During our final session, we tried to help them pare back their goals, but they fell into the problem many companies are facing. They were struggling to prioritize and, against our advice, they felt that they needed to begin to address each item all at once. 

Senior living business leaders and companies are facing a very similar challenge in 2024, and should they fail to focus and prioritize addressing the greatest issues they face, they will soon find themselves asking how they didn’t make any headway in 2024 and what to do about it in 2025.

This can prove challenging, as these companies aim to meet immediate financial targets and operational goals while they also need to lay the groundwork for sustainable growth, innovation and quality improvement in the long term. To cut through the noise, leaders must strategically focus and prioritize the right challenge by determining its urgency over its relative standing in the hype cycle.

So, let me help with that. Here are the four challenges and their implications that leaders and companies could face that must be addressed if they are to not only survive 2024 but thrive.

1. Today’s trendiest AI isn’t everyone’s best tool

Senior living businesses have arrived at a crossroads in 2024. Integrating artificial intelligence into general business practices has become an imperative and an untenable obstacle course.

Many companies are moving forward with the misguided hope that the benefits will outweigh the upfront costs, and that can be true. AI can personalize care, customize resident plans, provide predictive analytics and tell you what your budget could be next year.

Companies, however, will need to make smart choices, as not all AI models are built and, more importantly, trained, equally. Choosing the wrong model means a potential for a closed-loop input system where the model does not consider outside needs of potential future customers other than what it was trained on.

To make the most of AI, businesses should prioritize models that have transparency and ones that can help them fix their fragmented data. Siloed records, notes, charts and schedules in multiple platforms that lack interoperability means there will be limited value in the analytics from a model only able to pull from one source of data. The integration challenges are real, but the potential is transformative.

2. The demographic cliff

It’s not news to you that senior living businesses are facing the stark reality of the increasing number of potential residents and a lack of talent to care for them. As baby boomers continue to age and look to move into active-adult or various other tiered classes of caregiving, not only are the communities lacking or nonexistent, but so are the caregivers. Flexible working options and higher pay elsewhere are fueling resignations.

To address those challenges, businesses need to consider new development routes for staff and properties. Considerations for creativity in how administrative roles are staffed and developed through training and upskilling local community members is one way to start.

Long term, the labor shortage may mean rethinking on-demand workers over full-time hires. Also, there is the potential for modular construction, and investors looking to be recession-resilient could mean new forms of capital that could allow for the right-sizing of the units and technologic improvements needed.

3. Transparency versus personalization versus privacy

Senior living companies have leaned heavily on personalization to drive engagement. Data collection can provide unique offerings, especially with the advent of wearables, which can help customize meal plans, activities, amenities and medicine, but consumers and clients have begun to demand more privacy and protection of their data.

Businesses must become more transparent about where they collect data, where outside data are being used and what is done with them. If done successfully, the transparency can bolster engagement and increase communication between the residents and the communities, another potential data perk.

Equally important will be open communication on issues such as sustainability, social responsibility and employee well-being. Today’s residents and families expect more transparency. Companies that honestly address their practices and shortcomings will build trust. 

4. Inflexibility in your future direction

Operators facing these pressures often suffer from a lack of agility and flexibility in their planning. Anticipating future challenges in healthcare and demographics is crucial yet challenging, especially with limited resources, as those challenges constantly move.

Even with prioritized challenges to address, however, leaders must be open to being nimble enough to adapt their hardened three- to five-year plans while also realizing that type of planning needs to shift to become 10- to 15-year planning. This change will allow them to be ready for shifts in behaviors, to grow as digital health evolves, residents’ preferences morph and staffing dynamics shift.

Allowing for re-perception of the challenges and trends that are faced throughout the year will allow companies to be proactive instead of responsive. Most companies lack this flexibility, which ultimately means they stay the course when they need to pivot and, in doing so, become obsolete to the whims of their clients and residents.

In 2024, these challenges and trends are not just obstacles but also catalysts for innovation and improvement. For business leaders, particularly in the senior living industry, addressing these challenges head-on is not just about survival but also about thriving in an ever-changing landscape. By doing so, you can ensure sustained growth, improved service quality and enhanced operational efficiency, ultimately leading to long-term success and a positive impact on your communities.

