BLACK VEST STRATEGY

ENERGY SECURITY. INFRASTRUCTURE. HUMAN HEALTH.
black vest strategy is a unique consultancy that specializes in integrative solutions to the most complicated and interconnected problems in the built environment. our 25 years of experience at the cutting edge of how we design, build, operate and integrate infrastructure and buildings provides our clients with unmatched insight.
our cross-sectoral experience building effective teams, tools, policies and systems that identify synergies and optimize trade-offs in the built environment is incomparable in the industry.
our clients are searching for a more informed understanding of how their work delivers on the security, resilience, social, environmental and health goals shared by the communities they serve. we focus our expertise to solve challenging and interconnected real world problems.
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we’re also a helluva lot of fun to run a marathon or/and then drink a beer with.
ABOUT US
we, unabashedly, love infrastructure and buildings because we love to figure out innovative ways to make the built environment serve the people who inhabit it. we’ve spent the last 25 years building teams and tools that empower practitioners to optimize systems and understand tradeoffs in the creation of buildings and infrastructure that improve quality of life to help people thrive.
but the thing that makes black vest strategy unique is our understanding of and insight around the places where built environment systems (buildings, energy, transportation, water…) intersect and, more importantly, interact to create resilience and enhance security and well being.
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we help our partners see connections and interdependencies and work with them to transform the way they do business. resilience, security, environmental, social and economic performance improves and this in turn improves quality of life for people.


BRENDAN OWENS,
P.E., LEED FELLOW
brendan’s influence on the built environment can be seen all over the world.
he was nominated by the president of the united states and confirmed by u.s. senate to serve as assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment. in this role he was also the chief sustainability officer and chief housing officer for the u.s. department of defense. brendan was the principal advisor to the secretary of defense for all matters relating to operational and facility energy; installations real property planning, operations, and management; environmental protection, compliance, and restoration and; natural, historical and cultural resources. he was dod’s principal leader overseeing design, construction and operations of 500,000+ buildings and structures and 26+ million acres of land under management across 535 installations as well as housing for 225,000 families and 2+ million service members world-wide. during his time as asd (ei&e) he signed policy to electrify all dod buildings and established dod’s resilient and healthy defense community strategy.
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during his 19 year career with u.s. green building council, he was a key figure in the creation of the global green building industry. his oversight and leadership of the technical development of usgbc’s leed green building rating system – the global benchmark for high performance green buildings – sparked a fundamental shift in the way buildings are designed, constructed and operated. hundreds of thousands of buildings in over 150 countries have used leed to guide and certify their performance.
brendan lives in old town alexandria, va with his wonderful wife, two kids and two dogs. he’s an avid cyclist and bike commuter, cook, home renovator and bourbon enthusiast. his fashion sense is also legendary.

