Billy Grayson heads the Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance at the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization that focuses on land use, real estate and urban development. He manages a team leading programs on climate risk and resilience, health and wellness, and building energy and environmental performance. ULI works with members, community leaders, coalition partners and other key stakeholders to build awareness around sustainability issues in the built environment, and to provide members with the tools and resources they need to cost-effectively drive sustainability into their projects and operations.
Grayson has 10 years of experience in developing and directing sustainability strategies. Most recently, he served as founder and principal of Bent Branch Strategies in Washington, D.C., which aids in supporting sustainability program development and managing sustainability reporting for clients in real estate, health care, consumer products and electronics.
Prior to founding Bent Branch, Grayson was director of corporate sustainability at Liberty Property Trust in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he oversaw Liberty’s sustainability strategy for more than 700 buildings in 14 markets, including standards for sustainability in development, property management, and sustainability reporting and communications efforts. He worked with city managers and building tenants to accelerate investment in onsite renewable energy projects, and provided a “playbook” for tenants to support their energy efficiency efforts and pursue their own onsite renewable energy projects.
Grayson also served as vice president for social and environmental sustainability at the Electric Industry Citizenship Coalition in Washington, D.C., where he managed a global social compliance program and led initiatives to address e-waste, workers’ rights, and industry alignment with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Grayson also served as the first director of corporate sustainability at WESCO in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he managed a sustainable operations program and launched a sustainable product marketing initiative. Prior to WESCO, Grayson was a senior associate at ICF International in Washington, D.C., where he managed clients’ climate and energy projects.
Grayson knows that, as renewable energy, energy storage and new energy efficiency technologies become more cost-effective, there has been tremendous growth in their deployment. However, in the case of leased space, it is still often difficult to align owner and tenant interests to get these projects done. At the Environmental Leader & Energy Manager Conference in Denver in May, Grayson will lead an interactive workshop that will provide insight into emerging financing tools and strategies to help make smart solar, energy storage, energy efficiency and microgrid investments. The workshop will also provide a forum for owners and tenants to discuss strategies to overcome challenges in pursuing these projects.
In the workshop, Grayson will discuss how to:
“The business case for integrating sustainability into urban development has never been stronger,” Grayson said when he took the helm of the Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance at the Urban Land Institute last year.
