Krull & Company owes its roots to two important people. In late 2003 and early 2004, Peter Krull had been having long and detailed conversations with his then fiance’ (and now wife) Dr. Melissa Booth about environmentalism, global warming and how they could tie into his world of financial services. Dr. Booth studies microbes in the water column and how they cycle carbon and other nutrients .
In addition, a client had introduced Mr. Krull to world renowned green architect, Bill McDonough. Mr. McDonough’s philosophies on the importance of sustainability and closed-loop systems are espoused in his book Cradle 2 Cradle: Rethinking the way we make things. The in-depth discussion on green building, sustainable living and safe products complemented everything that Mr. Krull had been discussing with Dr. Booth. After months of planning and strategizing, Krull & Company was born in July of 2004.
The concept of sustainability is integral to the firm's business model. We have taken steps to address every possible aspect in both our business and personal lives. We do believe in what we do, and live & preach our values, not just from 9 to 5, but all the time.
We screen all investments that are recommended to our clients. Money managers we use are committed to doing the research necessary to help ensure that your portfolio is working with your values, not against them.
Many of our clients live in other parts of the country, so a phone call, e-mail or video conferencing are our principal means of communication. We save time, fuel, and tons of carbon emissions by choosing to work this way instead of traveling vast distances. We do believe that there is something special about a face-to-face meeting, but know that when weighed out versus the waste of travel, our clients understand.
If we do get to meet in person, we will pull up to your curb in a Toyota Prius. We believe that by purchasing and driving a hybrid, it builds demand, makes a statement to others and saves a tremendous amount of fuel. Plus, they’re a joy to drive. Who says that being green isn’t fun.
We believe in the concept of reduce, reuse and recycle. We understand the importance of first reducing our resource use. We reuse whenever possible. In fact, our client gifts are cloth shopping bags - perfect for reuse. Finally, we recycle everything that we can. Paper is an important part of this business, so when we have to use it, we only use 100 percent recycled paper. Our website is powered by solar energy. For our minimal carbon output, we use Native Energy for carbon offsets.
Our office is located in a 1930s coastal cottage in Darien, GA. The building was renovated with much thought going into energy conservation and sustainability. We added high efficiency, Low-E windows, added insulation (in many parts there were none,) a hot water on demand system, installed a new efficient HVAC system with a programmable thermostat, sealed all the cracks, both inside and out and used only no-VOC (volatile organic compound) paint throughout. In addition, we installed sustainable bamboo flooring, recyclable Interface carpeting and treated Mr. Krull with a 99 percent recyclable Herman Miller Mirra chair. We typically average 75 percent less energy than a comparable building in South Georgia!
We have pledged to donate at least 1 percent of gross revenues to a variety of causes. We believe it’s important to share our good fortune, locally, domestically and internationally.
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