Mike Challender

Mike Challender is the Executive Director of the Lorain Growth Corporation, a Downtown Lorain organization providing leadership and associated services to retain, expand, and attract new businesses to Lorain.

Prior to becoming the Executive Director for the Lorain Growth Corporation, Mike was the Director of Sustainable Development for the Lorain County Chamber of Commerce. While working for the County Chamber, he became the first LEED Accredited Professional in Lorain County and has participated in early planning sessions for Lorain County Community College’s two LEED certified buildings, the Entrepreneur Innovation Center and the recently opened Barbara and Mike Bass Library/Community Resource Center.

Mike has received a BS in Energy Management & Technology and an MBA in Executive Management from Ashland University. He has worked for several electric utility companies, promoting the efficient use of energy using the latest technologies.

In 2003, Mike and the County Chamber partnered with the North Coast Building Industry Association, Lorain County Commissioner’s Solid Waste Department, Lorain County Metro Parks and Lorain County Joint Vocational School in The Dream, a home designed and built by high school students. This partnership was designed to “Grow the Green Building Industry while Educating Students, County Residents, Politicians, and the Construction Industry on the Benefits of Energy Efficiency and Using Recycled/Rapidly Renewable Materials”. The DREAM won an award from EcoCity Cleveland in 2004 and a Governor’s Energy Efficiency Award in 2005.

Mike continues to support initiatives relating to renewable energy technologies and sustainability and meets with local, state, and national politicians to discuss the benefits and job creation. He has made presentations to Leadership Lorain County, the Levin College of Urban Affairs and the Great Lakes Redevelopment Symposium relating to energy and sustainability. Through relationships Mike has made over the years, three alternative energy companies, looking to establish manufacturing plants, reviewed available properties in Lorain in 2007.