Keith Winn (2019)
July 13, 2021
Keith Winn (2019)
On the ground floor of the green building movement, Keith Winn was a founding member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and has remained active on various committees there over the years. Winn explains how, in the ‘90s, the USGBC connected conversations happening about green building from across geographies and sectors to develop the LEED standards that inspire a comprehensive platform for the design of sustainable buildings today.
During his tenure at Herman Miller, Inc., Winn served on the Environmental Quality Action Team and chaired the Design for the Environment and Green Building Teams. As Herman Miller and Steelcase became champions for sustainability, other Grand Rapids industries, educational institutions, and philanthropists took notice. By the time Mayor George Heartwell asked Winn to serve as an advisor to the City’s new Environmental Advisory Council, the stage was set for Grand Rapids’ designation as 2006 LEED Capitol for the United States. “For the first six or eight years after LEED was introduced, West Michigan, Grand Rapids in particular, led the world in the number of LEED certified buildings,” Winn notes.
In 2002, Winn founded his own company, Catalyst Partners. The firm supports developers, owners, architects, engineers, and construction management firms in achieving building performance goals. They specialize in energy monitoring, modeling, audits and commissioning as well as certification in LEED, WELL, Fitwel, Living Building Challenge, Enterprise Green Communities, BREEAM, Green Globes, et al. Uniquely positioned to go beyond energy-centric concerns of sustainable building, Catalyst Partners help clients develop a comprehensive approach that considers healthy building factors like location (walkability and proximity to transit), health-conscious and renewable materials, indoor air quality, and outdoor green spaces and landscape. When built to high standards in these areas, buildings foster health, higher productivity, and a return-on-investment that exceeds energy savings.
Winn says, “I just do the work that I’m passionate about. I’ve been able to do that work because of many generous people who have instructed me, informed me, and enabled me. They opened the doors and helped me along the way.”