Technical College with
support from the West Virginia Community
Development Hub and the Claude Worthington
Benedum Foundation.
In 2006, WVSC was a joint venture of the West
Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation, and the
Student Conservation Association, Inc. It was formed
with the aim to increase the use of sustainability
principles across West Virginia and to assist
communities to become environmentally, economically
and socially sustainable. There are currently four
member communities with an additional 22 in the
planning phase.
The West Virginia Community Development Hub
has been overseeing the administration and
management of WVSC since January 2010 under a
contract with the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection. In 2012, management
responsibility for WVSC was assumed by the
Sustainability Institute at Bridgemont Community &
Technical College in Montgomery, WV.
WVSC offers tools and assistance through a Step-
By-Step Process designed to help the community
develop and implement a Sustainability Action Plan for
water and energy conservation, waste management, and
P2, while realizing financial savings. The WVSC Step-
by-Step Process enhances sustainability performance
and provides feedback for continual improvement and
includes:
Generate Awareness – Provide Sustainability
Awareness Training for community leadership,
establish a Sustainability Team, and distribute
outreach and educational materials;
Assessment of the Community – Assess sustainability
opportunities and conduct a GHG emissions
inventory;
Develop a Plan – Establish GHG emissions reduction
targets and create a Sustainability Action Plan listing
actions (e.g., policies, programs, projects, etc.) to be
implemented to help meet GHG emissions reduction
targets and other sustainability goals;
Implementation – Provide workshops, training,
networking, and seed-grant resources to guide the
implementation process outlined in the Sustainability
Action Plan;
Monitoring and Evaluation – Utilize tools and
resources to track water and energy conservation,
waste management, P2, and financial savings
throughout the process;
Process Enhancement – Improve upon Sustainability
Action Plan based on the analyses of results and
ensure the incorporation of new ideas to realize a
continual improvement process.
Energy, Economy, and the Environment (E3)
E3 was created by the White House Council on
Environmental Quality and is a model for collaboration
among manufacturers, utilities, local government, and
federal resources intended to:
Invest in local communities;
Address energy and sustainability challenges;
Provide technical training and assessments;
Promote economic growth, job creation, and
environmental and energy sustainability within
communities.
In 2009, there were two pilot programs in Ohio and
Texas. The success of these programs gave momentum
to the E3 initiative which led to the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding between the EPA,
DOC, DOE, SBA and DOL. In 2012 the USDA
became the sixth agency to sign the MOU. The
resources that each agency contributes to this initiative
are as follows:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA's) Green Suppliers Network, a collaboration
between EPA and the National Institute of Standards
and Technology's (NIST) Manufacturing Extension
Partnership (MEP) program to assist manufacturers
with lean and clean assessments, has evolved to include
E3 in its stable of services.
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) houses
the NIST MEP, which operates a network of 59 centers
across the country with expertise in business growth
and lean manufacturing.
The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Better
Buildings, Better Plants initiative provides access to
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industrial energy assessments, tools and training, new
technologies, and numerous other resources and
promotes industrial energy efficiency as a profitable
business model. Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs),
sponsored by DOE's Industrial Technologies Program,
provide energy assessments.
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides
Figure 1: The Four Phases of the E3 Process
counseling to small businesses through a national
network of Small Business Development Centers and
assists companies in implementing the recommended
improvements through SBA loan programs.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) actively
supports the development of green jobs and skills
training through DOL's Employment and Training
Administration, as well as workforce development
grants and programs.
Through its Rural Development Program, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) promotes economic
development by supporting financial and technical
assistance to rural businesses and agriculture producers.
The E3 process can be summarized in four phases
from project initiation through planning,
implementation, evaluation and client support. These
phases are characterized in Figure 1. [1]
The basis of E3 is a comprehensive assessment
process that includes the following components:
Lean and Clean Review for increased productivity,
reduced costs, and reductions in water use,
materials, and energy.
Energy Assessment to identify and evaluate
opportunities for reducing energy demand and
costs.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Evaluation to calculate
GHG emissions and evaluate reduction strategies.
