Byron DeLear

Welcome to Intention this is Byron DeLear. I'm very excited today to bring you a very special voice – a special episode of Intention. Now, for my listeners and viewers, I know there’s been quite a bit of time between episodes, this is because of other commitments. So, I just want you to know I appreciate your loyalty and staying tuned to the episodes – however infrequent — when they do get published. I’d like to think it’s about quality, not quantity. Well, you’re in for a treat with this one… Show more

Welcome to Intention this is Byron DeLear. I'm very excited today to bring you a very special voice – a special episode of Intention. Now, for my listeners and viewers, I know there’s been quite a bit of time between episodes, this is because of other commitments. So, I just want you to know I appreciate your loyalty and staying tuned to the episodes – however infrequent — when they do get published. I’d like to think it’s about quality, not quantity. Well, you’re in for a treat with this one, Last February, I helped organize and was honored to speak at the St. Louis NAACP’s Civil Rights Conference; and now, in partnership with the NAACP, we bring you a poignant and moving talk by one of the nation’s finest legal minds, Debo Adegbile. But this speech is not lawyerly — this presentation is an emotional tour de force through the history of American Civil Rights, and if you’re listening to the audio-only podcast, please take the time to pull up our YouTube Channel and see the short film that accompanies the talk. You’ll also hear from my dear friend Adolphus Pruitt, President of the St. Louis City NAACP, sharing the impactful and momentous history of the St. Louis Chapter of our nation’s largest and most widely recognized civil rights organization. This episode was a labor of love and I hope you enjoy this as much as I did in pulling it together. Show less

Ygrene Announces New Department of Social Impact to Enhance Community Partnerships and Social Responsibility Efforts

Byron DeLear, Vice President Of Social Impact, Presented Public-Benefit Findings And Social Impact Goals At The NAACP Civil Rights Mini-Conference St. Louis, Missouri


February 22, 2022--Ygrene, one of the nation’s leading property improvement financing providers, today announced a new Social Impact initiative to enhance community partnerships and social… Show more

Ygrene Announces New Department of Social Impact to Enhance Community Partnerships and Social Responsibility Efforts

Byron DeLear, Vice President Of Social Impact, Presented Public-Benefit Findings And Social Impact Goals At The NAACP Civil Rights Mini-Conference St. Louis, Missouri


February 22, 2022--Ygrene, one of the nation’s leading property improvement financing providers, today announced a new Social Impact initiative to enhance community partnerships and social responsibility efforts. Ygrene’s Social Impact Department will concentrate efforts on building and maintaining a robust coalition of partners made up of environmental, equity, consumer advocacy, and other local, state, and national groups to promote ethical and environmentally sound policy for the more than 550 communities Ygrene currently serves.

Byron DeLear will lead the effort as Vice President of Social Impact. DeLear led the company’s Midwest operations for several years and the firm’s nationally recognized equity and inclusion efforts, including training and expansion of economic opportunities for minority and woman-owned contractor companies, which are being replicated nationwide, since 2017.

“Sustainability and purpose-driven social impacts have always been at the core of Ygrene’s mission. Advancing economic opportunities for the most people possible through minority contractor training and helping to provide financing solutions for homeowners in need have been some of my most rewarding professional experiences,” said DeLear. “Equity and inclusion and expanding the number of coalition stakeholders to broaden impacts will be central to this role, and I’m excited to be leading this effort.” Show less

Tornadoes have again ravaged Missouri and Governor Mike Parson recently declared a state of emergency in response to recent flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi River systems as a “result of release from upstream reservoirs, snow melt and excessive rainfall.” As thousands of Missourians start rebuilding in the wake of the devastating disasters and more still prepare for the future, they must be able to reinforce and build stronger homes that can stand up to future tornadoes and floods… Show more

Tornadoes have again ravaged Missouri and Governor Mike Parson recently declared a state of emergency in response to recent flooding along the Missouri and Mississippi River systems as a “result of release from upstream reservoirs, snow melt and excessive rainfall.” As thousands of Missourians start rebuilding in the wake of the devastating disasters and more still prepare for the future, they must be able to reinforce and build stronger homes that can stand up to future tornadoes and floods. State lawmakers can help them do this by passing legislation to expand a Missouri program to include affordable disaster resiliency renovations for all homeowners. Show less

About 45 years ago, thousands of truckloads of radioactive material were illegally dumped at the West Lake Landfill in north St. Louis County. The nearly 50,000 tons of contaminated substances were nuclear byproducts of America’s top-secret mission to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. Since 1946, more than 100,000 tons of the deadly material was stored out in the open near the St. Louis airport, and it eventually leached out, contaminating the Cold Water Creek… Show more

About 45 years ago, thousands of truckloads of radioactive material were illegally dumped at the West Lake Landfill in north St. Louis County. The nearly 50,000 tons of contaminated substances were nuclear byproducts of America’s top-secret mission to build the world’s first atomic bombs during World War II. Since 1946, more than 100,000 tons of the deadly material was stored out in the open near the St. Louis airport, and it eventually leached out, contaminating the Cold Water Creek floodplain. Later huge quantities were dumped at West Lake. After decades of negligence and denial, new reports from federal agencies now admit many St. Louisans have had an increased risk of cancer due to exposure to the waste. For anyone who has studied the record, it is clear laws were broken by mismanagement of these deadly substances and lives have been ruined and lost. The costs, incalculable. Show less

