Dennis Allen Bio

Dennis Allen is president of Allen Associates, a Santa Barbara-based general contracting firm, specializing in custom environmentally friendly building. Dennis began his career in building over 35 years ago because of a passionate interest in solar energy and a desire to use resources more sensibly. Since then, he has become a nationally recognized authority on environmentally friendly building practices.

For more than 20 years, he has taught courses on sustainable design and construction through the University of California Extension Program and at the Santa Barbara Community College Adult Education Program. He has spoken before the Advisory Board of the Joint Center on housing Studies at Harvard University, the national Remodelers Guild, and a variety of community groups on green building issues. His commentaries on sustainable solutions to environmental and social problems have been published locally, regionally, and nationally. Dennis is also a LEED® Accredited Professional.

Dennis is active in community organizations: the Green Building Alliance, the Santa Barbara Contractors Association, and the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects. For the past 10 years, he has served as a member of the County of Santa Barbara's Innovative Building Review Program, a program that encourages energy efficiency and sustainable practices in building projects within the County. He chairs the Dean's Council of the Bren School for Environmental Sciences and Management at the UC Santa Barbara and is currently a board member for two local non-profits, the Community Environmental Council and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

Under Dennis' leadership, the company has won numerous local, regional and national awards for the quality, beauty and "greenness" of its projects. The company has received the Best Green Building Award from the Santa Barbara Contractors Association every year since the award was created in 1998 as well as the Builder of the Year Awards three different times (the highest award given by the Contractors Association). Many of Allen Associates' projects have been featured in national publications and six have received National Chrysalis Awards. Remodeling Magazine has honored Allen Associates as one of the top fifty remodeling companies in the country.

In addition to his interest in sustainable land use planning, design, and construction, Dennis enjoys foreign languages, wilderness retreats, healthy cooking, and gracing the dance floor.