Mark Bryan is the senior foresight manager at the Future Today Institute, an advisory firm specializing in strategic foresight aimed at driving corporate strategies that lead to long-term success and resilience. The institute partners with leaders of Fortune 500 companies, world governments and other major organizations to help them pivot, adapt and thrive in the face of disruptive change.

The opinions expressed in each McKnight’s Senior Living guest column are those of the author and are not necessarily those of McKnight’s Senior Living.

Have a column idea? See our submission guidelines here.

A Maryland-based continuing care retirement / life plan community operator is moving its green initiatives into the kitchen in an effort to reduce food waste and lower its carbon footprint.

Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland has adopted a series of initiatives at its two communities, including reducing printed materials and food waste, and promoting the use of fewer disposable goods. The communities are Carroll Lutheran Village in Westminster, MD, with 500 residents, and Lutheran Village of Miller’s Grant in Ellicott City, MD, with almost 350 residents.

The CCRC began implementing green practices in 2021 — including transitioning to LED lighting, adding solar panels and installing electric vehicle charging stations — in an effort to preserve the “natural beauty” of its communities.

The culinary teams use the LeanPath program software to measure food waste — such as food scraps, expired items and overproduction — by means of scales and tablets. Since February, Lutheran Village of Miller’s Grant has reduced its food waste by 64%, and Carroll Lutheran Village has reduced its food waste by 28%.

The communities also moved from printing weekly menus to making them available in digital formats via email, a resident portal on its website and digital TV displays throughout the communities. The approach reduced Carroll Lutheran Village’s printing by 3,000 pages per week.

Lutheran Village of Miller’s Grant reduced the use of disposable containers in favor of reusable products almost a year ago. Residents were given reusable bags for carryout items in lieu of plastic bags, and the community’s restaurants recently began using reusable carryout containers made from 100% sourced bisphenol A-free plastic. Residents rinse out the containers when they are done with them and place them in a specially marked reusable bag outside their residence for staff to pick up, clean and sanitize for reuse.

Those culinary green initiatives have helped reduce the communities’ carbon footprint, according to LSMMD President and CEO Jeff Branch. 

“These initiatives not only benefit the environment but also empower our residents, team members and the broader community to actively engage in building a greener and more sustainable future,” Branch said in a statement.

For any green project, Branch told McKnight’s Senior Living, buy-in from team members and residents is crucial.

“While green projects like solar energy can provide large benefits to an organization, it’s often the programs like culinary green initiatives that resonate with residents the most,” Branch said. “Resident participation allows for ownership and creates a collaborative process with real-time results.”

Senior living organizations looking to start green initiatives should start small and at the community level, Branch advised.

“There has to be an understanding of the benefits, such as expense reduction, greenhouse gas reductions, etc., and how each person plays a role in achieving the desired result,” Branch said, adding that regular updates on progress can help everyone share successes and celebrate.

An affordable senior housing development in Colorado is the first community of its kind in the United States to receive the “Plus” level of two key sustainability certifications, according to the International WELL Building Institute, or IWBI.

Cadence, a Volunteers of America community in Fort Collins with 55 senior apartments, received this highest-level dual certification from Green Communities and WELL Certifications from the IWBI. It also was named a Zero Energy Ready project by the US Department of Energy, according to the IWBI.

The certifications recognize the development’s green building achievements, including high levels of energy efficiency. Certifier Green Communities is a sustainable building program that focuses on affordable housing and is created and administered by Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit that aims to increase housing supply. The dual certification program is part of a collaboration with IWBI, which provides frameworks for the creation and certification of spaces that support human health and well-being.

‘Future-proofing’ for climate change

Wellness initiatives have increasingly become a priority in the senior living playbook, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. The companies involved in Cadence’s certifications said that including sustainable building in wellness strategies is less a choice than a necessity.

“Resilient building is the only way to future-proof our communities against the effects of a changing climate,” Krista Egger, VP of building resilient futures at Enterprise said in a statement. “Cadence represents a deep commitment to sustainability: healthy, energy-efficient affordable homes that are responsive to resident, community and environmental priorities.”