The mystery of the first American flag's origins has flummoxed historians for nearly two centuries. Author Byron DeLear pieces together its fascinating tale at the beginnings of the American Revolution. THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG explores this important national icon and how the introduction of this galvanizing symbol occurred at a time when the trappings of American nationhood were taking shape -- in less than a month's time, a new navy, a new army, a new flag, and a new name for a nation came… Show more

The mystery of the first American flag's origins has flummoxed historians for nearly two centuries. Author Byron DeLear pieces together its fascinating tale at the beginnings of the American Revolution. THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG explores this important national icon and how the introduction of this galvanizing symbol occurred at a time when the trappings of American nationhood were taking shape -- in less than a month's time, a new navy, a new army, a new flag, and a new name for a nation came into being.

"The Commonwealth of Massachusetts played a significant role in the shaping of our nation, but the lesser known story is the role played by the City of Somerville. Byron has perfectly captured the significance of Somerville's contribution to the nation's first flag atop our Prospect Hill." -- Mayor Joseph Curtatone, Somerville, MA

"What a great book! Meticulously researched, vividly-written, and superbly illustrated, THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG tells the story -- so much that we can know -- of the flag George Washington raised on a Somerville flag pole on the first day of 1776. Byron DeLear introduces the many people involved in creating that flag: John Paul Jones and Margaret Manny, Robert Morris and Benjamin Franklin, and above all, Washington. Drawing on evidence that includes letters and diaries as well as North Carolina paper currency and New England scrimshaw, DeLear leads us through myth and legend to history. THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG is essential reading." -- Robert J. Allison, Professor of History, Suffolk University

"In this compelling work on the 'Grand Union Flag,' Byron DeLear takes a new look at an old subject. he has written a new and important work on America's formation of a national identity. In THE FIRST AMERICAN FLAG, DeLear helps us gain a more in-depth understanding of the evolution of the United States of America and its attendant use of symbols to represent the new nation." -- James J. Ferrigan III Show less

Missouri is now in a position to lead on one of the most successful public-private partnerships and economic drivers in recent memory. As one of the early state adopters of the Property Assessed Clean Energy program, also known as “PACE,” the Show Me State has the most successful and diverse PACE programs in the Midwest, creating good-paying jobs and upgrading infrastructure without public spending. Perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that PACE programs in Missouri are available for both… Show more

Missouri is now in a position to lead on one of the most successful public-private partnerships and economic drivers in recent memory. As one of the early state adopters of the Property Assessed Clean Energy program, also known as “PACE,” the Show Me State has the most successful and diverse PACE programs in the Midwest, creating good-paying jobs and upgrading infrastructure without public spending. Perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that PACE programs in Missouri are available for both commercial property owners and homeowners — one of only three states in the U.S. to do so. Show less

ST. LOUIS, Oct 10, 2017 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ygrene Energy Fund, a national leader of residential and commercial clean energy financing, today announced the acquisition of Energy Equity Funding (EEF) LLC, one of the earliest and largest Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) administrators in the U.S. The two firms will combine their local operations based in Missouri, supporting both Ygrene’s recent launch of its PACE program in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County and further… Show more

ST. LOUIS, Oct 10, 2017 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Ygrene Energy Fund, a national leader of residential and commercial clean energy financing, today announced the acquisition of Energy Equity Funding (EEF) LLC, one of the earliest and largest Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) administrators in the U.S. The two firms will combine their local operations based in Missouri, supporting both Ygrene’s recent launch of its PACE program in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County and further expansion throughout the state.

“The recent launch of our residential PACE program in St. Louis represented a big step for Ygrene,” said Rocco Fabiano, President and CEO of Ygrene Energy Fund. “The rapid expansion of commercial PACE projects within the region have demonstrated an appetite for PACE programs in Missouri. Already, we’ve seen major energy efficiency upgrades on historic buildings and redevelopment of underused properties to help revitalize the region’s urban core. We look forward to giving residential property owners the option to make similar safety and sustainability improvements.”

EEF’s CEO, Byron DeLear, will join Ygrene as Managing Director & Central Regional Executive, while EEF COO, Tom Appelbaum, will take the helm as Senior Director, Midwest Business Development. DeLear and Appelbaum founded EEF in 2010.

“We have long recognized the service-based philosophy of Ygrene to meet or exceed the sustainability, social and economic development goals of the communities they serve,” said DeLear. “This triple bottom line approach is also what has driven Energy Equity Funding's work in the Midwest and will lead to long-term success of bringing the best-in-class PACE product to property owners, our municipal partners and their communities." Show less

Historians have long tried to pinpoint exactly when the name 'United States of America' was first used and by whom. A new find suggests the man might have been George Washington himself.