In the spring 2010 issue of the Northeast Sun, we published an article/compilation of interviews with 13 young NESEA members, exploring what they find valuable about NESEA, and how we can make the organization relevant to those under 40. Space constraints prevented us from publishing each interview in full, but the content from these interviews was so rich that we wanted you to be able to read them. What follows is the full interview with Brian Hayden, 30, of HeatSpring Learning Institute, who serves on the NESEA Professional Leadership Award Committee.
NESEA: Tell us about yourself: your background, what you do, how you got started, and how long you’ve been doing it.
Brian Hayden: I launched my business, Heatspring Learning Institute with my business partner three years ago while we were MBA students at Babson. We were looking for an opportunity to start a business in the sustainable energy/building space. We didn’t know exactly what it would be, or how it would fit into the broader community, so we used our time as students to go out and see what was “out there.” One of the ways we did that was to get involved with NESEA networking events. We attended the BuildingEnergy show and started reading about some of the companies involved with NESEA.
Our business is complementary to what NESEA is. We offer some niche topics that the NESEA community could benefit from going really deep on and having data and info to make decisions to do their jobs and grow their businesses. Many of our customers are small businesses involved with NESEA. We offer technical training on geothermal heat pumps and solar PV.
We’ve had a lot of involvement with NESEA. We’ve exhibited for the past three years at the BE show. It’s a good community environment for us to find customers. We really value the feedback we get from NESEA members because we view them to be our core audience. We’ve taken what we’ve learned here locally and do the workshops across the country.
I’d guess that 25% of our business comes either directly or indirectly from NESEA.
NESEA: How did you become involved in NESEA and what inspired you to become involved?
Brian Hayden: The student discount to attend BE was a big draw for me. It got me involved with the show, which is the most visible manifestation of NESEA.
There was also a job board on the NESEA website. I applied for a job with NESEA member John Abrams’ company. It was inspiring for me to get to meet someone whose work I respected so much through NESEA.
NESEA: How are you currently involved with NESEA?
Brian Hayden: We will probably exhibit again this year. We’re Business Level Members and we have a speaker on geothermal energy at one of the Tuesday workshops. (Brian, can you please tell me which workshop and which speaker?)
NESEA: Are you currently active in one of the NESEA chapters? Which one and how?
Brian Hayden: No, I’m really not. Geographically, BASEA would make the most sense for me. I’ve been to some events, but for whatever reason haven’t made the time to get super involved.
NESEA: What do you value most about NESEA?
Brian Hayden: What I like about it is the accessibility for small businesses. And I like the people that I meet. It attracts people that I’m glad to have met because they tend to be thoughtful group of people interested in doing things the right way. The values the group seems to have are ones I share.
NESEA: What other professional and/or networking organizations do you belong to? Are there things NESEA can learn about the way they operate? Any examples?
Brian Hayden: We’re members of International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA), National Ground Water Assocation, AIA, Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium
The reason we are involved in these other organizations is for marketing our business. That’s not the reason we’re involved in NESEA.
IGSHPA has a thought leadership curriculum that they developed, and a lot of our classes are delivering their content. We’re working as a partner or affiliate to spread their message, credential and materials.
NESEA: What things, specifically, should NESEA be doing to cultivate emerging leaders in sustainability and the built environment?
Brian Hayden: Give us official positions and titles. It sounds a little silly, but if someone has a title they often feel a lot more invested. They are more likely to commit when they have a personal stake in the outcome. Give me an opportunity to help build on what NESEA does really well because NESEA is a community of people that I care about. I want to stay relevant to that group, which would spur me to do more.
NESEA: How can we use mentoring?
Brian Hayden: I really valued meeting John and being mentored by him informally. One of the things I’ve done is to set up a peer mentoring group. It’s a group of small business owners who meet to talk about the issues we’re facing. One person gives a presentation every time, and we all learn from each other because we’re all facing many of the same issues, and each of us brings a different professional perspective. If NESEA could help convene something like this, and make sure that some of its more experienced members participate, that would be great!
About Jennifer M.