Financing construction

Cadence was developed by the nonprofit organization Volunteers for America, which used the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program to finance its construction. Equity was provided by Enterprise. Thirty-five states, including Colorado, and in addition to Washington, DC, and New York City, have LIHTC programs that either require or support Enterprise Green Communities certification.

Apartments at Cadence are reserved for residents who earn between 20% and 80% of the local community’s median income, which was $75,200 for an individual in 2022, local news outlet the Coloradoan reported.

In Larimer County, where Cadence is located, people aged 60 or more years are expected to make up a quarter of the population by 2025, the Coloradoan reported. In 2022, only 13% of respondents to a county Office on Aging survey said that they have adequate access to affordable housing.

Meanwhile, the WELL Building Institute has witnessed an uptick of interest in pursuing WELL certification among senior living operators, Rachel Hodgdon, president and CEO of IWBI said in 2022.

“Through our partnership with Enterprise, affordable housing developments all across the country can attain dual certification under Green Communities Criteria and WELL, which helps ensure this critical sector has the opportunity to take the lead on both sustainability and health,”  she said in a statement regarding Cadence’s achievement.

A nonprofit continuing care retirement / life plan community in Vermont is racking up awards and recognition for its work in sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Wake Robin earned a 2023 Sustainability Leadership Award from Casella Waste Systems for integrating the company’s zero-sort recycling, compost and municipal waste services into its 136-acre campus.

The awards, given to a range of business segments, recognized innovation and a commitment to sustainable material management practices.

This award follows the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship Award the CCRC received in April during the LeadingAge Maine & New Hampshire 2023 Annual Conference & Expo, for its continued efforts to expand conservation practices.

Wake Robin also established its own initiatives, including a Green Committee and Climate Action Taskforce to further explore and expand on-site sustainability programs among its 400 residents and 200 staff members.

Among the community’s past green living efforts was a switch from bleach to ozone as a disinfectant, deodorizer and bleaching agent in the laundry and aquatic center. That move reduced the community’s annual carbon footprint by more than 58,000 pounds and reduced hot water use by 316,000 gallons. 

“We have not been responsible citizens all our lives, and we’re trying to make up for it to make sure that our kids and our grandkids grow up in a better environment,” said resident Steve Silverman, a member of the community’s Climate Action Task Force.

The community’s ongoing environmental work includes using an onsite maple production facility as well as growing drought-resistant pollinator plants, turning gardening waste and refuse into compost, eliminating junk mail to cut paper consumption, and reducing food waste from the approximately 600 meals served daily.

“It’s important for me to protect our environment,” resident Gail White shared in a video about the Casella award. “Living in a place like this, it’s so beautiful that you have so much incentive to really maintain the environment and maintain nature.”

Wake Robin Director of Environmental Services Leslie Parker said in the video that the award recognizes the efforts of the entire campus to “work together to collectively reduce our impact on the planet.” She added that the original founders of the community were looking for a different model for aging than what existed, and they were naturalists.

“Environmental stewardship has always been a part of our core values,” Parker said.

This is not the first time that Wake Robin has been recognized for its commitment to green living. 

In 2012, the community won the Vermont Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence, and in 2016, the International Council on Active Aging named Wake Robin’s energy use and conservation plan as the ICAA Innovators Green Award winner.

A Seattle assisted living community is one of 10 developments — and the only senior living development — to be recognized for its overall excellence in design by real estate development and land use expert the Urban Land Institute.

Aegis Living Lake Union in Seattle is one of 10 developments selected for the 2023 ULI Americas Awards of Excellence, which recognize development efforts in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. The Aegis Living community specifically was singled out for recognition for its low-carbon development.

Hailed as the “world’s greenest senior living community” when it opened last summer, Aegis Living Lake Union was the first assisted living community built to meet the global green building standards for the Living Building Challenge Petal Certification through the International Living Future Institute. The community also is participating in Seattle’s Living Building Pilot Program.

The community is emission-free, using no fossil fuels, including no gas servicing the building. Standard electricity supports the entire 70,000-square-foot building and offsets 105% of the building’s total energy demand through various energy reduction measures, including an onsite solar array and offsite solar energy farms that generate 1.7 million kilowatt hours.

The community, according to Aegis Living, also reduced its overall energy draw by 25% compared with similar buildings through enhanced thermal envelope features, including triple-pane window glazing, exterior wall thermal insulation and heat recovery through forced-air ventilation.