Post-Assessment Recommendations to guide each
facility toward improving overall efficiency,
reducing waste and using resources such as energy
and water more efficiently.
Figure 2: State Participation
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E3 is an expanding national program with existing
projects at different phases of activity in 28 contiguous
states shown in Figure 2 as well as Alaska and
Hawaii.[2]
E3-WV
Based upon the national E3 initiative and launched
in 2010, E3-WV is a technical assistance program
designed to help small businesses and manufacturers
improve their economic, energy and environmental
performance. The overarching goal of E3-WV is to
focus on energy performance, environmental
stewardship and economic development by using the
state’s energy expertise to strengthen West Virginia
industries by addressing energy and sustainability
challenges. The West Virginia Division of Energy
(WVDOE), the West Virginia Department of
Environmental Protection (WVDEP), the West Virginia
Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WVMEP), and
the West Virginia University Industrial Assessment
Center (WVU IAC) signed the E3-WV Charter in June
of 2011.
There is a natural synergy between E3-WV and the
WVSC initiative. The success achieved with E3-WV in
manufacturing facilities since 2010 was expected to be
replicated in these five selected sustainable
communities. It was an opportunity to demonstrate that
the value achieved in the private sector can be
successfully applied to local and county governments.
E3 services involve an environmental and energy
analysis of the participating Industrial and Local
Government Facilities, the generation of the findings,
the preparation of a final report and delivery of the
recommendations to the clients. Each E3 participant is
provided a detailed list of energy and environmental
recommendations and the savings resulting from the
implementation as well as simple payback estimates
.
Services for Local Government Facilities:
1. Energy Use Assessment identifies opportunities to
reduce energy use and costs and associated
environmental emissions.
2. Carbon Footprint Analysis determines the facility’s
greenhouse gas emissions resulting from facility
operation.
3. Post-Assessment Recommendations which include
estimated energy savings, implementation costs,
and simple payback analyses.
Services for Industrial Facilities:
1. Lean Review of manufacturing processes, logistics,
inventory management and related production
functions to identify opportunities for waste
reduction and increased efficiencies that lead to
increased productivity and reduced costs;
2. Energy Use Assessment identifies and evaluates
opportunities to reduce energy use and costs.
3. Environmental Assessment (Clean Review)
identifies waste streams and applies input/output
analysis to minimize environmental impact on air,
water, and solid waste that result in water and
energy conservation, reduced emissions, and cost
savings;
4. Carbon Footprint Analysis determines the plant’s
greenhouse gas emissions resulting from plant
operations and evaluates reduction strategies.
5. Post-Assessment Recommendations with financial
analyses.
A worker safety and ergonomics assessment is an
additional value added service provided by WVU to
selected facilities. For example, workstations will be
assessed to identify risk factors for work-related
injuries or musculoskeletal disorders using criteria such
as ingress and egress requirements, manual material
handling, and the work environment.
These E3 Services assist the sustainable
development initiatives now underway in five eligible
communities that have initiated sustainable
development activities in concert with the WVDEP’s
WVSC initiative.
The goal includes three local government facilities
in each community for a total of 15 local government-
based projects and three industrial facilities in each of
the same five communities.
Figure 3 shows the locations of the communities
selected for this program. These communities are
characteristic of the geographic and economic diversity
that exist within the State.
Figure 3: County Map of WV
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WEST VIRGINIA’S GEOGRAPHICAL AND
ECONOMIC DIVERSITY
West Virginia’s non-agricultural economy consists
primarily of manufacturing, mining, and services. Within
the manufacturing sector, chemicals (including adhesives,
pharmaceuticals and plastics) are West Virginia’s most
valuable manufactured product followed by primary
metals. Community, business and personal services
account for the largest share of the services industry
which includes private health care, hotels, information
technology, and tourist activities such as skiing and white
water rafting.
Although there are manufacturing, processing, and
distribution facilities in all 55 counties in the state, 51%
are located in just nine counties with the remaining 46
counties accounting for 49% of these facilities. Figure 4
shows a comparison of the number of manufacturing,
processing and distribution facilities located in each of the
five counties included this project. [3]
Figure 4: Number of Facilities in each County
The unemployment rate in West Virginia was
slightly below the U.S. average in 2010. [4] The
uneven distribution of manufacturing across the state
appears to have a causal effect for the local
unemployment rate in each county. Figure 5 shows the
unemployment rate for the five counties in this project.
