BEEP member Emerald Cities Collaborative Northern California (ECC) focuses on frontline contractors as essential and principal workforce and community stakeholders in equitable building decarbonization. ECC is an industry leader in decarb and energy efficiency training for frontline contractors. This Fall ECC enrolled 21 participants, all representing decarbonization-related trades, and graduated their 6th fully in-person E-Contractor Academy, in a fifth Bay Area County, East Contra Costa. ECC partnered with PG&E, UA Local 342 and MCE to host this cohort. ECC connected E-Contractor graduates with 7+ project pipelines, including decarbonization opportunities in the residential and commercial sectors generated by policy and market transformation demand drivers.
The E-Contractor Program – a robust ECC program since 2013, partners with small frontline contracting firms to build technical, operational and financial capacity for successful bidding and completion of decarbonization and public construction projects. Contractors also work closely with ECC to inform on design and implementation of energy programs that ensure workforce equity. E-Contractor is offered at no cost to contractors thanks to ECC partners.
The program yields the following outcomes:
- Ensures lowered barriers and increases access for frontline contractors to high quality decarb training from technical subject matter experts
- Healthy businesses and business development models that support generational wealth building in frontline and EJ communities through extensive capacity building training modules and support
- Meeting frontline contractors where they are and centering their community-relevant business objectives and needs through reliable, long term one-one-one support
- Supporting EJ community residential engagement and hiring on direct install and other decarb construction projects by training and supporting community-based hyperlocal contractors who are trusted and informed community conduits
- Leadership on high road contractor development which necessarily centers and supports leadership of small contracting firms from environmental justice and frontline communities
In 2022, BEEP published our preliminary report which outlined key recommendations, one of which is to ensure job access for local and priority populations underrepresented in high-road construction. As such, we underscore the importance of decarb training programs that amplify insight from and center these communities. As BEEP assembles its updates and insights gathered from our building decarbonization focused activities over the last few years, we continue to uplift the voices of contractors tasked with implementing crucial retrofits in our communities.
BEEP and ECC thank all this fall’s E-Contractor graduates for the important community-led decarb construction work they do!
This year’s graduates included:
- A1 Phoenix Plumbing
- GAP Electric Inc
- JJP Electric
- KR Sustainable Structures
- Nisus Construction
- RAM Electric Services Inc
- Sol Benefit
- Volt Peak Inc
- We Can Do It Plumbing
