GOING GREEN IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS

“Going green” may be a buzzword today, but at Reno Contracting, it’s not just a slogan—it signifies Reno’s commitment to building structures that are environmentally responsible and good for its customers. Reno is one of the first Southern California contractors to take a leadership role in sustainable building projects. As a member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Reno utilizes LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) guidelines, by implementing an integrated design approach at the beginning of its projects. In this way, Reno can keep upfront costs to a minimum and maximize long-term benefits for the customer.  Reno has been named one of the top-ranked LEED builders in the Southern California by Engineering News-Record, by virtue of Reno’s volume of work in a registered green building program and its commitment to training project managers and staff as LEED Accredited Professionals.

Building Green Benefits the Customer, Communities and the Environment

What are the obvious benefits of a green building? Studies have shown that tenants who work within a green interior are up to 18% more productive. Employees in environmentally efficient factories and office buildings have less absenteeism, improved production and morale. Recruitment of employees to work in green environments is higher. Add to that a 30- to 70-percent energy savings, reduced liability and improved risk management—plus increased valuation of the building—and you have the ideal case for building green.

“One of our missions at Reno is to guide building owners through the process of creating sustainable projects. When approached and planned correctly, these projects are cost-effective with lower operational costs (energy use), increased occupancy rates and healthier work environments. The results are substantial by attracting and retaining personnel, which in today’s market is critical to a business’ success, ”says Walt Fegley, President of Reno Contracting. “Also, efforts implemented now will bring great benefits to generations in the future.” By getting tenants on board in the initial development phase, green projects can be built to meet the tenant’s individual goals and environmental values. Not only does it make sense economically, but also, according to Eric Gradyan, Project Manager for Reno and LEED Accredited Professional “Building green is the right thing to do—and it’s good for business.”

Green Building Benchmarks 

As the nationally accepted standard for design, construction and operation, the LEED state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development include water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. “We would like all our projects to be evaluated for LEED certification,” says Eric Gradyan, who, along with Walt Fegley, initiated the green movement within Reno. “Not all of our clients want to ‘go green’ at first, but as everyone involved in the construction process learns more about what it can mean, we expect to see more architects and developers jumping in.”

Reno Contracting has a number of high-profile LEED registered projects currently under way. The Kilroy Sabre Springs office campus is precertified—meaning the project has met the U.S. Green Building Council’s rating system for its environmental design and use of sustainable materials. Once completed, the Sabre Springs project will go through a rigorous USGBC review process that will result in award of certification.

Two additional Reno projects have been registered for LEED certification: the ViaSat Building Six in Carlsbad, and the high-performance BioMed Realty building that will house the biomedical firm Illumina as its sole tenant.

Reno Contracting LEEDs the Way in Going Green

That’s the green goal, and to ingrain the ethic in its employees, Reno began right in their own offices through a recycling program years ago. Gradyan noted, “Every employee has enthusiastically joined in taking on our Green Building Program recycling initiative.” Along with the main office program, trash and debris from project sites are recycled with all the proceeds donated to the Wounded Warriors Foundation, a non-profit that supports wounded veterans. Additionally, Reno is stepping up their LEED involvement by training the majority of their employees in LEED’s certification process.

For more information on how Reno can assist your next project in going green, visit their website at www.renocon.com or call them at 619-220-0224.