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Chicago teammates selected for Crain’s 2025 Notable Leaders in Sustainability
Congratulations to Pepper’s Juanita Garcia and Jeff Volin for being recognized as two of the top high-performance and sustainability leaders in the Chicagoland area.
Juanita Garcia, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, LFA | Project Executive, High Performance and Sustainable Construction
With more than a decade of mechanical design expertise and six years at Pepper, Juanita leads sustainability and LEED certification strategies. She oversees the implementation of Pepper’s Drawdown strategies that offer scalable solutions to help every client improve their carbon footprint. Juanita is a champion of diversity in STEM and wellness-centered design, making her a recognized leader in advancing sustainable practices. She currently manages the sustainability and LEED certification strategies for projects totaling $360 million.
Juanita continues to bring Drawdown solutions to every Pepper project, significantly advancing client’s sustainability goals. In 2024, she was named a winner of the inaugural Fin-Erth Women in Climate Awards, recognizing global climate “doers” who are committed to finding new solutions. Honored for improving quality of life through the built world, her passion thrives at the intersection of wellness, psychology and human rights. She recently managed sustainability on the Oak Brook Commons Medical Office Building, which earned recognition from Green Globes as a Project of the Year for achievements in resource efficiency, reduced environmental impacts and enhanced occupant wellness.
Jeff Volin, GACP, LEED AP DCP | Group Superintendent
Jeff started his career 19 years ago as a carpenter and is now a Group Superintendent with Pepper Construction. In this role, he is responsible for mentoring rising superintendents and other field management staff in addition to managing construction projects. For most of his career, Jeff has focused on commercial interior buildouts. As an advocate for accreditation and certification, Jeff has contributed to Pepper’s 87% pass rate for staff participating in Green Advantage training.
In addition, Jeff was chosen for Green Advantage’s education board in 2021. As the only non-educator on the board, Jeff brings a unique perspective to certification training. Contributing to this international effort allows Jeff to help shape the future of sustainable construction and provide the foundational knowledge needed to deliver high-performance, healthy buildings.
One of Jeff’s biggest achievements in high performance and sustainable construction was the successful completion of a LEED Platinum interior space on an extremely tight deadline. The decision to pursue Platinum certification was made at the last minute before construction began. In an 11,000 SF space, Jeff and the team were able to achieve the following during construction:
- 26% energy savings
- 36% water savings
- 46 tons of waste diverted, 86% recycling
- Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan credit