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Charlie Cichetti, CEO of Sustainable Investment Group (SIG) & Green Building Education Services (GBES), Receives LEED Fellow Designation

LEED Fellows represent the top of their fields in green building design, engineering and development 

ATLANTA, GA – (October 20, 2020) With more than 16 years of experience in commercial construction, real estate development, project management and LEED consulting, Charlie Cichetti has been named a 2020 LEED Fellow by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI). Mr. Cichetti is among 25 professionals who represent exceptional practitioners and leaders within the green building community and have demonstrated mastery of the technical application of LEED, the world’s most widely used green building rating system. LEED Fellow is the highest recognition achievable for a LEED professional in the green building industry. 

Mr. Cichetti began his career in commercial construction working for Batson-Cook Company. Then, after making a transition to Real Estate with Opus Corporation, a $2.2B leading commercial developer, LEED became mainstream.

Mr. Cichetti was first introduced to LEED while working at Opus corporation, an early adopter of LEED, in 2007.  Charlie worked on the construction team that was tasked with building LEED certified warehouses and office buildings in and around Atlanta, GA. After his time at Opus and during the recession, Charlie started a green building consulting and education company, Sustainable Investment Group (SIG). Charlie’s whole career from his first introduction to LEED in 2007 to today has been about sustainability and LEED. Today Charlie leads two growing small businesses in the green building and online education movement. Over the course of his career Charlie has personally taught and trained over 10,000+ professionals in-person about LEED, the green building movement, and how to pass LEED exams. His green building education company GBES has over 130,000+ professionals around the world who use their study tools and CE materials to help maintain their credentials after Charlie and his team helped them pass their exams. Charlie also advocates for LEED and the green building movement to thousands of people monthly as they tune in to listen to his weekly podcast, Green Building Matters. Charlie is an expert in both the designing of green buildings and the operations of green buildings. He and his team work on large office buildings in major cities across the United States as well as some stadiums like the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota.

“This path of green building was an unexpected one. I didn’t see it coming,” said Cichetti. “I feel fortunate that around every corner, the opportunity to get involved with LEED and green building presented itself. I was a believer from the beginning, and today, still work tirelessly on our collective mission to make a difference on this earth and reduce our carbon footprint by creating green spaces.”

Since transitioning into the Green Building Industry, Mr. Cichetti has worked on over 56 Million SF of LEED, ENERGY STAR, and Cx/RCx projects for clients ranging from SL Green, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, to the Army Corp of Engineers and various School Systems. Project types include Class A Office Buildings, Medical Facilities, Hotels, Schools, Stadiums and Convention Centers. Mr. Cichetti was one of the first professionals to hold all of the new LEED credentials. He is also a sought after trainer and speaker on green building topics.

LEED Fellows are nominated by their peers and must have made at least 10 years’ worth of exceptional impact on LEED and hold an active LEED AP with specialty credential, among other requirements. The evaluation process includes an extensive portfolio review and is carried out by the LEED Fellow Evaluation Committee and supported by GBCI. The LEED Fellow program was established in 2011 to recognize outstanding LEED APs who have demonstrated exceptional impacts with LEED in key mastery elements related to technical knowledge and skill; a history of exemplary leadership in LEED; significant contributions in teaching, mentoring, or research with proven outcomes; and a history of highly impactful commitment, service and advocacy for LEED. 

“The green building industry plays a critical role as we look toward rebuilding our economy and our communities in the months and years ahead,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of GBCI and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). “Our LEED Fellows are on the frontlines of that work helping to ensure our buildings and spaces are healthy, resilient and sustainable places for us all to enjoy. LEED Fellows have made substantial contributions to the green building community and their commitment to LEED will continue to help us shape a better living standard for all.”

At Sustainable Investment Group, Charlie Cichetti oversees the company’s daily operations and sets the vision and synergy amongst SIG’s core green building services: Training, Consulting, and Technical Services. “The work has only just begun. I can’t thank the USGBC enough for its trailblazing path in the green building industry. Their work, our work, is creating a more sustainable planet and habitat for all. This designation will only drive me to push our collective message to even more companies, cities and individuals.” said Cichetti.

The 2020 LEED Fellows will be recognized at this year’s Greenbuild Virtual conference during the USGBC 2020 Leadership Awards on Thursday, November 12 at 5 p.m. EST. Visit greenbuildexpo.com to register for the conference and usgbc.org/credentials for more information on professional credentialing opportunities.

About Sustainable Investment Group, LLC (SIG)
SIG is a full-service sustainability consulting firm that provides environmentally focused solutions to design, construction, real estate, and building operations professionals to support a high level of performance, value, and quality in the built environment. Beyond consulting, SIG helps grow the green building industry through education and training. We have helped over 9,000 professionals across the U.S. prepare for their LEED exams.

About Green Building Education Services (GBES) 
GBES is the #1 provider of LEED, WELL, and AIA exam preparation and continuing education. Over 150,000 professionals have chosen GBES in their journey to earn their LEED, WELL, and SITES AP credentials. With the only dedicated customer care team, GBES will support you as you navigate your exam preparation and help you to maintain your credentials with the largest USGBC approved catalog of LEED, WELL, and AIA Training/Continuing Education available today.

About Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)
GBCI is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally. Established in 2008, GBCI exclusively administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems, as well as the PEER standard for power systems, the WELL Building Standard, the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES), Parksmart, EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies), TRUE Zero Waste certification, Investor Confidence Project (ICP) for energy efficiency retrofits, RELi for resilient design, and the GRESB benchmark, which is used by institutional investors to improve the sustainability performance of the global property sector. www.gbci.org.