At this year’s PACENation Summit in New York City, the national PACE community gathered to honor the individuals and organizations who are advancing the future of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing. As members and advocates of this growing field, we at NJPACE are proud to share the exciting news of the 2025 PACE Champions and PACESetter Award recipients.
A Rapidly Expanding Market
In just six years, the PACE market has more than doubled—from $8 billion in financed projects to over $20 billion today. This explosive growth reflects the strength of the PACE model, which empowers property owners to make energy-saving, cost-saving, and resiliency-boosting improvements to their buildings—without upfront capital and with long-term fixed-rate financing.
To date, PACE financing has led to:
$36.6 billion in local economic development,
17 million metric tons of carbon emissions avoided,
And up to 269,000 local jobs created.
As Mary Luévano, Executive Director of PACENation, stated, “The PACE Award winners’ accomplishments have helped accelerate the industry… Their commitment means that hundreds of thousands of property owners are able to finance improvements that make their buildings more efficient, more cost-effective, and more resilient.”
Honoring the 2025 PACE Champions
The PACE Champion Award recognizes individuals who have shown extraordinary leadership over multiple years. This year’s Champions are:
Colin Kalvas, Bricker Graydon
Rafi Golberstein, PACE Loan Group
Said Kalvas: “Receiving the PACE Champion Award is a personal highlight… PACE financing is a valuable tool for commercial property owners that has made major impact in a relatively short time span.”
Recognizing the 2025 PACESetters
PACESetter Awards highlight innovation, inclusion, and impact across the PACE ecosystem. This year’s winners include:
Promoting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:
LaShanya Washington and Tom Nida, City First Bank
Excellence in Program Design:
Eric Christensen, New Mexico C-PACE
Advocacy & Policy Innovation:
Steve Wiese, Keeping PACE in Texas & Frontier Energy
Eric Cowan and Michael Turner, CO C-PACE
Senator Lindsey Port and Representative Ned Carroll, State of Minnesota
Innovative Deals of the Year:
Under $5M
The Alley North Office, Amalgamated Bank & Allectrify
Old Soldier Hedden Empire Building, Last Best PACE
Republic Elite Multifamily Interiors, Steve Garwood & Texas PACE Authority
$5M–$50M
The Stella Project, PACE Loan Group
$50M+
AREA 15, North Bridge
Habitat LA, CounterpointeSRE
Women Leaders in PACE:
Kim Bebchuk, PACE Loan Group
Why This Matters for New Jersey
At NJPACE, we believe New Jersey has enormous untapped potential to follow—and even lead—in this growing clean energy financing movement. As we implement and expand the Garden State C-PACE Program, we look to these national leaders and success stories as models for what is possible.
We are especially inspired by award winners who’ve:
Prioritized equitable access to capital
Advocated for strong legislation and inclusive public policy
Structured deals that unlock value for small and midsize projects
Demonstrated the power of PACE to drive resiliency, economic revitalization, and climate adaptation
These stories reinforce the importance of building strong local ecosystems for PACE in every community, every bioregion, and every state.
Information based on https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pacenation-announces-2025-pace-champions-and-pacesetters-of-the-year-awards-302463688.html
Learn more about PACENation and the full list of 2025 awardees at pacenation.org.
If you’re a property owner, developer, contractor, or capital provider in New Jersey, let’s talk. Join us in accelerating clean energy, resilient infrastructure, and local economic development through C-PACE.