Talk about some “energetic” news emanating from ELEMCON.
At the 2019 Environment & Energy Conference in Denver, which took place May 13-15, Brian Payer, Sphera’s director of strategy for industry solutions, was named to the Environment + Energy Leader 100 list along with 99 other industry environmental and energy leaders from organizations such as Saudi Aramco, Lockheed Martin and Etsy.
According to Energy Manager Today, “These are the VPs, directors, managers and engineers who are making significant strides in driving our industry.”
Joni McHugh, Sphera’s vice president of customer care, was also in attendance at the conference. As she explained, “This award helps to solidify Sphera’s dominance in our market as industry-recognized domain experts. Industry awards such as these personify the Sphera vision to create a safer, more sustainable and productive world. Our customers recognize that industry leaders such as Brian serve as trusted advisers who will use our solutions to help solve complex compliance issues and assist on their journey from environmental compliance to Environmental Performance.”
Of course, McHugh’s quote references Payer’s keynote address at the event, “Moving From Environmental Compliance to Environmental Performance,” which by all accounts was very well-received. McHugh added that many of the speakers in the breakout sessions referenced the talk throughout the event.
As Payer explained in his keynote, many companies are still mired in the difficulties of simply maintaining and demonstrating compliance, and they just stop there. What companies miss is the tremendous opportunity at the confluence of tectonic shifts in markets, increasing demand for transparency (from both internal and external stakeholders), and the rapid deployment of lower-cost technology in the form of distributed sensors, mobile devices, cloud computing and more. By establishing Environmental Performance systems with people, process and technology in mind, he said, the Environmental Health & Safety and sustainability function can move from being viewed as a cost center to being a true business partner that mitigates risks, identifies opportunities and drives both financial and Environmental Performance.
“It is truly an honor to be included with such a distinguished group of leaders who are tackling some of the most pressing problems facing business and society today,” Payer said. “It is a team effort with my colleagues at Sphera and peers across the industry, and while there is much yet to be done, I’m enthusiastic about the collective progress we are making in environmental stewardship and sustainability.”
Neal Rosen, Sphera’s vice president of solution consulting/engineering, added: “This is a well-deserved honor for Brian. I have worked with Brian for many years, and he is someone I always turn to for insight on the latest environmental regulations and trends. He also combines his vast and deep environmental knowledge with very practical field experience implementing software and services solutions for global customers in Oil & Gas, chemicals and several other verticals. Brian knows what it takes to address and manage the varied and complex environmental requirements our customers face.”
This is the second year in a row that Sphera has been honored at ELEMCON. In 2018, Paul Marushka, Sphera’s president and CEO, was named to the Environmental Leader 75 list of the top executives in the energy and environmental sections, which is now the Environment + Energy Leader 100 list.
At the time, Marushka said: “From Day One, Sphera has been committed to creating solutions that help companies keep their workers safe, their products sustainable and their operations productive. This award only validates the focus, hard work and dedication of the entire Sphera organization in helping our clients meet and exceed environmental compliance mandates for the good of the organization and, just as importantly, for the good of the communities in which they operate.”