Leadership San Antonio Class 38 met last week to learn about the natural resources that are available throughout the San Antonio environment. The day began at the American Institute of Architects with a welcome from Shawn Hatter, Silver Ventures Development Manager, who described the development at the Pearl and its unique, eco-friendly features. Silver Ventures is a key factor in San Antonio’s downtown redevelopment, and they maintain a key role in the Pearl Brewery project.
After breakfast, the LSA Class listened to a panel discussion focusing on water resources hosted by Dr. Susan Stuver, a research scientist for Texas Water Resources Institute. The panel was comprised of Weir Labatt, former city councilman and former member of the Texas Water Development Board; Dr. Darrell Brownlow, member of the San Antonio River Authority Board of Directors; Roland Ruiz, General Manager at the Edwards Aquifer Authority; and Robert Puente, President and CEO of SAWS.
After the panel, LSA Class 38 learned about-and-coming developments on the San Antonio River Walk from representatives of the Museum Reach – Urban Segment. The Museum Reach – Urban Segment added hike-and-bike trails, landscaping, overlooks, boat landings, stairs, accessible ramps, lighting, signage, benches, trash cans and pocket parks to that stretch of the River Walk. The project was funded by the City of San Antonio and Bexar County, and enhancements to the project were funded by private donations raised by the San Antonio River Foundation. The San Antonio River Authority is responsible for managing the project and now oversees ongoing operations and maintenance.
The class then traveled to CPS Energy, where they were joined by Scott Storment, Interim Executive Director of Mission Verde Alliance. Storment also has his own consulting firm, Green Hub Advisors, LLC, which is focused on project advisory services for investors and developers working on renewable energy, energy efficiency and environmental infrastructure projects.
The group split into a speed-dating-like session where they heard from Peter Bella, Director Natural Resources at Alamo Area Council of Governments; Lynnae Willette, attorney for Lewis Energy Group; Lanny Sinkin Executive Director of Solar San Antonio; and a representative from CPS Energy.
Harvey Najim, Executive Chairman of Sirius Computer Solutions’ Board of Directors, spoke to the class during lunch about his leadership journey. He founded Sirius in 1980, and there are now about 138 locations across the United States. He passed the role of Chief Executive Officer on to Joe Mertens but still has an active role in the company. In 2006, Najim established the Harvey E. Najim Foundation to help children’s charitable organizations throughout San Antonio and has since given out about $34 million in grants and pledges to 152 charitable organizations.
After lunch, the class loaded the bus for a tour of Dos Rios Water Recycling Center. They learned about the effective treatment and reuse of wastewater. They also learned how it can be used for irrigation and industrial processes, bio-solids can be used in soil conditioning or compost production, and gases can be captured and used to produce heat and power. Some brave class members even took a taste of the treated water at the end of the tour!
The last stop for the day was at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Center, where LSA 38 received a demonstration and hands-on demonstration of The Colonias Program, a part of the Texas A&M Water Project. The program teaches individuals how to produce and distribute point-of-use water filters. The water filters are made from 50% clay and 50% sawdust and contain colloidal silver, which renders bacteria and microbes inert. The ‘pots’ are forms of low-cost water treatment that can be used anywhere in the world.
The members of LSA Class 38 are grouped into committees responsible for developing agendas for each of the eight class days. The agenda for Natural Resources and the Environment Day was developed by class members:
LSA is a joint partnership of The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Click here for more information on LSA or email Allegra Zwaan.