ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 10, 2020-- Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WLDN) announced today it will partner with Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the global certification body for the LEED green building program, to make energy modeling more accessible, more accurate, and more affordable for building projects around the world. In support of this partnership, Willdan and GBCI will offer Willdan's Net Energy Optimizer® (NEO) energy modeling tool to projects worldwide.

“GBCI is committed to delivering cost-effective, accessible, and high-quality solutions to advance energy-efficient buildings,” said Sarah Alexander, Senior Vice President, Certification and Credentialing at GBCI. “We are excited to partner with Willdan because their NEO simplified energy modeling tool supports our vision that healthy people in healthy places equals a healthy economy. Now, more than ever, projects can pave the way toward a more resilient and prosperous future by taking advantage of energy efficient solutions.”

Energy modeling with NEO has the potential to substantially increase energy efficiency, as a result of its automation and interface, which give users straightforward information about design and equipment options, costs, projected savings, and environmental impact. NEO was used in more than 800 projects nationwide in 2019, supporting utility companies, engineers, architects, building owners, contractors, and equipment manufacturers.

“Willdan is proud to support GBCI’s mission to change the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated – enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life,” said Willdan Vice President Jim Douglas. “NEO embraces this mission by reducing market barriers. It enables architects, engineers, owners, and developers to quickly understand the impact of design options and select those that maximize building efficiency, meet their performance goals, and support environmental, social, and governance objectives.”

About Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI)

GBCI is the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally. Through rigorous certification and credentialing standards, GBCI drives adoption of green building and business practices. GBCI is the global certification body for the USGBC’s LEED green building program. LEED was founded more than 20 years ago to provide a road map for developing sustainable buildings. Today, LEED is the most widely used green building program in the world, with more than 104,000 registered and certified commercial projects across 181 countries and territories.

About Net Energy Optimizer (NEO)

NEO is an online building energy modeling tool that facilitates building-wide analysis of HVAC systems and/or energy conservation measures for new and existing buildings. The real-time modeling and analysis support design projects from early design through construction and into operation. For additional information, visit the NEO website at netenergyoptimizer.com.

About Willdan

Willdan is a nationwide provider of professional technical and consulting services to utilities, government agencies, and private industry. Willdan’s service offerings span a broad set of complementary disciplines that include electric grid solutions, energy efficiency and sustainability, engineering and planning, and municipal financial consulting. For additional information, visit Willdan's website at www.willdan.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not purely historical, including statements regarding Willdan’s intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations, representations, projections, estimates, plans, or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the risk that Willdan will not be able to reduce costs and preserve liquidity to maintain its operations during the continuation of this pandemic nor be able to resume its growth trajectory once pandemic-related restrictions are lifted and the economy begins to recover. It is important to note that Willdan’s actual results could differ materially from those in any such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Willdan’s results, prospects, and opportunities; Willdan’s ability to adequately complete projects in a timely manner; Willdan’s ability to compete successfully in the highly competitive energy efficiency services market; changes in state, local, and regional economies and government budgets; Willdan’s ability to win new contracts, to renew existing contracts, and to compete effectively for contract awards through bidding processes; and Willdan’s ability to successfully integrate its acquisitions and execute on its growth strategy. Willdan’s business could be affected by a number of other factors, including the risk factors listed from time to time in Willdan’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended December 27, 2019. Willdan cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Willdan disclaims any obligation to, and does not undertake to, update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201110006175/en/

Stacy McLaughlin 
Chief Financial Officer
714-940-6300
smclaughlin@willdan.com

Al Kaschalk
VP Investor Relations
310-922-5643
akaschalk@willdan.com

Source: Willdan Group, Inc.