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HARRISBURG, Pa., April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Pennsylvania SBDC client Keystone Pallet & Recycling will be honored tonight at an Earth Day gala event recognizing the recipients of the 2008 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence. Kathleen A. McGinty, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), will deliver the keynote speech.Since the company launched in Milton in 2004, Keystone Pallet & Recycling prevented more than 1,672,000 pounds of wood waste from being sent to the landfill. Keystone’s clients are saving about $8,000 per year in avoided disposal costs. The company’s wood pallet collection system reduced annual diesel fuel consumption by 2,600 gallons, saving $7,200 per year in fuel costs and preventing 330 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.In announcing the 2008 recipients, Governor Edward G. Rendell acknowledged that Keystone and the eight other awardees “look at environmental challenges as opportunities to do things differently…These awards recognize and celebrate that unique perspective and can-do spirit that makes Pennsylvania a progressive place to do business.”Pallet recyclers keep wood pallets from entering the landfill by collecting, repairing and reselling used pallets. After a brief stint working with a pallet recycler in Ohio, Keystone owner Matt Roberts decided to bring the concept back to Pennsylvania and approached the Bucknell University Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for assistance. SBDC business consultants helped Mr. Roberts create a comprehensive business plan and referred him to the SBDC’s Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP). Consultant Denise Bechdel offered advice on environmental compliance and suggested that Keystone apply for a Small Business Advantage grant from the Pennsylvania DEP. With Ms. Bechdel’s assistance, Keystone Pallet & Recycling applied for and received four successive grants — a total of $29,850.A challenge for recycling businesses is to find and maintain a steady source of materials. Traditionally, that involves driving to collect the materials, increasing fuel costs coupled with long travel distances. Keystone, however, devised a way to collect more used pallets. The company installs on-site mobile collection units at its larger sites, which are picked up only when full. Mr. Roberts was able to use his nearly $30K in grant funds to assist with the purchase of several 53-foot portable recycling collection units as well as a larger truck, reducing the number of trips to smaller collection sites. These investments have resulted in significant decreases in miles traveled, diesel fuel consumption and associated fuel and maintenance costs.Mr. Roberts acknowledges the assistance of the SBDC’s environmental program in starting and obtaining funding for his business, declaring that “the Environmental Management Assistance Program has been a vital tool used during the start up of my business… Overall, EMAP has provided my business with an invaluable service, which I will continue to use in the future.”While Mr. Roberts is in the unique position to have received funding four years in row, many SBDC clients have benefitted from DEP Small Business Advantage grants. The grant program offers up to $7,500 in funding, provided on a 50 percent cost share basis, to small businesses in the Commonwealth to implement equipment or process changes that result in energy efficiency or pollution prevention. Businesses working with EMAP garnered 30 percent of the $1 million in available funding in the 2007-2008 cycle: 51 clients received $300,195 for projects as diverse as heating and cooling system upgrades, energy efficient lighting systems and a solar power system. In addition to saving the businesses a combined $223,226 annually, these upgrades are expected to conserve resources and prevent the emission of 2,225 tons of carbon dioxide each year.EMAP Director Christopher Lynch applauded Keystone Pallet & Recycling for its exceptional accomplishments and recognized all 2007-2008 grantees for their efforts. “Matt Roberts and these other small business owners are proving that small businesses are big players in making the business case for energy efficiency and going green. Their achievements also underscore the urgent need to continue financial and technical assistance programs that help small business owners find and take advantage of opportunities to both reduce operating costs and environmental impacts.”More about the Pennsylvania SBDC and EMAP:The Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers’ Environmental Management Assistance Program offers in-depth assistance with environmental regulatory requirements, identifying and implementing energy efficiency and waste minimization opportunities, developing new environmental technology and finding sources of funding for environmental upgrades. Visit for more information on how businesses can start saving and contribute to a cleaner environment.Since its inception in 1980, the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) has evolved into a network of 18 college- and university-based centers and more than 100 outreach locations, operating under the guidance of the State Director located at the University of Pennsylvania. The SBDCs play a unique and vital role in the Commonwealth’s economic development initiatives as the only organization that, in utilizing the expertise and resources of some of the best colleges and universities in the state, assists entrepreneurs in all stages of business and all industry sectors. Funding support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the SBDC host institutions enables consulting services to be provided at no charge to the client. For more information on the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers’ services and impact, visit . Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers

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