For the second consecutive year, the Steve Rich Group has received an environmental leadership award from the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ). There were no awards given in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CIANJ and its flagship publication, COMMERCE Magazine, celebrated environmental leadership in the business community at a special awards breakfast last week.

Nearly 80 consultants, attorneys, accountants, engineers, licensed site remediation professionals and others, who work in the environmental sector, gathered at The Grand in Totowa for CIANJ’s first in-person event in more than a year. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Shawn LaTourette gave the keynote speech.

CIANJ President Anthony Russo said the second annual event was held to showcase the extraordinary environmental work done throughout New Jersey. “We felt it was important to honor those who are committed to improving the environment,” he said. “These award recipients are not only doing the work but are doing so as leaders so that others can follow in their footsteps.”

As a statewide general business association, CIANJ represents more than 900 corporate members from every sector. Many CIANJ members are also part of the association’s Environmental Business Council (EBC) – the state’s largest environmental trade group.

CIANJ and COMMERCE Magazine honored an array of companies for their environmental leadership in recycling, waste minimization, reducing water usage, cleaning up contaminated sites, green building design, environmental conservation, reducing energy usage, ecological restoration, cleaning up local communities & environmental education, sustainable manufacturing processes, brownfield redevelopment and a special environmental leadership award.

They were chosen by an independent panel of judges from nominations submitted to the magazine by CIANJ members and the business community at-large. The panel of judges included Richard Lawton, Executive Director, New Jersey Sustainable Business Council, Amy Greene, Founder, Former President & Expert Advisor, Amy S. Greene Environmental, a Davey Company and Bob Martin, Former NJDEP Commissioner and Managing Director, Christie 55 Solutions. The environmental awards were the cover story of the April issue of COMMERCE magazine.