Figure 5: Comparative Unemployment Rates (2010)
A MODEL FOR COLLABORATION
E3 was created by the White House Council on
Environmental Quality to promote collaboration among
manufacturers, utilities, local government, and federal
resources. E3-WV has evolved to be an active
collaborative partnership among the West Virginia
Division of Energy (WVDE), the West Virginia
Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP),
West Virginia University (WVU), WVU Industrial
Assessment Center, Industries of the Future-West
Virginia, and the West Virginia Manufacturing
Extension Partnership (WVMEP). This dynamic
partnership of state and local government along with
university and private sector involvement is proving to
be an effective model for economic development. The
leadership provided by the WVDEP and WVDE
coupled with the technical expertise at WVU and the
WVMEP creates a synergy that brings value to
manufacturers and the commercial sector. The
inclusion of local and county government buildings in
the E3-WV initiative extends the E3 services to benefit
local communities.
RESULTS TO DATE
The scope of this project includes three local or
county government buildings and three commercial or
industrial facilities in each county. Energy assessments
have been completed for all of the government
buildings. Final assessments reports have been
published for two of the five counties showing
recommended energy savings of 4010 MMBtu and
nearly one million pounds of CO
2
equivalents
annually.
1
The payback period varies by
recommendation with HVAC replacement showing the
highest potential savings but with the longest payback
period. Figure 6 illustrates the categories of energy
efficiency measures and their comparative percentage
of energy saved.
The energy efficiency measures that were
recommended are estimated to reduce annual
consumption by 31.6%. It should be noted, however,
that 46% of the total recommended savings (Figure 6)
is the result of HVAC or boiler replacements. These
recommendations generally had extended payback
periods because of the higher capital costs. In addition
to the energy savings, however, maintenance costs
currently incurred with the older existing systems
would be reduced as well as an improvement in
occupant comfort.
Of the 15 industrial or commercial facilities within
the scope of this project, final assessment reports have
1
Carbon dioxide equivalents (CO
2
e) are a combination of
CO
2
, nitrous oxide (N
2
O) and methane (CH
4
) emissions.
Fayette
52
Gilmer
15
Marion
85
Mingo
24
Wyoming
19
6
been published for eight facilities in four of the five
counties.
Figure 6: Relative Energy Saved by Category
The energy efficiency recommendations are
categorized and listed in Table 1. There are 27
recommendations listed in Table 1 with several of them
recommended at multiple facilities. It should be noted
that 12 of these recommendations are listed on the
Industrial Assessment Center’s “top 20” list of the most
frequent energy efficiency measures recommended by
all of the IACs across the U.S.
The type of facility ranged from manufacturing to
commercial businesses. Consequently, the range of
estimated savings was 5% to 17% depending on the
facility and their energy consumption.
Table 1: Energy Efficiency Recommendations
The lean review for the manufacturing and
commercial businesses is a thorough analysis of the
operating practices with the goal to improve efficiency
and reduce waste. Several categories are examined in
detail and compared to best practices. These categories
include:
Communication and cultural awareness
Visual systems and workplace organization
Standard work processes
Continuous improvement
Operational flexibility
Mistake proofing
Quick changeover
Total productive maintenance
Pull systems
Balanced production
Supply chain
Quality
Each category is evaluated and scored from 0 to 10
points and then totaled for an overall score to determine
the facilities ranking. Lean assessments have been
conducted for seven facilities in four of the five
counties and, although the average score varied for each
facility, all of them could be categorized as in a “lean
transition.” Lean transition means that lean principles
and philosophy are not being aggressively pursued but
the tools and attitude are in place to make the transition
to a full lean or “world class” operation.
WILLIAMSON, WV – SUSTAINABILITY IN
APPALACHIA
Williamson is the county seat of Mingo County,
West Virginia. The Appalachian Regional Commission
ranks Mingo County as one of the most economically
distressed counties in Appalachia based on three
economic indicators: average unemployment rates, per
capita market income, and poverty rates.
