Greenland Enterprises, Inc. was formed in 2008 by industry experts, Elton E. Roller, Jr. and Scott F. Werszner, who hold similar values and share a desire to build better central utility plants throughout the U.S.
Elton and Scott first met as teammates working for Trane, Inc. in 2001. Over their first breakfast meeting they discussed what was right and wrong in the industry, and what key improvements could be made, based on their years of experience. They continued their careers together at Trane for the next seven years, building a best-in-class operations team. In the spring of 2008, Greenland was launched with the idea in mind that no other general contractors were focusing exclusively on central utility plant construction – a vital life-system of nearly every campus community.
During the typical first-year challenges for new companies, the U.S. experienced the 2008 financial crisis, which was the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. No market was hit harder than the construction industry; large projects shelved, seemingly overnight, including the complex mechanical systems Greenland was targeting. Despite these challenges, Greenland managed to secure $2.5 million dollars in their first year of business. This tenacity and ability to overcome challenges allowed Greenland to steadily grow over the next ten years, gaining industry recognition for their unique design-build approach.
The founders have always considered Greenland’s reputation, attention to quality, and customer relationships as the hallmark of the business. Elton acknowledges that Greenland “works hard to anticipate and overcome issues on the front-end to get it right, and when we don’t, you can count on us being there until it is right.” A sentiment echoed by feedback from our clients.
Co-founder Scott Werszner adds, “Greenland knows there’s nothing in the business world more important than your company’s reputation”. These values are part of the corporate culture and set the standard for all employees.
Today, Greenland has project sites nationwide designing and building new and retrofit district energy solutions for medical facilities, universities and government agencies. With projects spanning the country, it’s humbling to know that Greenland started so many years ago over breakfast.