At Green Builder® Media, founder and CEO Sara Gutterman has a lofty goal of making it possible for all people to “live, work, and play in harmony with nature. “ What does that look like? The former venture capitalist now successful entrepreneur says it is evident in green building and sustainable development. These two main themes run through the growing multi-media company’s flagship magazine, GreenBuilder, online educational platform (www.greenbuildercollege.com), blog, and eco-friendly building initiatives. “The choices we make today about how we build our communities will significantly affect our quality of life on this planet,” Gutterman says.

Founded in 2005, Gutterman began Green Builder Media like most new startups – long on vision and short on capital. TaxOps Investments took an equity interest in the fledgling company in exchange for three years of specialty tax solutions. “This was enough time and expertise to see Green Builder beyond the startup stage to the next level in it development,” says Brian Amann, managing director at TaxOps. He adds that TaxOps professionals provided much-needed tax solutions to the company and helped position the startup from a tax planning and cash flow management standpoint for future growth. (Find out more about TaxOps Investments at).

Now on solid footing, Gutterman says the magazine – with a circulation of over 200,000 – is now the largest publication in the construction industry. The company also has the wherewithal to focus on promoting energy-efficient techniques and technologies in a series of building initiatives, including VISION House® and its companion reuse program ReVISION. The VISION House Program is a series of demonstration homes built around the country that showcase green design, building techniques, and products and systems. Homes have been built in Orlando, Las Vegas, and most recently Aspen, Colorado. The ReVISION program has applied the same ecologically-friendly techniques and technologies to retrofit existing homes in Orlando and Las Vegas.

“These projects demonstrate that we can be stewards of our lives and our world in ways that provide for future generations,” Gutterman says. “With GreenBuilder, we have a vehicle to show how that can be done.”

The Emerging Company Award acknowledges companies with annual sales of less than $100 million, which have demonstrated steady growth for three consecutive years.