California is the world’s eighth-largest economy, and a trend setter in the green sector, whether it’s a matter of purchasing, energy, green technology or policy. If you want a big footprint as a green company, you can’t ignore this market.

John A. Quelch, professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, writing about marketing strategies for the current economy, has this to say:

“This is not the time to cut advertising. It is well documented that brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower cost than during good economic times.”

We’re on pace for the biggest event yet – the savings potential from green products and services, the state’s new green building code, its push for green building and greenhouse gas reductions, and financial incentives from the state, utilities and federal stimulus funds are clearly keeping the green movement alive.

Here’s what one senior purchaser said last year about the Lounge: “I was surprised at the number of amazing ‘green’ products that are out there; many that I had never even heard of before. Next year, I plan on bringing more staff with me so that our department can better take advantage of the opportunities that are available to buyers.”

The International Green Build Conference, November 10-14, 2009 drew 1200 exhibitors and 25000 attendees. The show has grown to be among among the biggest sustainable/renewable conferences, and was Graced by Al Gore, Sheryl Crow and other public figures.

Many Fortune 100 companies have taken permanent places. Whether exhibitors were truly sustainable, or just working hard to look that way, it’s becoming clear that “green building” will not be a differentiator, but a requirement within the next few years.

The show drew a diverse crowd, from the ruddy-faced battalions of sales reps at Johnson Controls, to their younger counterparts with innovative niche specialty products (with natural hair and bearded chins). Also present were the hosts of government agencies and associations supporting commerce, labor and trade. College students and young professionals comprised a significant segment of the gathering.

Notwithstanding the sluggish economy, attendees and exhibitors were eager to share and to learn. Challenges of the all-too-slow emergence of sustainable and renewable business have given green business veterans the patience of the ages.

We were fortunate to meet a great number of important participants, more evidence that the “real deal” is thriving on green. Some of the meetings we had:

The creative people of Rubicon Seven, led by Principal J. Tedrowe Bonner, who boast achievements such as raising a $180 million fund to develop land use projects that serve the “triple bottom line” (people, planet, profit).

Also at Rubicon Seven’s booth, the architects of 7group, including Bill Reed, Bohn Boecker, and Marcus Sheffer, signed my copy of their new book: “The Integrative Design Guide To Green Building,” an authoritative text for the field, which redefines the practice of sustainable architectural design.

Featured on the cover is their recently completed project, the new home of the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems. The Executive Director of Syracuse CoE, Ed Bogucz, shared his vision for the program with me: fostering the convergence of academic study and business commercialization. We discussed Torque’s notion of brand talent, and how the ‘brand tribe’ can determine the competitive advantage of a business and shapes its value proposition. Intrigued, Ed invited us to their private reception that evening.

At the reception, S. Richard Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair US Green Building Council (also a board member of the Syracuse CoE) spoke to the attending guests, and recognized accomplishments of the Center and the breathless success of the Green Build show.

Orchestrating behind the scenes of all this was Jan McAdams of The McAdams Group. Jan has been at the forefront of helping sustainable business raise grant, loan and donated money for 30 years, and knows all the public, private and governmental players of substance. Jan is also an advisor to Unique Solar Solutions.

In addition to supporting all of the above individuals, Jan was at Green Build in collaboration with Jenni Peterman, President and CEO of Global Green Grants and Consulting, currently involved in construction of a series of six LEED certified health care facilities in Texas and other Southwest markets.