BOULD preps for green building "hackathons"

CEO Shane Gring, CTO Shane Baldauf and COO/CFO Stephen Lepke started BOULD in Boulder in 2011 and relocated to Denver a year later.

 

"We were having a hard time getting into the green building industry," says Lepke of the company's genesis. "The concept: Let's partner up with Habitat for Humanity and upgrade their houses so they are LEED-certified and then use them for education."

 

Since 2011, the company has had a hand in building 27 LEED-certified houses with Habitat for Humanity. This gives construction professionals a real building to learn and practice green-building skills. "We trained over 200 professionals in the last two years," says Lepke.

 

Now based at the Laundry on Lawrence in Five Points, the company offers green-building classes for contractors and others in Denver as well as Charlotte and Chicago. Tuition for professionals is $900.

 

Now five employees strong, BOULD is embarking on a series of hackathons slated for cities across the country this summer. "We're trying to condense a ton of material into one day," says Lepke. The goal is to "give the professional continuing education in green building."

 

If the concept gets traction, Lepke expects the company will hire several new employees by the end of 2013. The BOULD goal is to train more than 1,500 additional professionals in green building techniques by 2015.

 

"We're classified as a social enterprise -- where the nonprofit and for-profit worlds intersect, "says Lepke. "Lowering barriers to entry is what we're all about."

Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Eric Peterson with tips and leads for future stories at eric@confluence-denver.com.