TED Community » Renae Hesselink

About Me

Renae is a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan chapter, and currently Chair of the Board of Directors. She has been with Nichols (a distributor of custodial and packaging supplies) for 17 years in various positions and three years ago moved into to a new role within the company as Vice President of Sustainability. Nichols recently achieved LEED-EB O & M (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance). Renae has been involved in the successful implementation of numerous Green Cleaning programs that have lead to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credits and another eight programs in process. Other roles include: leadership team of the Muskegon Sustainability Coalition; advisor for MiBiz Triple Bottom Line quarterly news; Grand Valley State University’s Sustainable Community Development Initiative (SCDI); and on an advisory committee for Delta Institute in Michigan. Renae is a regular writer for the U.S. Green Building Council West Michigan Chapter’s monthly column in MiBiz. Identified by MiBiz as a “Champion of Sustainability”. Contributed two cases studies published in “The Business of Green Cleaning” by Stephen Ashkin and David Holly. In 2009 she was recognized as an “Agent of Change” by the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce and featured in the Muskegon Chronicle’s Working Women: Learning from These Successful Area Women”. She holds a Master’s of Business Administration in Leadership Studies from Baker College and undergraduate degree in business from Grand Valley State University. She also serves on several Board of Directors: Goodwill Industries of West Michigan, Employer's Association of West Michigan, Building Owner Managers Association of West Michigan, and Michigan Shore-to-Shore Girls Scout Council Board Development Committee.