Smart Grids for the Future: A Conversation with John Radgowski, Vice President of Portfolio Management at Landis + Gyr

For more than 120 years, Landis+Gyr has been an industry leader in energy management solutions. Using their advanced metering infrastructure and other cutting-edge smart grid technologies, they’ve helped utility companies all over the globe improve their operations, protect their assets, lower their operating costs and provide better customer service. With a focus on quality, reliability, and innovation Landis+Gyr’s portfolio of products and services can help customers do the same and modernize their smart grid for the future.

John Radgowski is the Vice President of Portfolio Management for Landis+Gyr Americas.  In this role, he is focused on providing cross-functional smart grid solutions that span from the customer to the grid operator. 

Bard MBA's Molly Kiick speaks with John for this episode of the Impact Report. 

Regenerating Natural Capital in the Rainforests of Costa Rica

When Amanda Wilson, Joshua Hughes and Sara Czarniecki founded Blacksheep Regenerative Resource Management in 2015, they committed to honoring their custormers, communities, workers, shareholders and the land.

Based on 178 acres in the rainforests of Costa Rica, the Blacksheep team works alongside local neighbors to regenerate degraded land into biodiverse mixed forests. Their competitively priced turmeric products are the result of the reforestation process, and they create livelihoods for Blacksheep’s worker-owners.

Now Blacksheep is scaling. The company offers a suite of services to help other teams start regenerative projects and to connect investors with landowners in environmentally exhausted areas. It’s also working to secure private investors to fund an agricultural processing center in Costa Rica. 

Bard MBA students Michael Conway and PJ Connolly spoke with Wilson, Hughes and Czarniecki about why it’s important that businesspeople enter the agricultural space, the company’s services, and Blacksheep’s plans to scale.

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Charging the Future By Making Batteries Obsolete: A Conversation Yuval Boger, CMO of Wi-Charge

Yuval Boger has served as chief executive, chief marketer and evangelist for technology companies from seed stage to NASDAQ. He led business and product development programs that generated over $200M in revenue.

Wi-Charge is the leader in long-range wireless power technology. WiFi eliminated the data cord, and Wi-Charge will eliminate most power cords. They  provide a new way to power to smart, mobile and IoT devices, delivering more power than batteries and more freedom than power cords. Their patented light-based system is the only way of delivering several watts of power at room-sized distances while earning all required UL and government safety certifications. With Wi-Charge, devices appear to charge themselves without user intervention, cables or charging pads. 

Mr. Boger holds an MBA from the Kellogg school at Northwestern University and a M.Sc. in Physics from Tel-Aviv University. He is also a TALPIOT graduate and laureate of the Israel Defense Award. He plays violin with the Columbia Orchestra, and once a year with the world-renowned Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Bard MBA alum Heather Bowden speaks with Yuval Boger for this episode of the Impact Report.

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ESG Data and Nasdaq’s Leadership on Enhanced Disclosure

Nasdaq has promoted corporate responsibility for over a decade, playing its part in creating a more efficient and sustainable capital market system. Today, Nasdaq Global Head of Sustainability Evan Harvey and his team are at a nexus of companies, regulators, and investors working to enhance environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosure.

Since 2014, the cost of ESG-related scandals and controversies at S&P 500 companies has amounted to $534M losses in market capitalizations—and that number is rising. After California power company PG&E’s recent bankruptcy filing and subsequent stock market plunge, forecasted outages due to risk of wildfires could cost the state economy more than $2B.  

ESG is a data-driven attempt to understand long-term performance, and Nasdaq has co-authored reports that assist companies in identifying and disclosing ESG-related factors that are material to corporate performance, as well as addressing the gap in quality, reliable ESG data. Nasdaq is reminding capital players that the growth, transparency and standardization of ESG reporting will improve market efficiency. 

MBA student Roxi Sharif spoke with Nasdaq’s Evan Harvey about how materiality can help manage ESG data and about SDG investing and reporting.

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The View From 20—GM’s Global Sustainability Energy Manager Reflects on Changes at the Automaker

Rob Threlkeld, Global Manager of Sustainable Energy, Supply and Reliability for General Motors, began his career at the automaker as manager of the powerhouse and wastewater treatment plant operations at GM’s Lordstown, Ohio assembly complex.

In the almost 20 years since, his sustainability career has grown alongside the company’s sustainability commitment. From an initial focus on energy efficiency, both his role and the company’s efforts have expanded to encompass renewable energy procurement and EV integration. General Motors is now on track to meet the electricity needs of its global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2050.

Bard MBA student Sahara James spoke with Threlkeld about how GM has responded to changes in the renewables landscape, how company leadership reacted to his team’s pitch to join RE100, and why there’s still power in numbers.

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