Senior Officers

Ralph Locke is president of Environmental Construction and Consulting Inc. He is a Florida Native and Military Combat Veteran. Ralph has over 30+ years of experience as a building professional and is one of the early pioneers in the green building field. Ralph has been a member of FGBC since 2003, Vice President in 2013, He is an FGBC Certifying Agent working with multiple Florida Builders & Developers and a Regional Liaison for FGBC. He also is the chair of the education committee and actively participates on many of the other FGBC committees. In his everyday interactions, Ralph encourages change to sustainable building practices through verbal & hands on education. He works with many organizations, including home building associations, contractors, developers, local governments, homeowners, and even high school students to promote green building practices. Ralph also volunteers as a subject matter expert for state contractor testing. Ralph holds The following licences,State Certified building, Certified roofing, Certified solar contractor, and Certified Home inspector licenses and is a Florida Water Star Commercial and Residential certifier. Ralph is an active leader and facilitator in the green building field and continues to further encourage sustainable building and to represent these interests for the FGBC.

Abney + Abney Green Solutions is not your average green building consulting firm.  After more than a decade of hands- on involvement in the field of sustainable design and construction in Florida, the AbneyGreen team has fashioned an enviable track record of successful projects, whether commercial or residential.
The firm's principal, Kyle Abney, is one of the most highly respected "built-environment" experts in the southeast, having been chosen by myriad of owners, developers, architects and contractors to provide guidance in all aspects of the green building process. A long list of satisfied customers and referrals are evidence that the firm delivers peace of mind and reliability. Headquartered  in  the Treasure  Coast,  the  firm  has  completed  award-winning  green  certified  projects throughout Florida.

Bill Kachman is a retired Army Major of Field Artillery. He worked for 12 years in the education field as a teacher, served as a registered lobbyist for Correctional Education, and as a distance education developer for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In 2004 he joined Environmental Construction & Consulting in Deland and got involved with green building. For the next nine years, he helped manage the construction and consulting side of the company, working with builders, local governments and communities to further green building practices in Volusia and Lake counties. Bill says that in his retirement years, he is working to help FGBC grow in Florida and become the preeminent green organization in Florida.

Mary Tappouni is the President of Breaking Ground Contracting, where she serves as Senior Estimator,   Project Manager and Sustainability Consultant.  Over her 25 years in the construction industry, she has managed projects ranging from small park projects to multimillion-dollar facilities that include medical and professional office buildings, historic preservation, retail, schools, university, health & fitness facilities, recreational, military projects and custom green homes.     

Mary is passionate about sustainability and green building.  She was honored to speak at the Greenbuild conference in Chicago in 2010.  She served on the National Green Building Committee for Associated  Builders and Contractors and is the past Sustainability Committee Co-chair for ULI North Florida.  She actively represents the construction industry, including in her current role as Associated Builders and  Contractors (ABC) of Florida Board Chair. She has also served as past Chair of the Board of her local   ABC Chapter and past Chair of its Women’s Council.