Sessions

Welcome & Introduction to Green Tools
Sue Green, Community Open Land Trust
In her opening remarks, Sue Green will introduce to conference attendees the green tools available and lay the foundation for the cost-benefit of meeting the social needs, environmental responsibility and economic vitality in green developments.

The Nuts and Bolts of Conservation Easements
Brenda Davis, Community Open Land Trust
A thorough explanation of conservation easements, and a practical guide to placing an easement on property from initial meeting to closing of easement documents. What you need to know to make an informed decision.

How Do the Numbers Work in Conservation Easement Appraisals
Allen McCravy, Stone & Associates
Allen McCravy will discuss the valuation methods and procedures of conservation easement appraisals. Mr. McCravy will demonstrate how the numbers work in determining conservation easement values and the dollar amount eligible for tax deductions.

How Do the Numbers Stack Up for Tax Saving Benefits
Hal Hanlin, Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A.
The donation of a conservation easement to a qualified nonprofit organization is a charitable gift, recognized by the IRS, and in most circumstances result in substantial reductions of federal and state income tax, gift and estate taxes. The State of South Carolina allows the donor to receive state tax credits for the same contribution. Another possible tax savings attributed to a conservation easement is a reduction in property tax. Hear from Special Tax Attorney, Hal Hanlin about these available tax incentives and how they can benefit property owners who conserve their special places.

Going Green: Integrating the Development Footprint with the Natural Environment
Sue Green, Sommer-Green Company
How do we develop our urban environment in ways that promote healthy rivers, watersheds, forests and natural resources? Sue Green will demonstrate the HOW TO integrate the development footprint with the natural environment through conservation planning and low impact development site design tools and practices.

[Field Trip] On-Site Tour of the Oaks of Lexington, Conservation Development
Tripp Hunter, Property Owner/Developer of The Oaks
77 beautiful, wooded acres, rolling hills, habitat for deer, rabbits and turkey. See how these homeowners will enjoy the benefits of a conservation easement that preserves natural habitat and protects the Saluda River watershed. An example of nature and development working in harmony.

Green Development Examples
Jeff Baxter, Noisette Company
Rhoda Brown, Melaver, Inc.
A master plan that seeks to help guide North Charleston's efforts to redevelop 2,600 acres of private residential neighborhoods, private commercial structures and municipal property, along with 400 acres of old Navy base property. This sustainable community plans to preserve historic architectural styles, neighborhood diversity and the area's unique social fabric while restoring environmental stability and beauty, attracting jobs, improving services like education and healthcare, reducing dependence on car travel, promoting recreation and strengthening a sense of community pride. Hear from the developer how to make a sustainable, conservation-focused community work.

Abercorn Common shopping center in Savannah, Georgia is the first all-retail green development in the nation. The center has a number of novel features, including a stormwater cistern that collects water for irrigation, a rooftop garden for stormwater retention and insulation, permeable pavement, waterless urinals and the nation's first green McDonald's. Rhoda Brown, Property Manager of Abercorn Commons, will discuss the benefits and practicality of going green and the cost-benefits from the innovative and eco-friendly building practices and amenities of Abercorn Commons.

From the Land to the Building: SC Green Initiatives
Jim Ritchie, SC State Senator
Joan Brady, SC House of Representatives
Representative Joan Brady, South Carolina House of Representatives District 78, and Senator Jim Ritchie, Greenville-Spartanburg-Union Districts, successfully introduced and marshaled environmental legislation through South Carolina Legislature last session and got it signed into law. Representatives Brady and Senator Richie will discuss green initiatives at the statewide level in SC.

The Proof is in the Green: Cost Benefits of Sustainable Development
Urban Land Institute
The Urban Land Institute will present recently published case-studies, which demonstrate the costs considerations between Low Impact Development vs. conventional stormwater management; and LEED-Certified Buildings vs. traditional built buildings.

Speakers

Jeff Baxter
Noisette Company
Jeff Baxter is a Project Manager with the Noisette Company and focuses on planning and development efforts within The Navy Yard at Noisette. Most recently, Jeff has been a project manager for the 10 Storehouse Row Rehabilitation. Currently, he is involved with the rehabilitation of 8 and 9 Storehouse Row into residential lofts. In an ongoing role, Jeff has managed Noisette's planning and historic preservation efforts.

Jeff is a member of the Urban Land Institute, and the American Society of Landscape Architects. Jeff received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture with Honors from the University of Georgia and a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University. He is a LEED Accredited Professional, a Registered Landscape Architect and a 2006 graduate of Leadership Charleston

Representative Joan Brady (R) 
South Carolina House District 78 in Richland County 
Rep. Brady is in the second year of her second term in the House. She is a member of the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee serving on the Banking and Consumer Affairs sub-committee and the Business Subcommittee, The Rules Committee, and The Committee to Screen Candidates for Boards and Trustees of State Colleges and Universities. Rep. Brady was awarded the prestigious 2005 Henry Toll Fellowship by the Council of State Legislatures. As a first year freshman, Rep. Brady successfully sponsored the Sex Offender Registry Bill, signed into law by the Governor. In her second term she was primary sponsor of the "Meth" bill designed to curtail "methamphetamine" production in SC. And, last year was primary sponsor of the "Sustainable or Green Building" bill for State Government.

