Comerica launches renewable solutions group

Comerica Bank, Dallas, has announced the expansion of its environmental services department (ESD) through a new group dedicated to growing and supporting Comerica’s renewable energy business. Matt Breight, senior vice president and ESD group manager, has been appointed to lead Renewable Energy Solutions. He reports to Joe Ursuy, senior vice president and director of environmental services.  

Breight has been with Comerica since 1998. Before becoming vice president in 2013, he served as a relationship manager within the small business, middle-market and environmental services departments. As group manager, his team worked with growing companies in the U.S. and Canada that collect, transport, treat, recycle, process and dispose of various types of waste. This includes solid, recyclables, e-scrap, hazardous, liquid and landfill gas. Breight holds a Bachelor of business administration from Western Michigan University.   

Since the department's founding in 2006, Comerica says its ESD has seen significant achievements in the renewable energy space. In recent years, its experience in financing landfill gas and biomass naturally has evolved into financing independent renewable energy generators for other forms of renewables, including those involved in the solar, wind and anaerobic digestion industries.   

"Over the past decade, we have developed deep industry expertise within ESD supporting companies that produce renewable energy from certain sources like landfill gas,” Ursuy says. “While waste and recycling remain ESD’s steadfast foundation, we feel it makes sense to target the broader renewable sector with our proven relationship banking model, combined with a strong leader in Matt.”  

The bank says it will continue to invest in both the waste and recycling business along with the renewable energy group. Clients will experience no changes in the service they receive, Ursuy says.   

Comerica also will continue to support and collaborate with associations and nonprofits such as The Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas and the Environmental Research and Education Foundation to advance sustainability and improve industry practices.  

By consolidating related efforts from across the organization under one umbrella, the Renewable Energy Solutions group also allows Comerica to better align credit resources. This includes underwriting and approval, driving greater organizational consistency and benefiting its broader sustainability objectives by driving green loan growth and improving the accuracy of data related to its renewable efforts.   

“Comerica, a longtime member of the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas, has a proven track record when it comes to ethics, commitment to and expertise in working with renewable energy businesses,” says Johannes Escudero, founder and CEO of the Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas. “I am excited to see this increased investment in the renewable energy industry, as I envision it will further help support our goal of ensuring present and future generations will have access to domestic, renewable, clean fuel and energy.”  

Comerica Bank says it is committed to protecting and preserving the environment to help communities and the planet thrive. In 2020, the bank established an ESG council, the purpose of which is to deliver strategy and programs to maintain Comerica’s ESG leadership among peers and within the financial industry.  

Last year, Comerica established its new Office of Corporate Responsibility, to protect and preserve the environment; diversity, equity and inclusion; and community service.