United Way of Long Island's YouthBuild Graduate Gabriel Orengo of Central ISLIP is Long Island's First Official BPI Home Energy Professional Retrofit Installer

In a Life-Changing Experience, Orengo Joins ONLY 29 Other Professionals with this Certification in the Country

BPI's Mathew Anderson congratulates Gabriel Orenga, together with Rick Wertheim and Steve Muzyka of United Way of LI.

Gabe was presented with a plaque at United Way of Long Island's Earth Day Event to Commemorate his Achievement

United Way of Long Island (UWLI) is proud to announce Gabriel Orengo, graduate of UWLI’s YouthBuild Long Island, has earned the Building Performance Institute’s (BPI’s) Home Energy Professional Retrofit Installer certification; making Orengo - the first person on Long Island - to hold this prestigious credential.

Orengo joins only 29 other BPI certified Home Energy Professional Retrofit Installers in the country to hold this advanced certification, verifying that he has the knowledge, skills and abilities to install products and services related to existing home energy efficiency upgrades. Offered by BPI and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the certification demonstrates advanced competency through rigorous written and field exams, as well as work experience prerequisites.

Gabe completed his training through YouthBuild LI, a program offered through UWLI to low-income young men & women, ages 18 - 24, who work towards their TASC diploma while learning hands-on job skills. Theresa A. Regnante, President & CEO of United Way of Long Island states, “We are very proud of Gabe’s accomplishment. What makes this recognition so impressive, is his ability to face the challenges in his life and make that right decision leading him down the path to success.” She added, “Gabe excelled in all phases of the training - his drive to learn and his ability to lead drew him towards a position with United Way of Long Island where he now has the opportunity to mentor other young Long Islanders who are students in the program.”

“YouthBuild has changed every aspect of my life,” said Gabe. “Before I found YouthBuild I felt lost. I have never felt a sense of accomplishment like I did when I earned this certification. I feel secure, like I am never going to fall through the cracks again. It’s a feeling that drives me to work harder every day to show these young people, who are standing at the cross roads just like I was, that if they make smart decisions, there are no limits to what they can accomplish.”

Young adults train and learn about the green building industry trade at UWLI’s state-of-the-art E3 SmartBuild Training Center located in Deer Park, NY; a partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the facility is also an official BPI Test Center. This allows students to qualify for a more specialized career like Orengo’s, as a direct result of the training they receive at the building-science laboratory.

“The need for a highly skilled home performance workforce is constantly growing which is why BPI certified professionals like Gabe are in demand now more than ever before,” said Mathew Anderson, Director of Operations at BPI. He added, “Gabe is an inspiration to all of us and an ideal role model for future green builders like himself.”

To learn more about BPI certifications or United Way of Long Island’s YouthBuild Program, visit www.UnitedWayLi.org.

About Gabriel Orengo

Gabe, a 27 year-old Central Islip resident, is the devoted husband to Carly and the proud father of five year-old Jonathan. Growing up for this now successful professional was not easy, though. At the young age of 10 years-old, Gabe witnessed the loss of his brother in a tragic and fatal crime. His family was evicted from their home and lived in a shelter for a year. Through these experiences, Gabe was driven to become more financially independent. He began to turn his life around with the most notable milestone on that journey when he joined YouthBuild Long Island.

United Way of Long Island

United Way of Long Island advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, financial stability and health. We recruit people and organizations that bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. LIVE UNITED® is a call to action for everyone to become part of the change. United Way of Long Island is part of a worldwide network spanning across 41 countries and territories, including more than 1,200 local organizations in the U.S. For more information about United Way of Long Island, please visit www.UnitedWayLI.org, Facebook United Way of Long Island or Twitter @unitedwayli.

About the Building Performance Institute

BPI is the nation's premier building performance credentialing, quality assurance and standards setting organization. BPI develops technical standards using an open, transparent, consensus-based process built on sound building science. From these standards, we develop professional certifications for individuals, companywide credentials for BPI GoldStar Contractors, home energy rating systems and quality assurance services that help raise the bar in home performance contracting. BPI is approved by the American National Standards Institute, Inc. (ANSI) as an accredited developer of American National Standards and as a certifying body for personnel credentials.

For more information on BPI, visit www.bpi.org.