About Brian Savoie

Growing Up:
Growing up in New Orleans, I lived near the city, but was surrounded by nature. I lived a block from the Mississippi River, so the riverbank was often my playground. I loved going fishing with my grandfather in the saltwater marshes of South Louisiana, some of the best fishing grounds in the world. Abundant in fish, birds and other wildlife, it was a world all its own. Living in a unique city, surrounded by water and nature, it was just “home” to me.

In Boy Scouts, we camped or hiked once per month, year-round, in places like Bush, Louisiana, and Fontainebleau State Park. Sometimes the bullfrogs were so loud that we could not sleep! We did weeklong summer camps at Camp Salmen, located right on Bayou Liberty. It was a taste of heaven. When I was a teen, we hiked on the Appalachian Trail in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and the Continental Divide in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park.

Favorite Things:
I love to go hiking, camping, canoeing and rafting with family and friends. My favorite trip of all time was a weeklong hike in the Grand Canyon. The canyon, with its flowering desert and beautiful vistas, was fantastic. The best part of the trip was that I met my future wife, Sabine. As our daughters have grown, we have enjoyed many days in the outdoors with them, in places ranging from Georgia and Mississippi to British Columbia and Nicaragua.

At Home:
We place great value on living “in” nature. In Atlanta, we chose our home near the Chattahoochee River as much for the yard and natural setting as for the amenities of the house itself. We live among mature trees, flower and vegetable gardens, and flowering trees and shrubs. Many birds – Bluebirds, Nuthatches, Goldfinches and Humming Birds – grace us with their visits. On our neighborhood walks, we might see rabbits, our local red-tailed hawk, or a fox or pileated woodpecker. We have plenty of nature around us, and we are thankful for that.

Observations About Nature:
I have great respect for the awesome power of nature to recreate itself and to provide for us, including massive forests and things to eat, metals and minerals, and energy in so many forms, especially the powerful rivers and oceans, winds that blow on the coasts and in the mountains, and the energizing power of the sun. I also have great respect for the power of nature to take away and to remind us of our place – droughts, floods, forest fires, hurricanes, ice storms, thunderstorms, tornadoes, etc. As an Atlanta resident of 30 years, a native of New Orleans and a citizen of the Southeast, I have seen them all, up close and personal.

I have a lot of experience with hurricanes. As kid, I lived through direct hits by Hurricane Betsy in 1965 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Hitting New Orleans at night, Betsy’s winds made the Mississippi River rise 8 feet in four hours. Packing sustained winds of 175 mph, Camille made landfall in Waveland, MS, where my grandmother grew up. In 2005, I experienced first-hand the mayhem wrought by Hurricane Katrina’s 28-foot storm surge. Now tropical weather has even come to Atlanta, as Irma arrived after the first tropical storm warning in our city’s history.

Observations About Why Change Is Needed:
My five senses and my common sense tell me that we can do many things better. I wonder about why we do certain things to ourselves. For example, we use chemicals to grow and store our food, make and wash our clothing, and make our lawns evergreen; then we act surprised to find chemicals in our food, water and bodies. From places I have lived and worked, I have lots questions. Here are just three:

• Why do 155 petro-chemical plants create an area known as ‘Cancer Alley” in the 85 miles upriver from New Orleans to Baton Rouge?
• Why does the air in Houston smell so bad and burn my nostrils at night?
• Why do we have “code orange” days in Atlanta because the air quality is so poor?

Calling to Care for Creation:
I have always had a strong calling to be in and care for the beautiful and amazing world that God has given us.  I see it as a great gift, and I am thankful for it.  Many of the best experiences of my life have been deep in the outdoors.  I do have certain beliefs about the current situation. See What We Believe on our web site. I am following a calling to apply my knowledge, experience, dedication and passion.  I trust that it will all work out.

Taking Action:
Rather than complain or be despondent, I choose hope and action. I see many small things that we do every day that we could change in order to make a big difference in the world. I see many large-scale improvements that governments and companies can lead, which will make an even bigger impact. We can all do something, and collectively, make a huge impact. While we will do more, see the “Changes Our Family Has Made” on the About Sabine page.

Professional Qualifications:

• Graduate of GE’s Manufacturing Management Program (MMP).
• BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Duke and Georgia Tech, respectively.
• Industrial management consultant for 30 years.
  • Helping companies to improve their engineering, manufacturing and logistics.
  • Working with many different companies (Areva, BP, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, etc.)
  • Improving operational performance: practices, people, information, facilities and metrics.
  • Helping leadership teams to assess their business operations, plan improvements and implement 100’s of improvement projects.
  • Supporting client teams in organizing and managing large improvement programs, some which spanned many cities, states and even countries.
  • Working equally well with people whose jobs range from the factory floor to CEO.
  • Work in over 20 states, from Florida to Washington and Texas to Illinois.
  • Global experience, via work in or visits to 20+ countries, from Austria to Zimbabwe.
  • Knowledge of energy and power: generation, efficiency improvement and renewables.
• 30 years of part-time involvement with real estate. For example:
  • Worked with construction and maintenance trades, including roofing, gutters, windows, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, appliances and landscaping.
  • Defined, planned and managed whole-house and smaller renovation projects.
  • Worked with owners, tenants, buyers, sellers, realtors, bankers, accountants, attorneys, insurers, and condominium and neighborhood associations.

How I Can Help You:
My passion for the environment, 30 years of experience, and ability to apply creative solutions to real-world problems will enable me to help you to make significant progress in prioritizing, planning and implementing improvements. I work with leaders of all kinds — Pastors, Principals, Business Owners, Home Owners, Authors, non-profit Executives, Educators, Scientists, Engineers, Facility Managers, Property Managers, Master Gardeners, and Green/Creation Care Teams. I look forward to helping you, your team and your organization.