Teaming Up To Rebuild: YouthBuild Schenectady, Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed Partner to Kick Off Green Home Renovation Project in Hamilton Hill

VALLEY FORGE, Pa., Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Participating young adults from YouthBuild Schenectady (operated by Northeast Parent & Child Society) today will take a sledgehammer to the front door of 843 Emmett Street in Schenectady, New York's Hamilton Hill neighborhood.  Students will be joined by Acting Mayor Gary McCarthy and other city officials in a ceremonial kickoff celebration of the sustainable rebuild. Over the next year, area youth will complete a green, affordable renovation of the home while gaining in-demand green building job skills and credentials along the way. As part of the ceremony, Saint-Gobain, the world's largest building materials company, and its subsidiary CertainTeed, North America's leading brand of exterior and interior building products, will present YouthBuild Schenectady with a $100,000 grant in support of the organization's green building education and job-training program for low-income youth.

The Emmett Street project is part of a three-year national partnership between Saint-Gobain, CertainTeed and YouthBuild USA in support of the organization's national green building and job training program for out-of-work, out-of-school youth. In YouthBuild programs, low-income young adults ages 16 to 24 work full-time for 6-12 months toward their GEDs, high school diplomas or professional credentials while learning green construction skills by building affordable housing in their communities.

"We are proud to partner with YouthBuild USA and stand behind the organization because of its focus on sustainability and commitment to shaping young adults to be stewards of the environment," said John Crowe, President and CEO of Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed Corporations. "With over 1,000 employees in New York, we believe it is important to invest in the future workforce and contribute to helping prepare young adults with the necessary skills they will need to be successful."

The partnership also supports green home renovation projects in three other communities where Saint-Gobain has business concentrations, including: YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School (Philadelphia, Pa.), YouthBuild Akron Summit (Akron, Ohio) and YouthBuild Worcester (Worcester, Mass.). Each of the four YouthBuild programs, including Schenectady, will receive $100,000 in pass-through grants during the next three years to teach YouthBuild students green building techniques. Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed employees based in these communities will volunteer to assist YouthBuild students with the home renovations, as well as provide energy-efficient products and building science and technical expertise.

Upon completion, the sustainable single-family home designed by Re4orm Architecture will seek LEED certification. It will then be sold to a family of low or moderate income that has fulfilled eligibility requirements and completed a HUD-approved homeownership counseling program.

"The partnership with Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed will make it possible for young adults to learn green building techniques," said John Henley, president and chief executive officer of Northeast Parent & Child Society. "As a result, more doors will open for the youth in Schenectady. Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed bring more than just financial support to us; they also bring invaluable building science expertise, and that knowledge will be instrumental in helping us ensure students leave this program not only employable in the marketplace, but also desirable in today's green economy."

For more information about Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed's partnership with YouthBuild USA, please visit http://www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com/people/YouthBuild.asp.

About Saint-Gobain

Saint-Gobain, the world's largest building materials company, has its North American headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. As the world leader in sustainable habitat, Saint-Gobain is committed to inventing solutions to help professionals and communities around the world build and renovate comfortable, healthy, economical and energy-efficient buildings. The company has more than 265 locations in North America and approximately 19,000 employees. In the United States and Canada, Saint-Gobain reported sales of approximately $7.3 billion in 2010.

Saint-Gobain's family of companies in North America includes CertainTeed Corporation, which offers the most comprehensive portfolio of interior and exterior building products in North America, as well as Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Saint-Gobain ADFORS (previously known as Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics), Vetrotech Saint-Gobain North America, Saint-Gobain Glass, Saint-Gobain Solar, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics and more.

Recognized as a 2009 and 2010 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Saint-Gobain earned the 2011 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award, the highest level of recognition for outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.

In New York, the company has over 1,000 employees, with several manufacturing operations in Hoosick Falls, Granville and Poestenkill from its Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics business and in Niagara Falls from its Saint-Gobain Ceramic Materials business. Additionally, the headquarters of its business unit Saint-Gobain ADFORS is located in Grand Island.

For information about Saint-Gobain in North America, visit www.saint-gobain-northamerica.com

About CertainTeed

CertainTeed is the largest and best known North America subsidiary of Saint-Gobain. Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed has helped shape the building products industry for more than 100 years.  

Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm's slogan "Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed," quickly inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is North America's leading brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, fence, decking, railing, trim, foundations, pipe, insulation, gypsum and ceilings.

CertainTeed and its affiliates have more than 6,000 employees and more than 65 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada, with sales of approximately $3 billion in 2010.  For more information, go to www.certainteed.com

About Northeast Parent and Child Society

Northeast Parent & Child Society provides a full array of residential, special education, family foster care, children's mental health and family preservation programs. In addition, Northeast provides career services to young adults through its Pathways 2 Success (P2S) division. Over the past 123 years, we have helped more than 100,000 children and families build better futures. Our dedicated staff is over 600 people strong, annually serving 7,000 people from our 34-county service area in New York State. For more information, please visit www.neparentchild.org.

About YouthBuild Schenectady

YouthBuild Schenectady, administered by Northeast Parent & Child Society's Pathways 2 Success (P2S) Career Services division, helps motivated young adults transform from social service recipients to employed taxpayers. At-risk individuals ages 18 to 24 from Schenectady County, New York earn a GED, learn trades including green construction and emergency medical services, pursue secondary education, and get placed in internships and jobs. They also receive parenting education, financial literacy, leadership training and ongoing support after they graduate.

SOURCE Saint-Gobain