Founder and Managing Director, InterfaceRAISE, LLC

Past Chairman of the Board, U.S. Green Building Council

August 31, 1994 could have been just like any other day launching another corporate program, but for Jim Hartzfeld, it was cataclysmic.  Seated in the audience as Ray Anderson, Interface Founder and Chairman, began to deliver a speech that would change his life and the life of his company, it became crystal clear to Jim, the chemical-engineer-turned-marketing-executive:  It all had to change.

Since that day, “EcoJim” as he has come to be known, has embraced sustainability as a way of life.  Finding his place at this intersection of head and heart, Jim has championed sustainable enterprise as the right and smart thing to do, first at Interface and then with groups like the U.S. Green Building Council, an organization he chaired for two years.  For over a decade serving as Sr. Vice President of Interface Research Corporation and Vice President of Sustainable Strategy for Interface Americas, Jim has been pursuing the objective of defining and cultivating business growth opportunities based on sustainability as an emerging business model.  Now leading the newly formed venture, InterfaceRAISE, Jim is formalizing the knowledge he has gleaned to bring the tools for technical and cultural transformation to other companies who are similarly motivated. 

Jim has worked with such organizations as the U.S. Green Building Council, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and the President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD, Clinton Administration) where he served as Ray Anderson’s liaison. 

Jim’s enthusiasm and conviction make him a sought after speaker throughout the world.  His informative and motivational speeches cover such topics as the sustainability business case, corporate culture change, environmental impact of buildings, LEED certification, the U.S. Green Building Council, selling sustainability to clients, and more.  He has been quoted in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal and Fortune Magazine, and co-authored Interface’s globally recognized Sustainability Report with Paul Hawken and others.

Formerly with Conoco Oil Company and DuPont, Jim holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri and an MBA from the Goizueta Business School of Emory University.  He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Georgia Conservancy, the Sustainability Committee of The Westminster Schools of Atlanta and the Board of Advisors of Greenspaces, a Special Economic Zone in New Delhi, India.  He resides with his wife and two children in Marietta, Georgia.