Meet the Facilitators and Representatives

Facilitators

Bottom Lines is a business development program that uses the peer coaching model and is open only to NESEA Business Members. Bottom Liners share the inner workings of their businesses with their peers who help them sharpen their skills and improve their triple bottom line (People, Planet, and Profit). Each of these groups has a unique name and a designated facilitator:

Michael Bruss was the founder and president of Bruss Construction and Integrated Building Energy Associates, LLC. Michael’s passion and drive focuses on building with green technologies, reuse of historic structures, energy efficiency and preparing today’s buildings for future generations. With over 30 years of experience in project development and management, Michael brings unmatched collaboration, innovation and craftsmanship to every project that he is involved in. He facilitates the Mighty 5 Bottom Lines group.
John Abrams is the founder and former CEO of South Mountain Company, a 50-year-old worker-owned B-Corp that practices architecture, building, and solar. After retiring from SMCo in 2022, John and partner Kim Angell launched Abrams+Angell to consult with mission-driven small businesses - he blogs monthly at that site. In 2008 he wrote Companies We Keep. John is one of the Bottom Lines founders and facilitates the Open Matters Bottom Lines group.

Paul Eldrenkamp founded Byggmeister, Inc., a Newton, MA-based design/build remodeling firm, in 1983, and sold it to his employees in 2021. He now is a consultant with HELM Construction Solutions. He participated in remodeling industry peer review groups (Business Networks and then Remodelers Advantage) for over 12 years and was a co-founder of Bottom Lines with Jamie Wolf and John Abrams. He co-facilitates the Plan Bygg and Silver Liners Bottom Lines groups with Shelia Perkins.

Shelia Perkins is an innovative entrepreneur and the driving force behind WilsonPerkins LLC, a dynamic business management, coaching, and facilitation company. With unwavering passion, Shelia dedicates herself to empowering individuals, organizations, teams, and leaders across diverse industries to achieve excellence in their business operations, strategies, and personal lives. Through her collaborative leadership, Shelia co-facilitates the Plan Bygg and Silver Liners Bottom Lines groups alongside esteemed partner Paul Eldrenkamp. Her unwavering commitment to unlocking potential inspires others to reach new heights of success.
Adrienne Stauffer is a Principal and the Director of Operations and Marketing at Kaplan Thompson Architects. She and her team manage the financial, administrative, human resources, and marketing aspects of running an award-winning sustainable architecture firm. Adrienne is an active NESEA member and acts as a co-facilitator for Open Matters.

 
Kate Stephenson is an experienced leader in the fields of green building, professional education, sustainability, and business management. As a partner in HELM Construction Solutions, she works with established and emerging businesses to achieve triple bottom line metrics, develop business systems, and plan for a dynamic and resilient future. She has deep experience in post-secondary education and led the Yestermorrow Design/Build School for over thirteen years. She facilitates the Team Flo Bottom Lines group.
Rachel White is CEO of Byggmeister Design/Build, a nearly 40 year-old residential remodeling company that is striving to serve as an exemplary steward of homes and to prepare them to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Rachel has been affiliated with Byggmeister since 2008, when she hired the firm to renovate her house. What started as an effort to reduce the energy and carbon footprint of her own home became her life’s work. Prior to joining Byggmeister Rachel taught modern Jewish history to adult learners. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from Brown University and a BA in Religion from Haverford College. She facilitates the Seven Strong Bottom Lines Group.
Jamie Wolf was good with blocks as a kid, graduated to tree forts, and has been working as a designer and builder ever since. Wolfworks is a boutique scale design/build company in Avon, CT endeavoring to provide that service responsibly. Jamie considers his peer network experience, over a period of twenty years, as fundamental to Wolfworks' ability to understand and manage all aspects of business operations, a journey that continues here with you. He facilitates the Wolfpack Bottom Lines group.

Representatives

One participant in each group in the Bottom Lines program sits on the program's Steering Committee. In this role, they represent the interests of their group, provide participant perspective on new initiatives, and act as ambassadors for the program.

Nick Falkoff

Auburndale Builders
Team Flo

Nick Falkoff is general manager of Auburndale Builders; a General Contractor focused on building high-performance, net zero and passive homes. He has worked in residential and commercial construction for over 20 years and started Auburndale Builders in 2005. The Auburndale Builders team built the first certified passive house in Wayland and the first PHIUS Source Zero retrofit in Newton which houses the Studio for High-Performance Design and Construction (StudioHPDC). Nick is co-founder of StudioHPDC, a non-profit organization focused on providing education and training resources for the construction industry, including classes, workshops, and reference materials. He is an active member of the NESEA Building Energy Bottom Lines program.

Dan Kolbert

Kolbert Building
Plan Bygg

Builder/GC in Portland, ME since 1998. Focused on building healthy, efficient new homes and improving the performance and comfort of greater Portland's aging existing housing stock. Facilitator of the local Building Science Discussion Group, which has been meeting monthly since 2009. Active member of NESEA, including the Bottom Lines peer network.

Jesse Schwartzberg

Black Mountain Architecture
Wolf Pack

Jesse Schwartzberg, a graduate of the Masters of Architecture program at the University of Oregon, returned to his hometown of Saranac Lake, NY in 2011, to found Black Mountain Architecture, PLLC.

 

Jessica Benner

BrightBuilt Home
Open Matters

Jessica Benner is a Senior Architectural Designer and Project Pilot at BrightBuilt Home. Having received an M.Arch from University of Oregon in 2015, she is passionate about the intersection of Architecture and Sustainability. Her work with BrightBuilt Home has been nothing short of electrifying; helping to shift the paradigm of modular construction in the design world and making high-performance design more accessible to everyone. She resides in Portland, Maine with her husband and two daughters.

Matthew Broderick

Ashley McGraw Architects
Mighty 5

Matthew Broderick, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C is President & CEO of Ashley McGraw Architects. In his 28 years at the firm Matt has worked on a variety of building types with a particular emphasis on design for institutions of higher education. As CEO, Matt oversees strategy development for the firm as well as day-to-day operations, while continuing to work with key clients. Ashley McGraw is a 53-person firm with offices in Syracuse, NY and Washington, DC, focused on design for educational markets and affordable housing.

 

Brian Hazelton

Wood to Stone, LLC
Silver Liners

Brian is owner and president of Wood to Stone, located in Berkshire County, MA. Combining his experience in both masonry and carpentry, Brian has created a design build and remodel company that offers all aspects of building, while always striving to provide quality craftsmanship to conscientious projects.  

 

 

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