Geographic
and topographic disadvantages limit opportunities for
manufacturing to diversify the economic base of coal
dependent communities. According to the Appalachian
Regional Commission (ARC), rural communities in
mountainous regions experience limited economic
opportunity and slow growth rates.
Sustainable Williamson is a collaborative initiative
of the Williamson Redevelopment Authority (WRA) in
partnership with the JOBS Project (JOBS). The WRA
acts as central governance board, making decisions
about funding, technical assistance and progress. The
WRA Board appoints committees for each Sustainable
Williamson project. WRA committees draw human and
financial assets to each project and make decisions
regarding project management.
ReplacehighbayHIDwithT5fixtures&reflectors
ReplaceincandescentlampswithCFLorLED
Lighting InstallLEDexitlamps
Installphotosensorsfordaylightingcontrol
Installoccupancysensors
ReplaceT12lampswithT8andelectronicballasts
Ductexhaustairintoworkareaforspaceheating
Installairdryer
Compressed Outsideairforcompressorintake
Air Reducedischargepressure
Repairleaks
Vortexnozzles
Preheatcombustionairusingstackgases
SteamBoiler Adjustair/fuelratio
Insulatehotpipesandsurfaces
Installglazingonwindowstoreduceheattransfer
Installprogrammablethermostats
HVAC&BuildingInsulatebareconcreteblockwalls
Envelope Lowersuspendedceilings
Reduceairinfiltrationatrollupdoors
ReplaceinefficientHVACsystem
Replaceoverheadforcedairgasheaterswithinfrared
Implementamotormanagementprogram
Installinstantaneouson‐demandwaterheaters
Miscellaneous ImplementaPMprogram
Performvibrationanalysisonlargemotors
Reduceairinfiltrationatentrancedoors
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The vision is to connect community stakeholders
with concepts of sustainability and to encourage diverse
participation to stimulate economic growth.
JOBS bring together community members with
sustainability experts to ensure that each community
development opportunity involves sound project
planning. The projects take social, economic, and
ecological indicators into consideration. JOBS help
WRA leverage financial assets for these projects,
including private, state, and federal grants. JOBS also
promotes the development of a community foundation
or revolving loan fund for solar and energy efficiency
investments.
The Williamson Local Energy Action Plan was
developed by community leaders and stakeholders as a
roadmap to achieve energy savings by investing in cost-
effective technologies. The Plan is a compilation of
information and templates that the City of Williamson
can use to reduce its energy consumption and lower
energy bills. Recommendations on how to reduce energy
consumption of Williamson’s buildings, water and
sewage treatment plants as well as vehicles are included.
The Williamson Local Energy Action Plan outlines
three key strategies that are characterized as energy
sustainability principles which are prioritized as shown in
Figure 7. [5]
Figure 7: Energy Sustainability Principles
The first focus is energy efficiency since it is cost
effective and produces benefits much faster than
alternative energy sources. After optimizing energy
reduction and efficiency programs, the focus will turn to
local renewable energy sources such as solar PV. The
third principle in Williamson’s Plan is identifying
opportunities to capture and reuse waste heat to power
auxiliary energy generating turbines, provide heat for
industrial purposes, or provide climate control for
buildings.
The energy efficiency services provided by the E3-
WV team directly support Williamson’s LEAP to
achieve energy savings within the community by
assessing energy efficiency and recommending cost-
effective technologies.
CHALLENGES
The WV Division of Energy has provided
exclusive support for E3-WV to date. E3 assessments
of manufacturing facilities have been sponsored by the
WVDE since 2010 and E3-WV for sustainable
communities is supported by federal funds allocated to
the WV Division of Energy. The WVDE plans to
maintain funding for E3-WV through September 2013
and there are plans to extend E3-WV for sustainable
communities beyond these five counties with funding
awards from two EPA Pollution Prevention grants. In
addition, a recent award of an EPA Source Reduction
Act grant will support additional manufacturing
assessments.
