Walker-Miller Energy Services (Walker-Miller) is one of the largest Black and woman owned energy efficiency companies in the United States. Led by Carla Walker-Miller, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Walker-Miller’s commitment to Empower People and Enrich Communities is the bedrock of a unique, people-centered approach that normalizes equity in the delivery of energy programs.
Founded in 2000, Walker-Miller is a trusted partner with deep roots in the energy industry. The company provides thought leadership to utilities, municipalities, businesses, and communities to help achieve energy reduction goals and drive the benefits of clean energy to all communities. With one of the most diverse teams in the industry, their team members design and implement programs, train and employ workforces, and develop engagement strategies that drive the broad adoption of regenerative practices and behaviors. They have honed a special competency in successfully engaging marginalized communities that have not historically participated in energy efficiency programs. These efforts help decrease the energy burdens on local families and businesses, create jobs, diversify the local energy workforce, and serve the needs of asset limited income constrained families with compassion.
The firm began as a full-line electrical equipment distributor in 2000, pivoting to an energy efficiency service company during the economic downturn. With energy efficiency and waste reduction now its core business, the organization has grown to more than 220 team members across multiple states.
Walker-Miller is widely recognized as a high-performing clean energy firm, providing a broad range of services, including:
- Energy Waste Reduction/Energy Efficiency Program Implementation
- Energy Efficiency Products and Kits
- Beneficial Electrification Program Implementation
- Building Performance Institute (BPI) Energy Auditor Certification Training
- Department of Energy Home Energy Score Partner
- Inclusive Outreach and Community Engagement
- Transmission and Distribution Product Sourcing Specialists
- Customer Experience Center Management
- EE Workforce Development and Training
- Diverse Business Enterprise Development
- Equitable Mobility Research and Consulting
Walker-Miller has curated a diverse, talented team of engineers, certified energy managers (CEM), BPI certified energy analysts, building analysts, Six Sigma practitioners, and other professionals to deliver exceptional energy efficiency services. The company’s credentials as a certified BPI Goldstar Contractor allow them to train with industry best practices in mind and staff programs with individuals who hold safety and customer satisfaction paramount. Through their Department of Energy (DOE) Home Energy Score Partnership, they continue to empower families to understand the systems and behaviors that contribute to their energy burdens.
Walker-Miller understands the unique challenges income qualified families face that may limit their adoption of energy efficient behaviors and access to the associated benefits. They pride themselves on meeting families where they are – without judgement – to take on the challenge of actively facilitating awareness first, followed by access and uptake of energy efficiency programs. Success in low participation customer segments require innovative and solution-driven methods for removing barriers. Walker-Miller leverages all resources, internal and external, to yield maximum benefits. They do not just engage the communities they serve; they are the community.
As thought leaders in clean energy equity and inclusive community engagement, Walker-Miller is building bridges of sustainability between traditional utilities and the rapidly transforming to clean energy, electrification, and mobility sectors.
As catalyzers of equity in the clean energy economy, their goal is to ensure all communities have access to the benefits of clean energy. Recently, Walker-Miller was selected as our Good For Governance winner because they push the narrative on centering energy programs on the people they serve. We sat down with Carla Walker-Miller and interviewed her about their award.
Walker-Miller Energy Services has been excelling in Governance through their mission, ethics, accountability and transparency through policies and practices that foster integration of social and environmental goals in employees’ performance evaluation, impact reporting and transparency. Walker-Miller Energy Services is a Certified B Corp, a designation that demonstrates leadership in the global movement for an equitable and regenerative economy.
Awarded by the nonprofit B Lab, the certification assesses a company’s ability to meet and maintain rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Their company’s overarching goal is to benefit people, communities, and the planet. They continue to successfully invite historically excluded communities as full participants in the clean energy economy, serving them with honor. Their efforts help decrease the energy burdens on local families and businesses, create jobs, diversify the local energy workforce, and position small business owners to become suppliers to this growing industry.
Their mantra, Empowering People, Enriching Communities, is woven throughout their organization in building a more equitable and inclusive energy industry that both serves underrepresented utility customers and is driven by the powerful contributions of underrepresented diverse suppliers and team members.
We are intentional about creating an energy workforce that reflects the rich diversity of this country, aggressively recruiting Black people, indigenous people and other people of color, women, people within LGBTQIA+ communities, people living with disabilities, justice involved individuals, veterans and others. We place particular emphasis on both recruiting and developing talent from underrepresented demographics, providing them on-ramps to the energy industry.
