I wanted to take a few minutes and let you know how proud I am of Pickering Associates (PA), both collectively and its individual employees. Embedded in our culture and actions are the concepts of altruism, social responsibility, and sustainability. PA employees make a difference in our community and help set a direction for the future. In the following highlights, I will identify some of the activities in which we have been participating this year:
Volunteer Programs and Projects:
- Canstruction: For two years PA employees have been participating in the Covenant House “Canstruction” project in Charleston. These employees have developed the most creative designs and provided the most cans of food of any of the participating organizations. They put a lot of effort into their designs which their product shows. This dedication is an exceptional contribution to the food pantries in both the Charleston and the Parkersburg-Marietta metro area.
- Latrobe Street Mission: Pickering Associates is and will continue to be involved in design and permitting to allow the Mission to occupy their housing space, develop their offices and restrooms, and are currently working to develop their kitchen/cooking areas. PA members serve on the Board and support the mission financially.
- PA employees support ongoing missions to Africa which have provided the power for five clinics in Liberia, the latest systems being installed in February of 2014. These power systems provide lighting, communication and refrigeration for the clinics (which allows for the on-site storage of live-culture vaccinations). For an overview and pictures of these projects see our project posting at http://www.sesllc.us/portfolio/klebei-yolota-belefenai-clinics-in-liberia/.
- PA employees serve on the Board of Trustees for several local universities (Ohio Valley University and WV Wesleyan College) and on various technical and curriculum committees (WVU Parkersburg and Washington State Community College). At a different level, we are a Partner in Education with Hamilton Junior HS and participate in several activities with them each year, and support career guidance programs for children in the Marietta City Schools.
- We participate in the Boy Scouts (Board of Directors, Scoutmasters and Cubmasters), Red Cross (Board of Directors), O’Neill Center (Board of Directors) and American Cancer Society’s Relay-for-Life, among others (and I’m sure that there are others that I am not even aware of). Our employees also serve in many volunteer roles with the VFW, churches, sanitary and water boards, and we have an Assistant Fire Chief for a Volunteer Fire Department.
Sustainability and Social Responsibility:
- Sustainable Design: PA has designed and built the first (and still the only) LEED Platinum home in WV, which is a zero-net-energy home that serves as a prototype of sustainable building practices in the region. We have provided projects that have reduced the power usage of local municipal buildings (WC Commission) and provided prototype solar PV and solar thermal projects for local colleges (Marietta College).
- Renewable Energy: PA, in collaboration with our renewable energy company, Pickering Energy Solutions (www.sesllc.us), has designed and installed eight solar power systems in the US and Africa in the last two years. We have three current active projects; one residential and two institutional clients. Additionally, our solar PV system provides 80% of the power for our Building 1 office.
- Community Outreach: our employees have delivered talks on sustainability, high-efficiency building systems, renewable energy and social responsibility at the college level (Marietta College and WVU Parkersburg), high school, elementary school and professional seminars (WV Building and Construction EXPO). We have become known as the local resource for sustainability and renewable energy.
I am grateful to be a part of an organization that has such a great community focus. Thanks to all the Pickering Associates employees for all you do for our community!
Charles “Chip” Pickering, Ph.D., CEO