The building has upper-level cedar cladding that is a naturally weathering renewable materials, sidewalk bioretention planters that reuse rainwater, and natural lighting in the dining rooms.

“When we embarked on the journey to create the world’s greenest senior living building, our goal was to set a new standard for what is possible, bringing an equal commitment to sustainable buildings and exceptional senior living,” Aegis Development President Adam Clark told McKnight’s Senior Living. “We made this dream a reality and hope to be a model for others serving our rapidly growing aging population.”

Aegis Development is a subsidiary of Aegis Living, providing development and design consulting services for senior living.

Winning projects in the ULI Americas awards program represent the highest standards of achievement in land use and are now finalists for the 2023 ULI Global Awards for Excellence, competing against projects form the Europe and Asia Pacific regions. 

The program evaluates submissions on overall excellence, including achievements in marketplace acceptance, design, planning, technology, amenities, economic impact, management, community engagement, innovation and sustainability.

A 13-member jury of development, finance, planning, urban design, architecture and landscape architecture experts selected 20 finalists from 68 submitted projects, from which the 10 winners were chosen.

State-funded incentive programs have brought solar panels and solar water heaters to four senior housing communities operated by HumanGood in California. A fifth community is three-fourths through solar installation, and HumanGood hopes to retrofit 23 communities in total with renewable energy by the end of 2024.

The panels should lower the residents’ energy bills, the company states, in part because the state programs are designed to lower upfront costs.

 “There are many benefits to solar, whether it’s the reduction in our buildings’ carbon footprint, the cost savings to daily operations and residents, or just doing our part of being responsible building owners,” construction management director George Sousou said in a statement.

HumanGood has more than 100 retirement and affordable senior housing communities within California, Pennsylvania and Washington, its website states.

Several senior living providers are looking to solar options as a way of benefitting their communities and also touting a commitment to environmental options that reduce their carbon footprint. 

Earlier this year, The Village at Orchard Ridge in Winchester, VA, announced new construction for a nearly 2-megawatt solar installation that can meet 85% of the community’s needs. 

Additionally, a long-term care facility in Sheboygan, WI, the Sheboygan Senior Community, put solar panels on its campus back in 2021 to cut down on energy use and save money. That project also was facilitated by state grant funding, McKnight’s reported at the time.

Healthpeak’s portfolio includes 15 continuing care retirement communities with a total of 7,100 units. Nine percent of the REIT’s net operating income comes from its CCRC portfolio. The company also invests in life science and medical office properties.

“As an organization focused on benefiting society through positive health outcomes, ESG is woven into our culture and strategy,” President and CEO Scott Brinker said in a statement. “Our 12th annual ESG Report highlights our leadership in building a resilient portfolio, an energetic and engaged team, and thriving communities where we operate.”

Healthpeak was among companies recognized at the Executive level (50 or more buildings certified in 2022) for earning the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification in 2022; Healthpeak had 67 buildings certified last year. It was the REIT’s third time being named an Energy Star Partner of the Year, according to the ESG report.

Energy Star certified buildings are verified to perform better than 75% of similar buildings nationwide. They use an average of 35% less energy, and they are responsible for 35% fewer carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings, according to the EPA.

Additionally, Healthpeak maintained its Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark Green Star Designation for the 11th consecutive year, with a four-star rating in 2022.

More results from the report appear below.

Social

As of Dec. 31, the REIT’s workforce was 46% female and 37% racially diverse, according to the report.

The trust conducted company-wide inclusion and belonging training and had 100% participation last year, and it also sponsored university and community outreach programs supporting education of underrepresented groups.

The company’s annual employee engagement score remained above the Kingsley Index industry average for the fourth consecutive year. Healthpeak was certified a Great Place to Work for the second year in a row. 

Healthpeak also saw an increase in year-over-year support of organizations serving underrepresented communities, from 18% of charitable giving in 2021 to 33% in 2022.

Governance

Healthpeak maintained an average Institutional Shareholder Services Monthly Governance QualityScore in at least the top 40% of companies surveyed. The REIT’s average monthly score of 1.2 reflects top 10% performance of all public companies surveyed. This score is up from top 20% performance the previous year.

