2011 40 Under 40: Braden Kurczak, P.Eng, LEED AP BD+C, 31

Braden Kurczak, P.Eng, LEED AP BD+C, 31

Division Head of Green Buildings, Enermodal Engineering Ltd., Kitchener, Ontario

McMaster University, B.Eng.Mgt. Mechanical Engineering and Management

As one of the premier green building designers in Canada, Kurczak is personally responsible for overseeing more than 50 ongoing LEED projects. He started working at Enermodal directly after graduation, and he quickly climbed the ladder to become head of the Green Buildings division, the largest at the company. During his seven-year career at Enermodal, business has more than quadrupled, in part due to his input into business strategy and client development work. His combined degree in engineering and management has given him the skills to excel as a project manager, business development manager, and division head. He is also a much-sought-after speaker for Canadian green building conferences and a member of the Canada Green Building Council’s sites and water technical advisory group. Kurczak’s commitment to green building is especially apparent in his work with his alma mater, McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario). He served as the project leader for their four LEED-certified buildings and is serving on an additional three projects that are pursuing LEED certification. Kurczak was also responsible for the LEED aspects of Southbrook Vineyards, Canada’s first LEED-Gold winery, which achieved 50% energy cost savings and has gone on to win several design awards. He is an extremely dedicated individual whose two main interests today are the same as when he was in high school: engineering and gymnastics. In 1997, when he was selected to partake in the prestigious Shad Valley science and engineering program, he was also competing with the Ontario gymnastics team, and he was ranked the top junior-level gymnast in Ontario for three consecutive years. He went on to compete with the McMaster University club team. He is a founding member of an acrobatic basketball troupe called Project Dunk, which has performed during Toronto Raptors games and has traveled as far as Saudi Arabia to perform for members of the royal family.

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