Core Team
James Bedell, CEO and Founder
A lighting designer by trade, James grew up in the theater, where he started running cable on theatrical productions in the 10th grade. Designing lighting solutions for NYC's Off-Broadway lighting community, he has been fortunate enough to work with some of the most creative people in the world on everything for the most avant garde new works, to classical Shakespeare. Three years ago, James shifted focus from entertainment and event lighting to architectural lighting design. It was in making this shift that his love for building took hold. Understanding how buildings are used by their occupants and reducing the environmental impact of our building stock is his passion. 
Michael Ruby, Chief Creative Officer and Founder
Michael brings ten years of corporate communications, advertising and B2B marketing experience to Build2Sustain, where he is responsible for the company’s creative content, from the brand to the marketing to the intellectual property the company will produce. In recent years, he has worked as a copywriter and creative director on award-winning, multi-channel brand and demand campaigns for business brands ranging from media and financial services leaders to innovative technology and education challengers.
Raquel Bedell, Director of Community
Starting as an Independent Contractor for various marketing event companies to Senior Coordinator of Client Communications for Bumble and bumble (a subsidiary of Estee Lauder), Raquel has learned how to quickly understand various companies, products, and industries to put their best face forward. Her experience in writing and public speaking through the years have opened many opportunities. Her passion for sustainability started in the 8th grade after her science teacher taught the class about global warming, and has led her to become an ardent supporter of Build2Sustain. Raquel aims to translate all these experiences and skills into her new role coordinating strategy, outreach, and creating an active, influential community around Build2Sustain.
Advisory Board
Rich Cartlidge is a graduate of Stetson University College of Law and a LEED AP. Growing up Rich was fascinated with building things and taking things apart to see how they worked and could be improved, and nourished this interest by becoming involved in the construction industry. While in law school, Rich became very interested in the fields of environmental law and construction law, passions which he was able to join together by becoming a LEED AP and focusing on the rapidly developing field of green building. As an avid fisherman, Rich realizes the impact that failing to engage in sustainable practices can have on our environment and as a result strives to educate people about how why they should Build2Sustain. Rich believes that through education, team work, and proper planning any building can be built sustainably with minimal risk to the involved parties and is very proud to be a part of the Build2Sustain team which seeks to promote sustainability.
Christopher G. Hill is a construction lawyer at DurretteBradshaw, PLC in Richmond, Virginia, LEED AP, and member of Virginia's Legal Elite in Construction Law. He specializes in mechanic's liens, occupational safety issues, contract consulting and review and general risk management for all levels of construction professionals from contractors to subcontractors to material men. Chris is also the author of the blog Construction Law Musings where he discusses sustainable building and other construction related topics.
Yahya E. B. Henry began his career in real estate as a private investor while serving in the United States Navy. After 8.5 years of service, he transitioned into commercial real estate brokerage and land development with Mid-Atlantic Commercial Real Estate. Yahya currently serves as founder and Director of Business Development for The Aribra Group, LLC a developer and think tank that promotes best practices in the built environment. Yahya is an entrepreneur, traveler and avid blogger, and has built his career around his passions for people, the planet and equitable development. He is active in his community and serves on the Sustainable Committee for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Triangle (Raleigh, NC). He was previously Membership Committee Chair and founding member for the Young Leaders Group and apart of the Executive Committee for ULI Hampton Roads. He was also active in Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) Hampton Roads Regional Group, the Smart Growth Network, International Council of Shopping Centers and the Second Harvest Food Bank. Yahya attended St. Leo University.
Elaine Hsieh is a Senior Green Building Consultant with KEMA’s Sustainable Buildings and Operations (SBO) team with over 11 years of experience in consulting. As a LEED® Accredited Professional and Certified GreenPoint Rater, her work within SBO includes municipal, commercial and multifamily/mixed use project design assistance, eco-charrette facilitation, corporate sustainability strategy development, LEED project management, and green building rating system development. She has experience working on over 30 LEED Certified projects (NC, CI, CS, Homes, and Mid-Rise Pilot) and is currently managing several Multifamily GreenPoint Rated projects. She also serves as a technical lead for Build It Green’s GreenPoint Rated systems for New Multifamily, Single Family Existing Home, and the soon-to-be-completed Multifamily Existing Home systems – the first of its kind in the nation.
Prior to joining KEMA, Ms. Hsieh worked as an Acoustical Engineering Consultant at Charles M. Salter Associates (one of the premier acoustical and audio-visual firms in the U.S.), providing noise and vibration mitigation solutions to various clients in the commercial, industrial, and residential building sectors. Ms. Hsieh also was elected to serve on the Chapter Steering Committee of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is a proxy for chapters on the LEED Steering Committee, is the Chair of the Pacific Regional Council of USGBC, and is a Board Emeritus of the USGBC’s Northern California Chapter. She holds a B.S.E. in Biomedical Engineering and an M.S. in Engineering Management from Duke University.
Gregory Arkin
is a third generation general contractor, LEED AP BD+C, and is a graduate of the University of Florida School of Build of Building Construction who lives in a little 7 square mile town called Miami Beach. Gregory has been in the construction and technology industry for 28 years, first as a GC, then a computer consultant, and now in his current position as Executive Vice President of CADD Centers of Florida, the oldest Autodesk reseller in the United States. During the past 6 years, Gregory has focused on Building Information Modeling (BIM), Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) and LEED by leveraging technology to improve coordination, analysis and design in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction industry. Currently working with Autodesk’s Revit platform, Gregory has partnered with over 35 software vendors all providing solutions to overcome today’s painful and inefficient CAD process. Gregory spends every waking moment educating the world about how to better create sustainable buildings with technology through his blog,Revit3D.com where he provides a constant stream of information, guidance, articles, tips and an occasional rant about the current inefficiencies in the AEC industry. He’s become an industry leader and proponent of BIM for Construction and “Design to Build” which have transformed the status quo attitude of the many who resist change.
He’s even recently created a new word, EnergyStarchitect, a paradigm shift from the star architects who’ve created massive sky scraping towers to tomorrow’s A/Es who will become heroes by creating net zero sustainable buildings with his company’s resources providing software, training and support to those committed to sustainable design.
Most recently, Gregory has created a new division for his company that is providing national training for green building retrofits, 3D modeling and energy audits for the emerging green collar industry.