SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20, 2022 — Ecomedes, Inc. today announces its inaugural Impact Icons, celebrating sustainability leaders within the built environment who have been instrumental in building foundations and shaping the skyline for a greener tomorrow.

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The 2022 Icons are John Bennett, Annie Bevan, Eric Corey Freed, Jane Rohde, Bonnie Sharphouse, Jon Strassner, Brandi Susewitz, Aaron VanderGalien and Gabe Wing.

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“From energy and water, to carbon, health, circularity, and social, our industry has unsung heroes who move the needle in these impact areas,” says Kathleen Egan, CEO of Ecomedes, Inc. “These Impact Icons make our world a better place because of their work and we are thrilled to honor and celebrate them.”

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The 2022 Impact Icons

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John Bennett is CEO of Eco Safety, a manufacturer of bio-renewable paints, stains, sealers, coatings, and specialty chemicals. John discovered that many plant-based oils and plant extracts replicate the same performance characteristics as petrochemicals but without compromising health, costs, or negative effects on the environment.

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Annie Bevan is CEO of mindful MATERIALS, a 501c3 nonprofit organization working to reverse the embodied impacts of the built environment by driving the use of regenerative and restorative building materials that meet an industry-aligned Common Materials Framework for health, sustainability, and resilience. Coined a collaborator, facilitator, and visionary, Annie doesn’t just talk about impact, she facilitates action to create large-scale change.

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Eric Corey Freed is Director of Sustainability at CannonDesign, the global architecture, engineering, and consulting practice. For over 30 years, Eric’s entire body of work has been dedicated to advancing the cause of sustainable architecture through his work as an architect, speaker, author, and consultant.

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Jane Rohde is Founder and Principal at JSR Associates, a healthcare and senior living design firm developing programming, planning, and care models that focus on the desired outcomes of residents, patients, staff, family, and visitors. Jane believes in a global, cultural shift toward de-institutionalized senior living facilities through research, advocacy, and humanistic approaches to care.

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Bonnie Sharphouse is Sustainability Manager at GAF, a Standard Industries company and North America’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer. With more than fifteen years of consulting and industry experience in corporate sustainability strategy, program design, management systems, and reporting for the manufacturing, chemical, CPG, energy, and pharmaceutical sectors, she now advocates, educates, and empowers GAF and its teams to be an industry leader.

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Jon Strassner is Chief Sustainability Officer at the American Society of Interior Designers, a non-profit advancing the profession, and co-host of the Break Some Dishes podcast, where he takes a closer look at the environmental crises we face as a global community. Through both roles, he works as a global warming silent assassin, leading ASID’s sustainability efforts and educating listeners on what they can do right now to effect change.

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Brandi Susewitz is Founder and CEO of Reseat, which is automating and transforming the process of reselling high-quality office furniture across the United States. Founded in 2020, Susewitz led Reseat to save more than 3 million pounds of furniture from the landfill in its inaugural year alone.

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Aaron VanderGalien is Founder and Senior Partner at Deksia, a marketing firm for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs. And it’s Aaron’s entrepreneurial spirit that led to his most impactful work yet — renewing unusable buildings in rundown areas of Grand Rapids, Mich., helping to revitalize those areas and the city overall. His leadership has breathed life not only into his hometown but into area entrepreneurs as well. 

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Gabe Wing is Director of Sustainability at MillerKnoll, a collective of some of the world’s most dynamic design brands. A key member of Herman Miller’s sustainable design legacy, Gabe fundamentally reimagined the way their products are designed and today leads the collective’s sustainability strategy globally. 

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Ecomedes will share more on each of its inaugural Icons through a variety of mediums including live conversations, articles in the digital industry publication Forum by Mortarr, and more. 

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About Ecomedes, Inc.

Ecomedes, Inc. connects buyers and sellers of commercial building products through cloud-based software that reduces costs and improves sustainability. Ecomedes, Inc.’s platforms, ecomedes and Mortarr, help institutional and commercial building teams discover, evaluate, and procure optimal building products and project teams while vetting critical impact factors, including energy, water, human health, circularity, and social factors. For manufacturers, these platforms represent a new digital channel for sales and marketing to engage customers in the digital purchase journey. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., you can learn more about these platforms at ecomedes.com and mortarr.com.

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Media Contact

Content Director, Ecomedes, Inc.
Editor in Chief, Forum by Mortarr 

Jen Levisen

jen.levisen@mortarr.com