Local firm recognized for green entrepreneurship

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The Indiana Small Business Development Center recognized a local firm this week that works with schools, industries, businesses and municipalities to incorporate clean, green and sustainable activities and practices.

Purdue Research Park-based Legacy Environmental Services Inc. was one of several Indiana companies recognized in the Established Business category of the 2013 Economic Development through Growth and Entrepreneurship awards program.

The awards highlight entrepreneurship’s effects on Indiana’s economic development and growth. Indiana Small Business Development Center clients who used the organization’s resources, participated in programming or underwent one-on-one counseling were eligible for awards.

Economic Development through Growth and Entrepreneurship award winners are selected by regional Indiana Small Business Development Center staff.

Legacy Environmental Services Co-founder Lorrie Lisek says the center has proven to strengthen privately owned business throughout the state.

"Working with the Indiana Small Business Development Center gave us the confidence to advance the growth of our company," she said. "It provided the tools we needed to effectively assess our business. Their guidance, along with additional resources provided by the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana, has been invaluable to the success of our company."

Legacy Environmental Services creates sustainability plans for clients based on the challenges and opportunities associated with corporate sustainability. The plan outlines the following elements:

• Identifying the client's environmental impact.
• Establishing sustainability objectives and associated costs.
• Identifying and facilitating the adoption of environmentally responsible principles and practices.
• Developing management procedures and practices to ensure implementation success.
• Securing grants and developing financing mechanisms for marketing and business development programs to increase awareness of corporate sustainability responsibility.

The last business based in the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana to earn an Economic Development through Growth and Entrepreneurship award was Voice to Print Captioning LLC, which renders spoken language into print. It was recognized in the Emerging Business category in 2012.