Accelerating Decarbonization: A Q&A With Black Bear’s Drew Torbin
With nearly a decade of expertise in on-site renewable deployment, Black Bear has executed hundreds of projects across the United States. Adding them to our team extends Legence’s portfolio of rapid decarbonization capabilities, and brings us closer to our goal of turning back the climate clock.
Below, Drew Torbin, Black Bear founder and CEO, shares the company’s mission and looks ahead to what’s next.
Jeff Sprau, Legence CEO: Tell us a little bit about how Black Bear Energy came to be.
Drew Torbin: Our goal in founding Black Bear was to accelerate the deployment of renewables and cleantech across the built environment. First and foremost, we set out to bring standardization and clarity to the procurement process for the benefit of all stakeholders, but especially the buyer. The knowledge base is incredibly asymmetrical in this industry. Making a decision with partial information is difficult and often leads to inaction. Black Bear’s goal was to level the playing field, educate the buyers, open up the market, and make a positive impact. We knew that if we did, our clients would benefit, the market as a whole would benefit, and more renewables would come online.
"Our clients are our superpower. The scale they afford us provides a unique vantage point in the market." - Drew Torbin, Black Bear Founder & CEO
Jeff: How has Black Bear evolved since its early days?
Drew: The scale of business has increased significantly. We now represent over 100 commercial real estate clients that own everything from medical office buildings and class A industrial, to power center retail, drive up storage, and campgrounds—just about every type of asset, all throughout the country.
Our clients are our superpower. The scale they afford us provides a unique vantage point in the market. This year, we will issue over 1 gigawatt of onsite solar RFPs on behalf of our clients. We use the learnings and data we gain from each procurement to collectively benefit our whole client population. The volume we manage allows for all clients to gain by receiving leading pricing and deal terms.
Jeff: How do you see Black Bear evolving as part of Legence?
Drew: Our clients are hungry for action and results. The most common question we get from every client is, ‘what else can we work on together?’ With Legence, we now have an answer.
We’re proud to be ruthless instigators of positive change for our clients, and that goal fits perfectly into Legence’s mission as the first energy transition accelerator™. Legence’s end-to-end delivery model will allow us to further streamline and tailor our solutions to meet the individual needs of each project. Plus, now that we’re part of a group of companies with a wide range of expertise, we can provide our clients with trusted partners in different fields who are equally committed to implementing the energy solutions our planet urgently needs. With Legence, we now have in-house capabilities to provide more comprehensive services, including ESG advisory, design, implementation, and project financing.
Jeff: Can you share some Black Bear projects that you're really proud of?
Drew: Last December, we cut the ribbon on a project in Hampstead, Maryland, for STAG Industrial. It's the largest rooftop community solar project in the country, a 1.1 million square foot distribution center that hosts 9.2 MW and produces enough energy to power nearly 1200 homes. That one stands out for a couple of reasons: one, it's the largest of its kind, and two, it's community solar, where the majority of the electricity is sold to low- and moderate-income households. Not only does the project provide an environmental benefit, but the surrounding community will also save 10% on their monthly electricity bill.
We additionally did an energy storage project a few years ago with LBA Realty that serves their campus in Irvine, CA and is also the largest of its kind. It's a cleantech project at their flagship location that saves them a significant amount of money. The best part of the story is that we’re now going back and adding solar to it years later.
"Right now, people have the will to act, and opportunities like this are fleeting." - Drew Torbin, Black Bear Founder & CEO
Jeff: The climate crisis continues to worsen. Why is this moment so important for Legence and Black Bear to join forces?
Drew: Right now, people have the will to act, and opportunities like this are fleeting. If there's something that's important and you have the chance at that moment to do it, you need to take action, and this is actually an area where you can take profitable action.
The only wrong course here is to remain uneducated and uninformed. Building owners need to have a plan and a strategy, and then they need to have the ability and the bandwidth to execute on that program. Our acquisition by Legence gives us the power to make that happen.
To learn more about the Legence family of companies and what we can do for you, contact us.
