Bruce Goodman at Varnum Law offices
LEGAL NEWS PHOTOS BY CYNTHIA PRICE
By Cynthia Price
Legal News
It does not take a lengthy conversation with Varnum attorney Bruce Goodman to recognize that his main motivation in supporting alternative energy policies for the state is his sense that it is just good business.
“Now that we’re starting to have a more robust renewable energy industry, I think you’re going to find Americans able to implement improvements in efficiency on the manufacturing side. As there’s more and more certainty that products used in supporting alternative energy sources are here to stay, I think Americans have what it takes to re-engineer something like wind turbines, and improve the technology. And there are lots of market opportunities
opening up for businesses willing to innovate.”
This outlook comes naturally enough from what Goodman does for a living, which is assist companies, organizations, and individuals with their business needs.
At Varnum, he specializes in energy, environmental and construction law. “I got started in energy law in 1984 when we had some energy clients, then in the 1990s focused more on the environmental work, especially air quality. Then toward the end of 2007 the firm asked me to get re-involved in energy,” Goodman explains.
His environmental work was primarily in compliance assistance. “The aspect that I really liked was helping people be in compliance with their air permits. But sometimes they’d have some issues, and when agencies would cite someone for violations, I’d work with them to negotiate penalties. I never ended up in court; we were always able to come to some resolution. Both sides usually decide it’s going to be cheaper, and better, and faster to reach a settlement.” He continues to work on this focus area, also helping companies develop environmental management programs.
Since getting back into energy law, Goodman has negotiated and facilitated numerous electric power sales agreements and project structuring, as well as counseled on permitting.
A product of the Detroit Public Schools, Goodman attended Harvard University for his bachelor’s and the University of Michigan Law School for his law degree.
Between the two, he got his Master of Arts in Teaching from Wayne State University. He then taught school for several years. “I often tell people that, as far as law, I stopped teaching and went for an easier job. Because it really is exhausting, if you take it seriously and care about the kids.”
And he has never looked back. “I started with Schmidt and Howlett in 1979, before the two companies merged, so I’ve been with this firm my whole law career,” Goodman says.
The history of the Varnum Law Firm, officially Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt and Howlett, is interesting. In 2013, the firm celebrated its 125th year, reaching back to its beginnings in Grand Rapids when it was founded by Robert Montgomery and McGeorge Bundy. The name McGeorge Bundy was made famous by the attorney’s grandson, who was National Security Advisor to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson during the early years of the Vietnam War.
Laurent Varnum joined the firm in 1927; Schmidt and Howlett had become partners in 1949; and the two firms merged in 1983.
Goodman is enthusiastic about many start-ups he has assisted, including Lowell Energy AD, which started building an 800-kilowatt anaerobic digester at the end of February. Amusingly, the company founders symbolically
broke ground by tossing faux cow pies into a box labeled “Biodigester.”
Goodman and other Varnum attorneys were able to help the company — and others, in a variety of fields — through the MiSpringboard program offered by the state of Michigan, to which Varnum pledged up to one million dollars of services.
What Goodman finds truly exciting about projects he has facilitated is the innovative thinking displayed by entrepreneurs. For example, Lowell Energy AD will produce energy from food waste and manure. Goodman talks about the potential for developing battery storage technology, and opportunities in the energy conservation field.
And “opportunity” is what Goodman is all about. “Right now there are lots of market opportunities opening up for businesses willing to innovate,” he says.
In the current competitive climate, time spent convincing people of the benefits of alternative and renewable energy is a component of creating a playing field where such innovators can succeed.
In a recent press conference, Greg Mulder of the local firm Coffman Electrical Equipment, talked about his own innovation. “What we found in the solar industry was that people were bringing in the infrastructure in bits and pieces, which made it very hard to bring about integrated systems. So we developed a product that will do that. But getting people to realize solar is a good investment not only for the environment, but for their bottom lines —that it’s now very affordable — is critically important.”
Goodman takes that, broadly construed, as his mission, and has been tireless in pointing out reductions in wind energy costs. He feels that a much higher percentage of electricity could be sourced from wind and solar in the near future. Referring to a broad stakeholder process conducted by the Snyder administration in 2012, Goodman says, “The governor’s task force reported that if we had 40% renewables we could still provide reliable electricity, and that’s without even considering the future of storage.”
There is a sense in which Goodman may never know how many businesses and entrepreneurs he has inspired, because he has taken on the role of convener and communicator — and done a wonderful job at it.
He has pulled together groups of alternative energy advocates, economic development officials, entrepreneurs and academics for networking and discussion. Assisted by The Right Place, Varnum hosted the West Michigan Wind Manufacturing Network, the West Michigan Solar Supply Chain, and the West Michigan Bioenergy Consortium. Goodman comments, “These meetings were always most successful when we had a very short program and a long networking time.”
Some of that convening will now fall to the Energy Innovation Business Council, whose focus is statewide.
A group called West Michigan Energy would also meet under Goodman’s auspices, with the focus on talking about energy opportunities as a whole, and including electric providers. “We took on two successful projects, one was to help Grand Valley’s MAREC [Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center] fund an offshore wind study in Muskegon. And when the electrical charging stations were being rolled out, we made sure West Michigan communities got some of them.”
Goodman has for years published Watt’s New, covering energy issues and happenings. That newsletter has recently moved from hard-copy mailings to online-only, and Goodman also has a blog. He spearheaded the Varnum-sponsored Ford Energy Lecture series at the Ford Museum.
“I like to think, maybe optimistically, that all of us are conservationists and environmentalists at heart; all of us care about the environment we live in and what we’re passing on to our children,” Goodman says. “Concerns about economics sometimes interfere, but so many things that put a lesser demand on our natural resources can also make companies more competitive and save them money.”
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