Paydirt, LLC — About Us

Tom Tierney’s latest post on the Paydirt blog highlights the benefits of starting small and building a solid foundation for sustainability programs. Read his post here.

The GSM Association, a trade group representing the mobile communications industry, and 17 manufacturers and operators have made a commitment to the development of a universal cell phone charger. In addition to improved energy efficiency, the new chargers will eliminate over 52,000 tons of duplicate chargers, allowing the same charger to be used for multiple current & future phones. Read the press release here.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and PriceWaterhouseCoopers released a report in 2008 that examines the consumer products industry’s challenges in the current economic climate. Their findings indicate that companies pursuing sustainable practices generally have higher profits and experience greater returns on assets, ultimately generating more value for shareholders. Download the report here.

Our team is comprised of accomplished consultants and advisors with experience in management consulting, strategic planning, environmental health and safety, public policy, energy and gas, internal and external communications, manufacturing engineering, information technology, marketing, regulatory compliance, and operations management.

Firm Principals

Jill Kolling
LEED Accredited Professional
Jill Kolling is the Founder of Paydirt and her experience includes a unique combination of sustainability strategy, operations management, manufacturing engineering, compliance assessments and management consulting for private and public organizations of all sizes. Jill has led strategic, global management initiatives for major technology firms including Sun Microsystems and Hewlett Packard. Prior to founding Paydirt, Jill co–founded management consulting firm Forward Hindsight, Inc. and was considered one of the leading experts in the Midwest on conducting successful Sarbanes–Oxley compliance initiatives. Jill was an Ernst & Young 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year® finalist in Minnesota and the Dakotas.

With a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Computer Science, both from the University of Minnesota, Jill continues to study major trends in sustainability and alignment of environmental thinking with core business goals.

Thomas Tierney, CISA

LEED Accredited Professional
Tom Tierney has worked in the Energy industry and in Environmental, Health, and Safety, particularly in the field of performance and risk management. Tom has worked in a variety of industries including healthcare, insurance, agribusiness, oil and gas, professional services, travel and hospitality, retail, and high tech. His list of past clients includes such well–known names as ExxonMobil, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, PPG Industries, Baker Hughes, and Nationwide Insurance. With a broad background in engineering, information technology and management consulting, Tom is able to architect comprehensive environmental solutions from a holistic point of view.

Tom has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is continually searching for novel solutions to complex business problems.

Eliza Clark, JD
LEED Accredited Professional
Eliza Clark has unique experience fusing sustainability strategy with compelling communications for clients seeking to advance environmentalism through innovative policies and programs. Eliza’s core capabilities include strategic planning, internal communications and training, media relations, public policy, green meetings and events, stakeholder engagement and reputation management.

Prior to joining Paydirt, Eliza was vice president of one of the nation’s first environmental marketing agencies, where she led a diverse range of “green” initiatives from strategic planning through implementation. Previously, Eliza served as an account supervisor at Tunheim Partners, where she assisted Fortune 500, nonprofit and public sector clients with a variety of communications needs, including positioning, branding, public affairs and crisis communications.

Eliza graduated cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, and summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the Honors Program at Denison University. An accomplished writer, Eliza is passionate about aligning smart sustainability practices with distinctive marketing and messaging platforms.