The ESG report also noted that the REIT has attained at least 95% completion of annual employee code of conduct training.

Being good stewards of resources is especially important to residents in the Pacific Northwest, and particularly among the residents of Rose Villa Senior Living, according to the continuing care retirement / life plan community’s leader.

The 22-acre community in Portland, OR, advertises sustainability and social responsibility as “more than a trendy selling point,” CEO Vassar Byrd said Wednesday during a LeadingAge membership call. Rose Villa fosters a sustainable environment and culture that “treads lightly on the earth” while partnering with residents on projects, she added.

What started as a composting project has expanded to several sustainable efforts, including a two-acre, resident-run community garden that supplies fresh produce for the food and beverage department, and a Bringing Nature Home club through the resident council that practices “naturescaping” by using native plants and low-impact foliage in campus landscape.

The campus also implemented a “greywater” reclamation system — called ROSIE (Recycled Stuff Is Everywhere) — used to flush toilets and for irrigation, as well as two net zero independent living neighborhoods: The Oaks, which opened in 2019, and Trillium Townhomes, opened in 2022.

The CCRC uses resident interest and expertise to make projects a reality, said Byrd, a 2020 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor inductee. 

“We have conversations with them about ways to change the process to run this community to make it more sustainable, efficient and to engage everyone,” she said. Communities considering similar projects, she added, need to have a long-term sustainability process in place before anything. “It can be harder to engage [residents] in the longer-term process. You have to be more thoughtful because you can run around in circles if you’re not following a longer-term plan,” Byrd said.

All of those initiatives were part of Rose Villa’s redevelopment of its campus. From there, Byrd said, the community is looking at a 10-year plan that involves an audit of the entire campus. The CEO called it a “resiliency action plan” that is a sister to its sustainability plan and will look at how the community can reduce its reliance on outside systems and be resilient in the face of climate change, natural disasters and other factors outside of its control.

Other providers considering embarking down a similar path, Byrd said, need to think of it as educating, not convincing stakeholders. 

“It’s really important to start small,” she said, adding that the initial composting project was a 50-50 resident/staff collaboration that created an understanding of the process and goals and was measurable.

Byrd said she goes by the mantra “smaller efforts, small successes, big impact.”

“If elders can’t care for the planet, who in the world is going to?” she asked. “Elders have the perspective. They have the time. Think what you can delegate and partner with residents about, and then call people out. It’s really our job to model how to do this for the rest of the world.”

Intergenerational preschool creates productive resident partnership

Another initiative that feeds into the community’s wellness initiative is the opening of an on-site preschool, Rosebud Preschool, owned and operated by Rose Villa, Byrd said. 

Clear research existed that elders — and young children — exposed to high-quality and intergenerational programming had improved social and emotional skills, she said, adding that the programming also decreases social isolation and increases older adults’ sense of belonging, well-being and self esteem. 

The preschool, which opened just six months ago, provides opportunities for residents to volunteer for events and enrichment lessons, and it also incorporates collaborative programs through which older adults and children can participate in daily activities and projects, including collaborative artwork, gardening, integrated games, neighborhood walks and story time.

One of Rosa Villa’s residents, a former early education specialist, chose to move into the CCRC after hearing about the intergenerational preschool, Byrd said.

“She helped with the curriculum, the mission statement and getting residents involved,” she said. “It’s been a very productive resident partnership.”

Earth Day 2023 technically may be over, but at Collington, a continuing care retirement / life plan community in Mitchellville, MD, it’s just getting started.

As part of a three-year sustainability plan for 2021-2023, residents recently installed three new electric vehicle charging stations on campus. 

The charging stations, manufactured by ChargePoint, include the universal J1772 connector that can be used with any electric vehicle being manufactured (Teslas require an adapter that is supplied with the car). Access is provided through the ChargePoint app at a nominal rate per kilowatt hour. This project was led by resident members of the Collington Climate Action Committee and jointly funded by the Collington Foundation, Collington Resident Association, Collington Administration, a Pepco rebate program and donors.

