TEMPE, Ariz. (Aug. 24, 2015) – Sundt Construction, Inc. (www.sundt.com) recently expanded its commitment to sustainability with a corporate-wide initiative to effect a positive change on the environment, increasing its presence as one of the top green contractors in the nation.
The company’s new environmentally focused charge is evidenced by the latest rankings from two of the industry’s leading construction publications – Engineering News-Record (ENR) and Building Design + Construction. Sundt advanced to 30th from 46th on ENR’s Top 100 Green Contractors list, and to 26th from 40th on Building Design + Construction’s Green Building Giants list.
“Our renewed corporate commitment has paid off, due largely to the efforts of the Sundt Sustainability Mentor Group, which includes representatives from all of Sundt’s business units,” said Dan Osterman, Sundt sustainability champion. “One area where our team has instituted significant change is in our reduction of generated waste at project sites. This year alone, our corporate standard of waste diversion increased to 75 percent, up from 50 percent on all Sundt projects.”
The Sundt Sustainability Mentor Group, a team of Sundt employees that promotes environmentally responsible practices at Sundt’s offices and jobsites, has grown significantly in membership over the past year. In addition to implementing new green standards within the company, the mentorship program has increased Sundt’s involvement in sustainable organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Greenroads International. The group has also helped cultivate green expertise among Sundt’s employee-owners, expanded the general contractor’s national profile as a green leader and focused its sustainability goals to achieve greater results – all with an objective of effecting positive change in the environment.
“A large part of our culture here at Sundt has always been focused on quality of life, which starts with protecting the environment,” said Osterman.
A few of Sundt’s sustainable projects that have been recognized this year include the LEED Silver certified University of Arizona Old Main Building renovation in Tucson, Arizona; the LEED Platinum certified University of California, Davis Tercero Student Housing Phase III complex in Davis, California; and the LEED Gold certified Butler Elementary/Puentes Middle School in El Paso, Texas. Sundt is also completing construction of the Sellwood Bridge over the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, which is being built in accordance with the Greenroads sustainability rating system for transportation projects.
About Sundt
Sundt Construction Inc. (www.sundt.com) is one of the country’s largest and most respected general contractors. Celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, the firm is known nationally for its innovative approach to construction services. Sundt currently is ranked the 75th largest construction company in the United States by ENR, the industry’s principal trade magazine.