ecofi was a bootstrapped startup, and CEO Richard Lamondin had a theory. if multifamily building portfolio owners could lower their water and energy bills by a third, why wouldn't they? he was right.

ecofi scaled as a traveling band of sustainability plumbers. small upgrades like higher-graded shower-heads, toilets, lighting systems, and building energy systems, compounded across thousands of units for capital savings and lower emissions.

the business had started slowly. with Lamondin unable to get the company in front of the right people. but it caught fire when one large partner sent ecofi on tour across the sunbelt, with its crews of florida-native trades workers sharing airbnbs to get on site the next morning.

in 2025, ecofi had saved 10 billion gallons of water, 361,000 metric tons of CO2, $113 million in utility costs, and 516 million kilowatt-hours of energy. lamondin had kept the company alive through inflation, dwindling incentives, and tariff policies over time, surviving by staying agile and true to the trades.