To Walker-Miller Energy Services, winning this award “For our team, it is another amazing example that our company is “doing good” by “being good.” It means that everything about our mission and vision aren’t just pretty words on paper—but embedded in every facet of our operations. This includes the company’s core values: Boldly Go above and beyond, Embrace Equity, Humble Confidence, Inclusive Stewardship, and an abiding commitment to Value Reputations, while delivering Extraordinary Experiences for team members, clients, and stakeholders. Empowered by the company’s culture of kind excellence, our team consistently achieves energy efficiency program goals and delivers the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the industry.” As leaders, it’s important that we lay the foundation for what good business should look like. This includes tearing down barriers and building up community strength through education. Walker-Miller Energy Services has been at the forefront of tearing down barriers and providing energy access to marginalized individuals.
Business owners are key players in advocating for the world we want to live in. Walker-Miller Energy Services believes that
“Business leaders and entrepreneurs play a vital role here and shoulder a great responsibility to act. As employers and innovators, they understand the evolving skills and mindsets needed for success in today’s economic environment. By lending their voices, expertise, and resources, they can help shape education policies that prepare students not only for meaningful careers but also for engaged citizenship.
This advocacy can take many forms – from developing partnerships that provide students with real-world learning experiences, to collaborating with policymakers to ensure curricula align with local and regional economic priorities. When business leaders champion equitable access to quality education, they invest in the long-term prosperity of their communities – cultivating a more resilient and inclusive workforce.
Ultimately, this advocacy is not just about corporate responsibility – it is an investment in shared growth and community strength that helps to build a more equitable and thriving future for all.”
We all have a responsibility to grow our communities. We do this by advocating for better policies and initiatives that put people first and that build up a Care Economy centered on investing in care and growth. Walker-Miller states that “This People First approach is essential to advancing racial and economic justice. Sustainable progress begins with acknowledging that inequities are not only structural but also relational. When organizations lead with care and cultivate genuine relationships, they create the trust and inclusion necessary for historically excluded voices to be both heard and valued.
This means fostering conditions where every individual can thrive. By addressing the social, emotional, and economic factors that shape lives, we help remove barriers that have long limited access to opportunity.
When care and connection guide our work, racial and economic justice moves from being ideals to becoming lived realities. This people-centered approach ensures that growth, innovation, and opportunity are shared – and that our communities are strengthened through empathy, equity, and mutual respect.”
As Walker-Miller Energy Services continues to uplift Michigan communities and centering their work on removing barriers so everyone has access to energy, Walker-Miller stated that
“We are excited to begin work through our newly formed nonprofit, Resilience and Equity in the Clean Energy Sector Summit, known as RECESS. Through this nonprofit, focused on workforce development, equity in the clean energy economy, and innovation – we are taking a bold step forward in our mission to build a more inclusive clean energy future. Rooted in Detroit and powered by community, RECESS is launching a national movement to connect historically excluded communities to high-growth careers in clean energy and mobility.
The clean energy transition is accelerating, but access to opportunity remains unequal. RECESS is changing this through training academies, strategic partnerships, and year-round engagement. Our work through the non-profit stems directly from our annual national RECESS conferences, a unique opportunity to showcase cutting-edge technologies and practices that can revolutionize the sector while highlighting the work of diverse thought leaders and change-makers who are shaping the clean energy future. This one-of-a-kind event emphasizes the need for meaningful, intentional networking opportunities that can lead to collaborative ventures and significant progress and promoting education and capacity-building for communities of color, ensuring their participation and leadership in clean energy initiatives.
RECESS is an urgent action to address the inequities that prevent Black, Brown, Indigenous and Other communities from fully engaging in and benefiting from the growing clean energy sector. This conference is dedicated to breaking down barriers and creating immediate, tangible pathways for all communities to access sustainable careers, business opportunities, and ownership in clean energy.
By leveraging essential resources, forming partnerships, and providing education, RECESS25 works to build a more inclusive clean energy future where diverse voices lead and innovate. The need for dedicated supporters has never been more critical. Sponsoring RECESS25 means championing equity and making a significant impact by ensuring that communities of color are at the forefront of shaping the clean energy economy.”
