Today, Saint-Gobain North America announced that two of its employees, Rochelle Samuel and Nick Sayles, have been selected as recipients of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Individuals Taking Energy Action in Manufacturing (ITEAM) Prize. The prize, which awards recipients with $5,000, recognizes individuals who have implemented creative, specific, and innovative ideas and practices that led to measurable energy savings at their manufacturing facilities.

Samuel, a Process & Environmental Engineer at the CertainTeed roofing plant in Wilmington, California, was recognized for developing and deploying an innovative internal compressed air initiative, the Compress It Air Challenge, which engaged 22 teams across 19 sites to identify and fix compressed air leaks, as well as enable a sustainable compressed air operating and management system. The participating sites identified 837 leaks and repaired 48% of them, representing the potential for 26 gigawatt-hours and $2.5 million in annual savings.

Sayles, the Technical Leader/ Environmental Manager at the CertainTeed siding plant Jackson, Michigan, was recognized for the Compress It Air challenge as well, specifically he and his team the “Leak Stoppers” took the challenge a step further, by developing an onsite competition to find air leaks at their plant. As a result, the team fixed 96 of the 100 air leaks identified over the course of the three-month competition, saving approximately $10,000 annually.

“Saint-Gobain North America has a public commitment to reduce company-wide energy consumption by 15% and total carbon emissions by 20% by 2025, with a global goal for the company to be net-zero carbon by 2050,” said Mark Rayfield, CEO of Saint-Gobain North America. “These goals rely on the ingenuity of employees like Rochelle Samuel and Nick Sayles, to challenge each of us to proactively identify areas of growth and create solutions.”

In addition to the cash prize, Samuel, Sayles and the rest of the ITEAM prize recipients will be recognized at the virtual Association of Energy Engineers World Energy Conference and Expo. To learn more about the ITEAM prize recipients, visit: Energy.gov.

About Saint-Gobain in North America

Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest building materials companies and manufacturer of innovative material solutions, helps create great living spaces by combining comfort and sustainability. For more than three-and-a-half centuries, Saint-Gobain has been enhancing the wellbeing of people everywhere, whether it’s by addressing climate change, delivering true sustainable development, advancing the information revolution, participating in medical breakthroughs or playing a vital role in space exploration.

In North America, Saint-Gobain has approximately 160 locations and more than 15,500 employees. In the United States and Canada, Saint-Gobain reported sales of approximately $6.8 billion in 2019. Learn more about Saint-Gobain North America by visiting www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com and connect with Saint-Gobain North America on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the ITEAM Prize

The ITEAM competition was open to individuals employed at manufacturing plants operating at a U.S.-based facility. Applicants were evaluated by their innovativeness, impact on energy savings, leadership, and effectiveness in engaging other workers at their sites. The ITEAM prize is part of the Sustainability in Manufacturing Partnership, announced by DOE in April 2018 in collaboration with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). Through this partnership, fostered by DOE’s Better Plants program, DOE and the NAM work together to help U.S. manufacturers drive energy productivity improvements and accelerate the adoption of energy efficient technologies.

The ITEAM prize was facilitated by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, which supports early-stage research to advance innovation in U.S. manufacturing and promote American economic growth and energy security.

Media Contacts

Saint-Gobain in North America:
Lia LoBello
610-893-5783 (office)
484-757-4549 (mobile)
Lia.T.LoBello@saint-gobain.com