Rep. Brady is Chair of the Republican Women's Caucus and 2nd Vice Chair of the Women's Legislative Caucus. She serves on the Board of the Council of State Governments; and, Co-Chair of the Public Safety and Justice Task Force. She is a State Director for Women in Government. She also serves on numerous local boards including, EnginuitySC, Palmetto Center for Women, and The Boy Scouts.

Rep. Brady is a former Vice-Chair of Richland County Council and a former Mayor of the Town of Arcadia Lakes where she resides with her family.

Rhoda Brown
Melaver, Inc.
Rhoda brings extensive accomplishments in property, facility management, and tenant services to Melaver.  As the Property Manger based in Savannah, Rhoda is responsible for tenant relations, manging vendors, and managing budgets for each property.

She has over 15 years of experience working for companies with large Class A Offices in Rhode Island and Connecticut, including the Finard Company in Providence, Aetna Life & Casualty in Hartford.

Rhoda is a graduate of University of Connecticut and is certified as a Real Property Administrator (RPA) throught the Building Owners & Managers Association (BOMA).  She is LEED* 2.1 Accredited.

*LEED or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design is a designation developed the U.S. Green Building Council to certify both sustainable buildings, as well as professionals vredentialed to be knowledgeable about LEED processes.    

Brenda Davis
Community Open Land Trust
Brenda Davis has over 17 years experience in the conservation/environmental field; both as a volunteer advocate and as a dedicated professional. A founding Board member and driving force behind the creation of the first Keep America Beautiful chapter for Tallahassee and Leon County Florida, Mrs. Davis also served with the Junior League of Tallahassee providing environmental educational programming for members and the larger community.

Mrs. Davis has held several positions with The Nature Conservancy, in Florida, statewide Community Outreach, Government Relations liaison and Conservation Campaign; in South Carolina working in major gifts, communications and events.

As co-founder of Community Open Land Trust, Mrs. Davis works to provide practical insight and encouragement to further protection of natural areas and open space near communities in South Carolina and the greater southeast.

Sue Green
Community Open Land Trust
Sue Sommer Green fills dual roles as Executive Director of Community Open Land Trust and Principal of the Sommer-Green Company. Mrs. Green co-founded Community Open Land Trust in April 2003 with the mission of protecting undeveloped natural areas within communities. She works to fill a void in the land conservation field by providing a means to marry land conservation with responsible development. She worked several years with The Nature Conservancy and now with COLT in protecting natural areas through conservation easements.

Mrs. Green started the Sommer-Green Co. in 1992 offering to her clients a unique combination of knowledge and experience in conservation planning, master planning, low impact development site design, and comprehensive community planning. She works closely with developers in designing the optimum use of the property while developing creative solutions that integrate the development footprint in the natural environment providing cost-effective and environmentally sensitive designs. Mrs. Green collaborates with municipal and county governments on sustainable and low impact development practices and quality of life issues.

Mrs. Green received her professional planner accreditation from the American Institute of Certified Planners in 1997.

She graduated with Honors from the University of Georgia School of Environmental Design in 1991 and graduated Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of South Carolina in 1984.

Hal Hanlin
Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A.
George Harold (Hal) Hanlin Special Tax Counsel to Richardson Plowden & Robinson, P.A. where he performs Estate Planning, Estate Administration, Business Planning and Business Transaction services. Mr. Hanlin was admitted to South Carolina bar in 1989, and U.S. District Court, District of South Carolina in 1990. He graduated from the University of South Carolina (J.D. 1989) and New York University School of Law (LL.M. in Taxation, 2002).

He currently serves as Community Open Land Trust Board Chairman. He grew up hunting fishing, camping, hiking, rafting and skiing in South Carolina and parts of North Carolina and Georgia, and has had a lifelong interest in the outdoors and in natural resource conservation.

Tripp Hunter
Developer/Owner, The Oaks of Lexington
Walter L. Hunter III "Tripp", graduated from The Citadel in 1982 w/BSCE. He is president of Walter L. Hunter Construction Co. Inc. and a retired South Carolina Air National Guard, LTC with 169th Civil Engineers. Mr. Hunter is the owner/developer of The Oaks of Lexington (10 Lot Subdivision with 77 Acre Easement enveloping the lots). Mr. Hunter's construction company has completed the following selection of projects: 1st Phase of Harbison, American Italian Pasta , Kings Grant Subdivision, Entrance Road to Congaree Swamp National Park and Interpretive Center at Congaree National Park.

Jason Klue
The Furman Company, Development LLC
Jason serves as a Development Manager with The Furman Co., Development LLC. He strategically plans, implements, and manages a variety of commercial real estate development projects throughout the upstate of South Carolina. His responsibilities include pre-development feasibility, financial analysis, project budgeting, negotiating and executing contracts, construction management and project reporting.