There is, however, no current private sector support
for E3 services in WV as there is in other states. For
example, American Electric Power out of Columbus
has supported E3 services for their supplier network in
Ohio. Appalachian Power, with service territory in
West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee, has
not sponsored E3 activities in West Virginia.
West Virginia’s last tier status in the American
Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
emphasizes the need to address energy efficiency as a
key aspect of its overall energy policy. The electric
utilities operating within the state do offer prescriptive
programs for rebates on approved energy efficiency
related purchases. However, there are no current
programs that support a comprehensive initiative such
as E3-WV.
CONCLUSIONS
The E3-WV program is an example of a
collaborative approach to sustainability through the
efforts of state and local government agencies in
cooperation with university experts. The financial
support and leadership provided by the WVDE and the
WVDEP is invaluable to the program’s success. WVU’s
energy efficiency experts along with the expertise of the
WVMEP staff offer a strong base of technical support.
This core team has demonstrated the effectiveness of this
collaborative approach which could be strengthened with
direct involvement of groups such as the Bridgemont
Sustainability Institute. With skilled and dedicated
resources in the state, West Virginia has the potential to
be a model of efficiency and sustainability. However,
8
private sector involvement is needed to raise the overall
level of performance in comparison to other states.
There are excellent examples of other state energy
efficiency programs that can serve as case studies when
discussing funding sources for E3-WV as well as other
energy efficiency programs. New York’s NYSERDA,
Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy, and Vermont’s
Efficiency Vermont are just a few examples. They are
all funded by a surcharge on utility bills and offer a
range of energy efficiency services to all classes of
customers.
Columbus, Ohio is an early E3 success story. [6]
American Electric Power (AEP) was the champion of
this pilot program in garnering the support of the local
government and the AEP customer base. Ohio has an
Energy Efficiency Resource Standard which requires
electric utilities to implement programs that result in a
cumulative electricity savings of 22% by the end of
2025 (from the base year 2009). Utilities have an
incentive to not only participate in the E3 program, but
to also provide funding.
Establishing an Energy Efficiency Resource
Standard in West Virginia with specific energy
reduction goals could provide needed support for
energy efficiency programs in the state in addition to
providing a stimulus toward institutionalizing E3-WV
and the continued drive to sustainability.
REFERENCES
1. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST). E3:
Economy, Energy and the Environment.
<http://www.e3.gov/action/index.html>.
2. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST). E3:
Economy, Energy and the Environment.
<http://www.e3.gov/ground/index.html>.
3. 2013 West Virginia Manufacturers Register.
Landisville, PA: Yurchak Printing, 2012.
4. “West Virginia Economic Outlook 2012”, Bureau
of Business and Economic Research, College of
Business and Economics, West Virginia
University, Morgantown, WV.
5. Williamson Local Energy Action Plan 2011.
<https://docs.google.com/viewer?srcid=0B6Bd1B0
fL_fjRXpyeWl5cTdTcFNqZmxfOWhtMkF6UQ&
pid=explorer&efh=false&a=v>
6. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST). E3:
Economy, Energy and the Environment.
<http://www.e3.gov/accomplish/columbus.html>
AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY
Ed Crowe is an Engineering Scientist in the Energy
Efficiency Division of the National Research Center for
Coal and Energy at West Virginia University. He has
thirty years of experience in both industry and academia
serving in a variety of technical and managerial
positions. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering from
WVU, an MBA from Ohio University, and an MS and
PhD in Chemical Engineering also from Ohio
University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in
West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Certified Energy
Manager, Certified Practitioner in Industrial Energy
Management Systems and a Certified Six Sigma Black
Belt. He is also a DOE Qualified Specialist in both
Process Heating and Pumping Systems. Dr. Crowe is
active in developing and managing energy efficiency
projects as well as leading teams on energy assessments
and advancing the sustainable and efficient use of
energy with constituencies in the state and region. He
can be contacted at Ed.Crowe@mail.wvu.edu.
