Willdan Awarded $90 Million Contract to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions in New York Housing

ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Willdan Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WLDN) announced today that New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) selected Willdan through a technical engineering competition to provide innovative thermal load solutions for greenhouse gas emissions reduction at Tilden and Pink Houses. This $90 million design-build contract upgrades the heating and hot water infrastructure at multifamily housing facilities and introduces innovative electrification measures, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with NYCHA’s sustainability agenda.

These upgrades also aim to improve resident comfort indoors, domestic hot water availability, and heating reliability. As part of the winning design, Willdan proposed advanced heat pumps for both Tilden and Pink Houses and an innovative heating technology for Tilden Houses that provides new electrical heating panels that will allow the residents to control the temperature in each room. This heating technology is popular in Northern Europe and has been proven to be safe and comfortable in high-end hotels and offices throughout the world. More information about this technology and its benefits will be provided to Tilden residents prior to deployment. Other enhancements include central plant upgrades and air-to-water heat pumps for domestic hot water production.

“Addressing climate change and creating a greener, more sustainable world is one of the most pressing issues of our time,” said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. “The partnership that we have established with the Willdan Group will allow us to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions at these developments while delivering meaningful eco-friendly upgrades at the same time.”

“Our innovative design was competitively selected to best execute a key strategy in NYCHA’s Climate Mitigation Roadmap,” said Tom Brisbin, Willdan’s CEO and Chairman. “This project helps achieve a core pillar of NYCHA’s vision to ‘build back better’ to meet a majority of building energy needs through low- or no-carbon sources. This win demonstrates that Willdan can provide innovative electrification solutions that can achieve some of the world’s most aggressive climate goals.”

This contract targets at least 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, compliant with New York City’s Local Law 97. Willdan’s design can serve as a model for other high-rise buildings across the country. The design phase is scheduled to continue through 2021, with construction scheduled to begin in November of 2021 (Pink Houses) and January of 2022 (Tilden Houses).

About NYCHA

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in North America, was created in 1935 to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. NYCHA is home to roughly 1 in 15 New Yorkers across over 177,000 apartments within 335 housing developments. NYCHA serves over 350,000 residents through the conventional public housing program (Section 9), over 20,000 residents at developments that have been converted to PACT/RAD, and over 75,000 families through federal rent subsidies (the Section 8 Leased Housing Program). In addition, NYCHA connects residents to opportunities in financial empowerment, business development, career advancement, and educational programs. With a housing stock that spans all five boroughs, NYCHA is a city within a city.

About Willdan

Willdan is a nationwide provider of professional technical and consulting services to utilities, government agencies, and private industry. Willdan’s service offerings span a broad set of complementary disciplines that include electric grid solutions, energy efficiency and sustainability, engineering and planning, and municipal financial consulting. For additional information, visit Willdan's website at www.willdan.com. For additional information, visit Willdan's website at www.willdan.com. Follow Willdan on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. It is important to note that Willdan’s actual results could differ materially from those in any such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the risk factors listed from time to time in Willdan’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed for the year ended January 1, 2021. Willdan cautions investors not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Willdan disclaims any obligation to, and does not undertake to, update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release.