Jeff Gowdy joins leading sustainability firm Viridis Strategy Group as sole Southeast affiliate

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Feb. 13, 2012 – Jeff Gowdy, founder and lead consultant of J. Gowdy Consulting, has been tapped to serve as Affiliate with Viridis Strategy Group (formerly Esty Environmental Partners), one of the world’s leading sustainability consulting firms.

Viridis helps companies build business advantage through strategic response to environmental challenges. Originally founded as Esty Environmental Partners by Dan Esty, author of the award-winning book Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage, Viridis Strategy Group provides clients with a systematic and comprehensive approach to capitalizing on the sustainability imperative. The company’s long list of global clients includes Disney, Microsoft, FedEx, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Boeing, IBM, Motorola and Walmart. It has offices in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Sydney, Australia.

By adding Gowdy as Affiliate, Viridis Strategy Group will rely on him for his expertise in how environmental issues influence business and his knowledge and experience in the Southeast region.

"We are pleased and excited to bring Jeff Gowdy on board as an Affiliate Consultant focusing on the Southeast market. We have worked with Jeff over the past year and looked forward to working together again on building high-impact environmental strategies that create sustainable business value for companies across the Southeast,” said Amy Longsworth, Viridis partner in the firm’s DC office.

“Viridis Strategy Group is arguably the world leader in the business-and-environment space, so asking me to serve as an affiliate in the Southeast is a strong signal that this industry is growing and that it’s growing in the Southeast,” said Gowdy. “Of course this is great news for me, and it’s also great news for the region that one of the world’s most influential sustainability consulting firms recognizes the Southeast as a market worth growing.”

Jeff Gowdy founded his consulting firm in 2006, and in the last six years has worked with companies like Bridgestone Americas, Gaylord Entertainment, and Ingram Barge to craft sustainability programs that result in competitive advantage and increased revenue.

About Viridis Strategy Group
Viridis Strategy Group (formerly Esty Environmental Partners) is a management consultancy that works with corporate clients to build high-impact environmental strategies that create sustainable business value. Viridis serves large companies in diverse industries including hospitality, apparel, financial services, industrial, and consumer packaged goods. Viridis clients are executives whose responsibilities include corporate environmental affairs and sustainability, as well as the highest levels of company or division general management. Companies engage the Viridis team of experienced environmental and business management professionals to help them build core capabilities, solve execution challenges, innovate, and differentiate their companies through environmental strategy. The company has offices in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Sydney, Australia.

About J. Gowdy Consulting
J. Gowdy Consulting was founded in 2006. The company helps both business and nonprofit clients develop profitable solutions around sustainability and social responsibility.

Founder and lead consultant Jeff Gowdy serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management and is among the youngest instructors at the school. Jeff co-founded the Nashville Net Impact chapter and is the current Chapter Leader. He serves as Chair of the Middle Tennessee Clean Air Partnership and on the boards of Yum Butter and GreenLoop. He is a long-standing member of the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation’s Pollution Prevention Planning Team.

J. Gowdy Consulting is a Green America Certified Business and has twice been named a Green Hero by the Nashville Post.