Understanding How to Sell Low Impact Development

Matthew Smith

How many times have you tried approaching developers with Low Impact Development (LID) or Green Infrastructure to only have them stop listening to you as soon as you mention green? This is a common struggle civil engineers or landscape architects face that want to provide alternative green solutions. Professionals in the stormwater industry understand the “green benefits” of LID, but seem to struggle with getting more developer buy-in. Often, developers are slow to care about the “green benefits”. This presentation will discuss how we have been successfully approaching developers in Harris County and the City of Houston marketplaces. We will discuss what is important to a developer and how it would relate to their project such as single family residential, commercial, or roadway. We will approach and discuss various LID misconceptions that have been commonly brought up by developers. Finally, we will go over the types of maintenance that would be involved in common LID systems. By the end of this presentation you will have a better understanding of how to approach potential clients with your LID systems.

Presented by Matthew Smith

Matthew Smith received his Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife and Fisheries from Texas A&M University. He spent four years handling, managing, and rehabilitating wolves and wolf dogs at Saint Francis Wolf Sanctuary. During this time, he worked as a Wildlife Biologist for a local Wildlife Control Company. His passion for wildlife has driven him into the stormwater industry to promote Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development in Harris County and the City of Houston. Since joining Construction Eco Services, Matthew has begun volunteering with Houston Land Water Sustainability, Houston Trash Bash, and United States Green Building Council. Currently he manages the design and sustainability stormwater infrastructure in the Greater Houston Area.