Success Story: Tasharia Gardner, Owner of Gardner & Gardner Consulting LLC
Tasharia Gardner has spent more than a decade helping businesses stay organized and ready to grow. As the owner of Gardner & Gardner Consulting LLC, she supports entrepreneurs with business strategy, operations, marketing, construction management, grant writing, and back-office systems.
Participating in Elevate’s CEJA Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program enabled Tasharia to expand her business into the clean energy industry.
“I’m walking away from this program with a wealth of knowledge that has helped me grow my business,” Tasharia said. “The program has expanded my business’s capacity, especially in the clean energy field, by introducing me to tradespeople in the industry I can learn from as well as business owners I can offer services to.”
Tasharia launched Gardner & Gardner Consulting in Chicago in 2011. A few years later, she stepped away temporarily to return to Alabama to care for her parents. By 2017, she was certified to operate in both Illinois and Alabama, which allowed her to expand her business across state lines.
Her work eventually led her to Elevate, where she began supporting general contractors with bids, proposals, and other construction management needs. She decided to join the CEJA Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program to deepen her understanding of the construction industry and explore the growing field of energy efficiency.
The Incubator is one of 14 hubs funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) through Illinois’ Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). Passed in September 2021, CEJA provides a roadmap to move Illinois to carbon-free power, expand energy efficiency and other cost-saving opportunities, and bring the benefits of the clean energy economy to all communities.
As part of CEJA’s workforce training and contractor support ecosystem, the CEJA Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program helps contractors and nonprofits grow their businesses to meet demand for clean energy technologies and services.
Tasharia said the hands-on learning and exposure to industry experts helped her see how energy efficiency could become a core part of her business.
“Being able to have one-on-one meetings and learn about programs that aren’t always called out has been extremely important to my growth,” she said. “Now I’m on state websites every day trying to absorb more knowledge.”
With support from mentors she met through the program, Tasharia launched Gardner Heritiage Group, a new division of her business that will offer hands-on weatherization services to help homeowners reduce energy costs.
“With Gardner Heritage Group, I can go into someone’s home, give them an assessment, and actually help tighten up their home,” she said. “It expands my capacity on both sides of my business.”
One of the most meaningful parts of the CEJA Incubator Program for Tasharia was the community she found there.
“Being in class and having synergy with the other contractors has been awesome,” she said. “We’re now like a family. We have this camaraderie because we’re able to leverage different ideas off each other. I don’t see a lot of other programs that offer that.”
The program enabled Tasharia to create lasting connections within the industry. She said she still reaches out to instructors and peers when she needs guidance.
“Even though we’ve finished, those friendships are still there,” Tasharia explained. “It’s really nice to be able to pick someone’s brain and ask, ‘Where do I go to find this information? I’m looking forward to continuing to grow with Elevate and to build on the relationships I’ve made. I hope more people lean into this energy efficiency space and learn as much as they can.”
