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Kim Celebrates KLA's First-Ever Spot on the Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies
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NY Climate Week 2025 reminded us that the climate solutions we need aren't just theoretical - they're real, they're available, and they're working. KLA CEO Kim Lundgren was on the ground in New York last week to hear that message and to say "we're already on it." KLA has been working with 75+ local governments for the past 10 years to be solutions-forward with initiatives that have the most impact.
This month, my family took the next step in our journey to "electrify everything": we bought an electric vehicle! Please say hello to our new blue Hyundai Ioniq 5 (name pending, suggestions welcome).
Technically, we're leasing this vehicle for three years with the intent to buy it after that. The dealership offered additional rebates for leasing in addition to the federal tax credit ($7,500) that expires on September 30. The premature expiration date of this federal incentive was really what pushed us to make the switch to an EV this calendar year (and apparently we're not alone). If you're even remotely interested in taking advantage of these funds before time runs out, here are your next steps:
From the New England APWA and national PWX conferences to the Northeast Public Power Association, utility partnerships was a summer theme for KLA
KLA Ranks No. 3316 (99th in Government Services) on the 2025 Inc. 5000 List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies
Guest post by Carlyn Bacci, KLA's Community Engagement and Communications Specialist
“I just wanted to thank you for putting together a fun and interactive meeting. It was a very positive experience.”
Is that the feedback you usually get after running a meeting? That’s what we heard recently from our partners in Bellevue, Washington.
How about: “
Kim is a master facilitator. For the stakeholder working group meetings, we crammed so much into two hours, but it was done so efficiently and so interactively. People really felt like they were heard and that their input and their feedback has been carried through in the plan.”
Those words came from our partners in Henderson, Nevada, this spring.
Over the course of KLA’s 10 years, we have facilitated countless meetings for or with our clients – everything from small internal strategy sessions to stakeholder working group sessions to full-blown community events. We’ve learned a ton along the way, and we proactively invest in facilitation as a cornerstone of our climate action planning services.
Topics: SAS talk, SAS Talk Podcast
The SAS Talk with Kim podcast is back with Episode 35 on navigating careers, motherhood and the climate crisis with four KLA clients and partners
Topics: SAS talk, SAS Talk Podcast
The “I Love New Bedford” Campaign Helped Broaden the Appeal of Hazard Mitigation Planning
Does this sound familiar? You’ve got a new plan or project that you need the community to comment on or an action you need them to take. So, you plan an event at City Hall or the library, invite local partner organizations to set up tables, and hope that people turn out.
And just maybe you’ve been disappointed with turnout, you’re still struggling to bring in new voices, or you want to expand beyond a one-and-done event (even if it’s annual like Earth Day)?
You. Are. Not. Alone.
Engaging every corner of the community can be challenging, especially when trying to keep people involved through all the stages of planning and implementation.
Over the past couple of years, the City of New Bedford, Massachusetts, has been trying to spread awareness around hazard preparedness—but they faced challenges with attracting attendance to events focused on heavier topics, especially among residents from historically underrepresented neighborhoods and those who live in areas with the most extreme climate impacts.
That’s where KLA stepped in.
We partnered with New Bedford (a long-time KLA partner) to support the Community Resilience Awareness Campaign and the Prepare NB event, a fair to promote resilience and emergency preparedness throughout the community. KLA’s goal in planning for Prepare NB wasn’t just to help boost turnout—it was to plant the seed for an ongoing conversation about climate impacts and hazard preparedness that would grow far beyond just one day of fun activities.
Here’s how we did it.
Our CEO Kim, Senior Climate Communications Manager Joey and Sustainability Project Coordinator Margot just got back from the American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference – NPC25 – in Denver. From their perch at KLA’s booth in the Exhibit Hall and attendance at multiple sessions and receptions, they shared these 7 observations:
When it comes to climate action, we’re not going to sugarcoat it. What we’ve seen in terms of words and policies from the new administration is frankly dangerous. Federal support in principle and in practice is being slashed. These moves threaten to erase impressive progress and stall momentum at a time when the climate crisis is full blown, showing up in backyards from Western North Carolina to Los Angeles.
The devastation from hurricane flooding and wildfires isn’t a scare tactic at this point – it's a reality check.
Crossing your fingers and just hoping that your community isn’t next on climate change’s Bingo card is not a smart or effective strategy.
And even when climate impacts don’t reach global headline status, we’re all getting a front row seat – from the consistent uptick in extreme heat and heat-related deaths to the frequently flooded roads and buildings, widespread power outages and damage after more intense storms.
We don’t have all the answers, but this is what we find reassuring: One constant regardless of who has been in the Oval Office stretching back 2+ decades has been local leadership on climate and sustainability.
