HPG Sponsoring Clean Technology Forum

RALEIGH, N.C. (February 21, 2011) — Hughes Pittman & Gupton, LLP (hpg.com), the first accounting firm to be certified Green Plus by the Institute for Sustainable Development, is sponsoring the March 1, 2011 CleanLinks Forum at the American Underground in Durham, North Carolina.

CleanLinks is a partnership between SJF Institute (www.sjfinstitute.com) and CED (www.cednc.org) that offers education and practical business advice to cleantech entrepreneurs through moderated discussions, expert panels and first-person stories.

Titled “Scaling Up in Clean Tech,” the forum will feature a guest panel discussion on the challenges faced when taking a novel idea through prototyping to creating a viable company. Rick Bain, director of business development for Cree, Inc, will moderate the panel, featuring guest speakers:

Mark Munday, president & CEO, Elster Solutions North America
Michael Shore, founder, president and CEO, FLS Energy
Wayne Flournoy, founder and president, Entex Technologies

“Engaging in initiatives such as the CleanLinks Forum builds upon the culture of sustainability that HPG team members have so diligently incorporated into their work life,” says Tim Naylor, HPG partner. “We are proud to support CED and the SJF Institute.”

Lauren Joyce, audit manager and leader of HPG’s Clean-Tech Client Team, has been instrumental in launching multiple initiatives to integrate sustainability into the firm’s culture. These include:

* A staff-led recycling program
* Sustainability-topic lunch and learns
* An Earth Day awareness event
* Green Initiative boards
* Monthly green e-mails
* Green Monster awards for staff members

In 2010, the firm was the first accounting firm to be certified Green Plus by the Institute for Sustainable Development (www.gogreenplus.org), a nonprofit organization that strives to educate, motivate and recognize smaller enterprises for their efforts toward greater sustainability.

Registration for the CleanLinks Forum is open online at http://tinyurl.com/CleanLinks until 5 p.m. on February 28, 2011. Guests can also register at the event.

About Hughes Pittman & Gupton, LLP (HPG):
HPG is the largest CPA firm headquartered and staffed in the Research Triangle Park region of North Carolina, as ranked by the Triangle Business Journal. More than just an accounting firm, HPG assists clients in looking beyond the bottom linesm by being the right people, right value and right firm to achieve each client's definition of success. HPG is a member of CPAmerica International and affiliated with the Crowe Horwath International alliances of firms, with offices worldwide. The firm leverages this to provide national and global accounting resources to its clients. HPG offers a wide array of business accounting, auditing, corporate tax and management advisory services. Specialties include serving owner-managed, investor-backed technology and life science organizations, healthcare services, real estate development, manufacturing and distribution businesses, as well as providing ERISA audits, family wealthcare services and Sarbanes-Oxley internal audit services.

HPG has remained committed to advancing a thriving Triangle community since its founding in 1983. In recognition, the firm is the recipient of two Pinnacle Business Awards by the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce; the 2009 Large Entrepreneurial Business Award and the 2010 Integrity in Business Award. Additionally, HPG has been certified Green Plus by the Institute for Sustainable Development for integrating environmental sustainability efforts into company culture, and has been named one of the top 100 Best Accounting Firms to Work For in the country by Accounting Today. Visit www.hpg.com or follow HPG on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HPGcpas.

About CED:
CED is a private, non-profit organization that provides the entrepreneurial community in the Research Triangle Park region with the necessary tools, connections and resources to start something new – from an idea, to a company or even, a relationship. CED’s extensive range of initiatives from personal consultations and mentoring to educational programs and conferences empower entrepreneurs to transform ideas into businesses and to take existing businesses to the next level. Visit www.cednc.org for more information.

About SJF Institute:
SJF Institute connects, inspires and accelerates sustainable entrepreneurs and the fields that support them. The Institute empowers companies that provide green solutions and build workplaces where employees can grow and thrive. For more information, please visit, www.sjfinstitute.org.

1500 Sunday Drive Suite 300 - Raleigh NC 27607

Media Contact:
Brian Van Norman
919.232.5008
brian@articulon.com

This release was published on openPR.