Jason has been building his expertise within the construction and real estate development industry since 1996. Prior to joining The Furman Co., Development LLC, Jason served as a project manager with a commercial general contractor. He was involved in projects ranging from 3 to over 90 million dollars. His vast experience was developed by working with a wide range of assignments within North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and New Hampshire. Jason has played an integral part with current successful development projects, the latest being the completion of the Collaboration 3 office building on the CU-ICAR (Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research) Campus. Collaboration 3 received the USGBC LEED Gold Core & Shell Award. This is the first LEED Gold rating by a developer in SC.

Jason is an active member of the (ULI) Urban Land Institute. He is also a member of the (ICC) International Code Council, the designers of the International Building Codes. He is currently pursuing a Commercial Building Inspector certification. He enjoys traveling with his family, college athletics and exercising. Jason and his wife, Natalie, have 2 children, Grayson and Taylor.

Jason attended East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management.

Allen McCravy
Stone & Associates
Allen D. McCravy is a Certified General real estate appraiser in the state of South Carolina, and a member of real estate appraisal and consulting firm of Stone and Associates, Inc. He is a General Associate Member of the Appraisal Institute and is a qualified witness in both Circuit and Family Court. Allen is on the Board of Directors for the Greater Greer Chamber of Commerce.

Allen's experience in real estate appraisal includes various types of income producing properties; including office buildings, industrial properties, multi-family, retail shopping centers, and motel/hotel operations. In addition, his experience consists of special purpose properties, unimproved land, and extensive work with highway condemnation. He has also worked with numerous organizations and land owners in order to provide counseling and valuation services for land that is to be protected under conservation easements.

Allen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Presbyterian College.

Kevin Nunnery, PhD, LSS, Senior Ecologist 
Biohabits, Inc.
Before he was out of school, Kevin was working part-time helping develop several of the first wetland mitigation banks to be sited in North Carolina. He has over 13 years of experience in wetland ecology research and wetland and stream mitigation projects. In addition, he has negotiated environmental permits for many wetland and stream projects, contributed to several watershed assessments in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain ecoregions, delineated hundreds of acres of wetlands, contributed to the design of several stormwater BMP's, completed Rosgen natural channel design training, and contributed to over 10,000 feet of stream restoration design.

In his spare time, Kevin enjoys spending time with his family, playing music with friends, fly-fishing and sports.

Joe Pope, Land Acquisition & Land management
Shumaker Homes
Joe grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. He earned his B.A. from Wofford and a Masters from the University of South Carolina. Joe taught at Hand Middle School and Heathwood Hall in Columbia. He was a Peace Corp Volunteer, serving in Senegal West Africa. Joe worked as a real estate agent with NAI Avant until his present position as Land Acquisition and Land Manager with Shumaker Homes. Joe is married and has a son and a daughter.

Jim Ritchie
SC State Senator
Jim Ritchie was elected to the Senate in November 2000 with an overwhelming 66 percent of the vote. He was re-elected in 2004 without opposition. In a 2002 report by The State, after serving only two years, Jim was selected by his colleagues as one of the ten most effective senators in South Carolina. In his seven years of service, Jim has focused his legislative efforts on finding innovative solutions to the challenges facing South Carolina today.

In an effort to address the challenges of rising energy prices and demand, in 2007 Jim introduced a nation-leading series of four bills collectively entitled "Energy Independence for South Carolina's Future." Three of the four measures passed the Senate in 2007, with one becoming law in June. That measure, known as the Energy Independence and Sustainable Construction Act, requires all publicly-owned new construction and major renovation projects to meet either LEED-Silver or Green Globes' two globes rating systems for sustainable commercial construction. The initiative's additional bills seek to enact sustainable construction standards for public schools, incentivize private developers to incorporate sustainable construction standards into the building or renovation of commercial buildings, and set new standards for our state's vehicle fleet.

During the 2008 legislative session, Jim is working to author legislation to add Energy Star appliances to the state's sales tax holiday and provide incentives for homebuilders to incorporate LEED for Homes, EarthCraft, or the National Association of Homebuilder's newly released National Green Build Program into their homes. Jim was named Majority Whip in 2004 and Chairman of the South Carolina Judicial Merit Selection Commission, the screening board for all judicial nominees in South Carolina, in 2005.

Jim is a shareholder in the Holcombe Bomar law firm and is a Liberty Fellow. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Spartanburg Regional Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Directors of the Palmetto Conservation Foundation, the Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, the Peace Center for the Performing Arts and the Orthopaedic Research Foundation of the Carolinas.

Jim and his wife Evelyn have three children. Their oldest daughter, Caroline, is currently double majoring in English and Performing Arts at Clemson University. Jimmy serves as Senior Class President at Spartanburg High School and Anna Grace is in Second Grade at Pine Street School.

David Watkins, Vice President of Construction
Shumaker Homes
David grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. He attended Irmo High School and college at USC Aiken and the University of South Carolina. David has worked for Beazer Homes and Pulte. He has now been with Shumaker Homes for 9 years, presently serving as the Vice President in charge of construction. David is married and has a daughter.