Executive of the Week – December 1, 2009

John Tweddale

BT Squared, Inc.

John, how long have you been at BT2 Inc.?
14 years.

What is your role in the company, as a partner and division manager?
I help industrial and commercial business clients to develop strategies and implement projects related to air, water, waste, energy, due diligence, and remediation issues, including permitting, training, and sustainability initiatives. My specialties include regulatory compliance, soil and groundwater cleanup, real estate due diligence, auditing, and energy management. I am blessed to work with a smart team of engineers, scientists, technicians, and professional/administrative staff in our Madison, Milwaukee, Lake Delton, and Chicago offices.

How did you get into this line of work?
My high school physics teacher knew I wanted to be a fisheries biologist, but encouraged me to apply for a geology scholarship at Grand Valley State. Because of some marvelous professors, I fell in love with that discipline, and ended up specializing in hydrogeology and chemistry.

What did you do with your first paycheck?
In 1977, it took a whole summer of part-time, minimum-wage, dishwashing at the "El Taco Loco" in Kentwood, Michigan, to buy a new $180 red Puch Cavalier 10-speed road bicycle, which I prized until it was stolen from a bike rack in Bloomington, Indiana during 1986!

What has, to date, been a highpoint in your career?
Completing a complex, multi-year brown field redevelopment project in Chicago and seeing a beautiful, highly-functioning building replace an eyesore.

Who has influenced your career the most, and in what way?
My wife Jenina. We met in graduate school, so she's experienced every speed bump in my career. She reminds me that building and maintaining relationships with people is just as important as achieving positive results.

Speaking of mentoring - who would you most like to be a mentor to, or have the most influence on — and in what way?
My 15-year-old son Luke. Growing up, I learned so much from my father, grandfather, uncles, and brothers — it's really important to me that Luke has a positive role model for what it means to be a good husband, father, and citizen. Eventually, I'd like to spend more time outdoors with other teens to give them a positive alternative to inactive "screen time." For example, the Southern Wisconsin Chapter of Trout Unlimited sponsors a "Green Teen" program.

You must know of many "green" programs and referrals, in your business. What trade associations or training do you belong to that you feel are a good resource?
Because BT Squared works for so many different types of clients, that list seems to get longer every week! I read the Wisconsin State Journal, IB's e-zine, and a few other publications to stay current on local issues. For construction-related issues, I reference Wisconsin Builder. For national and state regulatory and environmental industry trends, there are e-updates and training opportunities through The Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals (AHMP) and the Federation of Environmental Technologists (FET). For industrial clients grappling with sustainability and energy issues, it's important to stay current with the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership (WMEP), U.S. EPA and Dept of Energy Web sites, Focus on Energy, and the Energy Center of Wisconsin. Really, this could go on forever.

What keeps the fire in your belly for your line of work?
I'm most excited about the role energy efficiency projects will play during the remainder of my career. For anyone trying to run a business, it's important to separate hype from fact when it comes to buzzwords like sustainability, green construction, retro-commissioning, and "reducing your carbon footprint." It's very satisfying to help our clients take common-sense steps to significantly reduce their costs to manufacture a product, enhance their competitive position in the marketplace, and decrease their greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.

Outside of work what brings you happiness or relaxation? Spending time with friends and family, fly fishing for trout, travelling, reading, watching movies, biking, playing tennis — these all very relaxing. We wanted to live in a place with diverse cultures, a strong home-schooling community, family-focused activities, and ready access to trout streams. It was between Madison and Ann Arbor, and we made the best choice!

Now we have diverse interests. Jenina is on a committee planning the 2010 Unschooling Conference in Madison.

We'll be glued to the TV during February 2010 for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, to watch all of my son Luke's heroes from the U.S. speed skating team. Luke is a USA long-track speed skater and member of the Madison Speed Skating Club, and has aspirations of qualifying for the first-ever Junior Winter Olympics in Innsbruck Austria during 2012, and the Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia during 2014.

What is your favorite place to travel and why — what makes it special?
Southeast Alaska — for the fishing, wildlife, and stark landscape.

Here's the tough part. Can you give IB three words you think best describe you?
Thoughtful, meticulous, and persistent.

Thank you, John, for being a good sport and a charming interview.

See John B. Tweddale's biography posted in our Executive Directory here! Would you like to be our next Executive of the Week? Update your bio in our Executive Directory here and include a photo for consideration.