Bhaskaran Gopalakrishnan is a Professor of
Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
(IMSE) at West Virginia University (WVU) and
Director of the Industrial Assessment Center (IAC)
funded by the US DOE. Through the IAC and as a
private consultant, he has conducted numerous
industrial and energy assessments as well as plant wide
energy assessments for manufacturing facilities and has
published widely in this field. Dr. Gopalakrishnan
obtained his B.E. (Hons) degree in Production
Engineering from the College of Engineering at
Guindy, University of Madras, India (1983), M.S.
degree in Operations Research from Southern
Methodist University (1985), and Ph.D degree in
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from
Virginia Tech (1988). He is a Certified Energy
Manager (CEM) certified by the Association of Energy
Engineers, Atlanta (1997), Certified Practitioner in
Energy Management Systems (CPEnMS), and a US
DOE Qualified AirMaster+ Specialist, SSAT Qualified
Specialist, FSAT Qualified Specialist, PSAT Qualified
Specialist, and a PHAST Qualified Specialist. He is a
registered Professional Engineer (PE) in the State of
West Virginia. His areas of research interest are
industrial energy conservation, waste reduction, and
productivity improvement. His email address is
bgopalak@mail.wvu.edu.
Greg Adolfson is Sustainability Officer with the West
Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
(WVDEP). Mr. Adolfson has been with the WVDEP
for 20 years. He is working with all business and
community sectors to provide outreach, education tools,
and resources in the areas of pollution prevention;
9
energy, water, and waste conservation; and,
sustainability concepts and principles. Greg’s
reputation as an environmental steward, and convener
and facilitator of community-based partnerships and
stakeholder groups stem from a litany of successful
projects and programs he has created, or been integrally
involved, over the past twenty years such as:
Governor’s Stream Restoration Program; Sustainability
Partnership Program; West Virginia Sustainable
Communities; itravelgreen® West Virginia; Highlands
Action Program; Economy, Energy, and the
Environment West Virginia; and Sustainable Schools
West Virginia. Greg is a Board of Director with the
National Pollution Prevention Roundtable and plays an
intricate role in disseminating information and works to
increase public awareness, stimulate internal and
external communication, educate present and future
generations, and encourage citizen participation. His
primary goal is to reduce energy and water
consumption, minimize waste, and incorporate
sustainability concepts and principles into everything
we do. He can be reached at:
Gregory.E.Adolfson@wv.gov.
Gerald Biser, Vice President of Operations, WV
Manufacturing Extension Partnership, has been leading
the WVMEP’s energy program for the past 10 years.
With over 20 years of manufacturing, maintenance, and
engineering experience with companies such as
Westvaco, Union Camp, and Canon, Mr. Biser brings
considerable expertise to the WVMEP mission. He has
experience with a broad constituency of industrial
clients including wood processing, metal fabrication,
mechanical and electro-mechanical assembly
operations, rubber and composite operations, equipment
manufacturers and the aerospace industry. Gerald
developed the concept of energy value stream mapping
to directly relate energy use to the product value stream
within a company’s manufacturing processes. He has
also developed a wind industry supply chain in WV
through a relationship with the Blue Green Alliance
(BGA) and the Great Lake Wind Network (GLWN)
resulting in the inclusion of five WV companies in the
national wind supply chain database used by OEM
turbine manufacturers. His email address is
gbiser@wvmep.wvu.edu.
Kathleen Cullen, Program Coordinator for the Energy
Efficiency Division of the WVU National Research
Center for Coal & Energy in Morgantown, WV, has
worked in the energy efficiency area for over fifteen
years. She also serves as the Assistant Director of the
Industries of the Future – West Virginia program which
focuses on promoting industrial energy efficiency.
Kathleen has performed project administration duties
for a wide range of projects from multimillion dollar,
multi partner projects to small grants. Kathleen has
served as a co-principal investigator on over 20 projects
including the current U.S. DOE Save Energy Now
project. Kathleen is the Energy Efficiency Division’s
marketing director, organizer for conferences,
workshops, energy efficiency events, and seminars, and
editor for publications including the IOF-WV UpDate
newsletter. Kathleen has a MS from West Virginia
University in Agricultural & Resource Economics
where her primary focus was on energy issues including
forecasting summer peak energy demand and a BA in
Political Science from St. Vincent College, Latrobe,
PA. She can be contacted at:
Kathleen.Cullen@mail.wvu.edu.