In the age of climate change, it’s a small but necessary step to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

“The installation of these EV chargers will support the residents who have invested in electric cars while providing convenience for those looking to live environmentally conscious lives on campus,” said Mike Burke, chair of Collington’s Climate Action Committee. “These charging stations will provide our community a safe way to help build a sustainable future.”

This project is among many efforts the CCRC has made to live sustainably. Among the other steps are reducing the use of petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides and installing long-lasting LED lights in the community walkways. Future projects include “electrifying” campus vehicles and tools as well as installing solar panels.

It is safe to say that this initiative received two (green) thumbs up.

“I am proud of the Collington Climate Action Committee for launching the EV charging project,” said Ann Gillespie, CEO of Collington. “This directly serves Collington’s mission to engage in practices that sustain and improve our environment and planet. I am excited to see how our community will grow as we invest in Collington as a model for sustainable living.”

Click here to see the In Focus archive and read how to submit photos of activities at your community for consideration of publication.

Several companies operating in, investing in or serving senior living and care recently were honored by the federal government for their energy efficiency improvement efforts. 

Chicago-based real estate investment trust Ventas and Windy City-based commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield were two of 15 organizations that earned the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification for more than 150 commercial, multifamily or industrial buildings each in 2022. Cushman & Wakefield had 194 buildings certified, and Ventas had 154 buildings certified.

“By certifying the most Energy Star buildings last year, these companies are helping lead the way to a clean energy future and are demonstrating that building efficiency isn’t just good for the climate but also good for our economy,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement.

To earn EPA’s Energy Star, a building first must measure its energy performance using the EPA’s online energy management and tracking tool. The building then receives an Energy Star score of 1 to 100, signifying how it performs relative to similar buildings nationwide. If the building both earns a score of 75 or higher and a professional engineer or registered architect verifies that its energy data and operating characteristics are correct and meets indoor air quality standards, then the EPA awards the Energy Star to that building.

Energy Star certified buildings are verified to perform better than 75% of similar buildings nationwide, they use an average of 35% less energy, and they are responsible for 35% fewer carbon dioxide emissions than typical buildings, according to the EPA.

Ventas and Cushman & Wakefield’s accomplishments earned them Elite level status in the EPA’s Certification Nation program, held to celebrate the program’s 30th anniversary. Organizations certifying five or more buildings were recognized at some level of the program.

“Our commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable returns benefits our stockholders, our company, our industry and our planet,” Ventas Vice President, Corporate ESG & Sustainability Kelly Meissner said. “With industry-leading energy management practices and prudent capital investment, we are able to improve performance while also accelerating progress toward our ambitious goal of achieving net-zero operational carbon emissions by 2040.” Ventas was the only REIT named at the Elite level.

Among companies recognized at the Executive level (50 or more buildings certified in 2022) of the Certification Nation program were JLL (135 buildings certified), Hines (113), The RMR Group (77), Healthpeak (67), PGIM Real Estate (69), Atria Senior Living (56) and Welltower (55).

Recognized at the Premier level (15 or more buildings certified) were Sunrise Senior Living Management (42), Yardi Energy (28) and Diversified Healthcare Trust (25), among other firms.

Among companies recognized at the Member level (five or more buildings certified) was AlerisLife (5).

See the complete Certification Nation program lists here.

The EPA also recognized 221 companies for “outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements in partnership with Energy Star,”  including more than 170 organizations that were recognized for their year-over-year commitment to energy efficiency with the program’s highest honor: Energy Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence winner.

Among those firms honored as Energy Partners of the Year – Sustained Excellence in the Energy Management category in 2023 were Hines (16 years in the program), JLL (12), Cushman & Wakefield (9), The RMR Group (3), Welltower (3) and Ventas (1). Named in the Service and Product Provider category was Yardi Systems (3). Additionally, Healthpeak Properties was named a Partner of the Year in the Energy Management category. A complete list of Energy Star award winners and their accomplishments is here.

“These Energy Star designations reflect our ongoing efforts to empower clients to achieve increasingly ambitious sustainability targets, actualizing our vision of creating a world of healthy buildings that have a meaningful impact on people and the planet,” Cushman & Wakefield President of Americas Services Marla Maloney said in a statement. “We are proud that our U.S. Energy & Sustainability Services team is being recognized for their expertise in goal setting, asset optimization and certification management.”