GO GREEN / LEED Consulting

Is the building you own or manage sustainable?
Do you set goals/baselines for energy and water  reductions and savings?

2B Green World, a sustainable consulting company specializing in Existing Commercial Buildings (EB), improves clients assets (commercial buildings) through implementing sustainable operations & maintenance (O&M) practices which raises Net Operating Income (NOI) through reducing operating expenditures, adding building value and/or savings to the tenants.  Building value is created by taking the projects realized savings over a 12 month time period (starting directly after implementing sustainable practices) and dividing the Annual Savings by the Capitalization (“Cap”) Rate (Annual Dollar Savings / Cap Rate).

Marketing your building improves becasuse of implementing “Green”/Sustainable practices and demonstrating factual evidence on “Green” changes and explaining their realized benefits.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Certification for Existing Buildings (EB):  Operations & Maintenance (O&M), is the most popular “Green”/Sustainable certification program in the World.  The US Government mandates all their New Construction (NC) projects be LEED Certified and any buildings the Government leases/rents – the building must be LEED Certified or they will vacate their space to find a building that is LEED Certified!

Building Owner’s who have a Government Agency leasing space from you be careful and get your building LEED Certified before they leave when their lease is up!  Getting your building LEED Certified to save your Government tenants is a small cost compared to the amount of rent that Government Agency is paying you to rent space!

Call 2B Green World to find out how to get your building LEED Certified
(813) 964-7336

“Going Green” has many benefits and will create savings for building owners:

1. Reduces Energy & Water usage/expense
2. Lowers Operating Expenses,
   
3. Improves Marketing ability
4. Improves Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for building occupants
5. Increases Recycling Program
6. Track & Document Sustainable Operations

Be Smart, Do Your Part – Go Green Today!

2B Green World – (813) 964 – 7336

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Most industries have heard of the acronym LEED, standing for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design.  The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) created LEED in 1996 as a way building owners can follow sustainable practices and reap the benefits of being green.

2B Green World is a LEED Consulting company specializing in Existing Building (EB) Certification.  The EB market is so large and robust that it consumes about 35% of the energy use in the USA!  That’s a lot of energy…and money!

2B Green World specializes in creating value for clients by reducing their assets energy and water use and implementing sustainable practices.  Reducing energy and water consumption saves a lot of money – 1 building 2B Green World worked on saved over $225,000 in 2010 vs. 2009 energy costs!  That equates to an annual reduction of 18% for the buildings energy use!  We also save about 2,500,000 gallons of water from retrofitting plumbing fixtures and fittings as well as installing water softener for the cooling towers, saving about $20,000/year in water costs!  This same building, 100 North Tampa, also recycles about 75,000 pounds every month, or 900,000 pounds per year!

100 North Tampa

This picture of 100 North Tampa, with Bryan Lauer (me) and Calvin Buikema.  Cal is the Senior Property Manager for the building and I am the LEED Consultant for 100 North Tampa.

Bottom Line – LEED Certification saves money, creates building value, enhances the assets features and is another “Arrow in the Marketing Quiver”. 

We improve buildings “Triple Bottom Line”

- People, Planet and Profit -

The People are in a more environmentally friendly place, there is better indoor air quality, no chemicals used, environmentally friendly products used for a healthier work environment.
The Planet is improved because we use less energy and water, and recycle more.
Profits have been realized by the reductions of energy and water use.

LEED is the present and future, find out more about LEED Certification for Existing Buildings (EB) today by calling 813.96 GREEN (47336)

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LEED Certification?  You have to of heard the acronym “LEED” before, maybe even more than you care for, however LEED is the World’s most recognized “Green”/Sustainable Certification Program.  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the number 1 way to demonstrate your sustainable efforts and accomplishments.

LEED Certification is good for so many reasons:

• Improve Marketing Ability
• Increase Building Value by Reducing Resources (Energy, Water) Usage
• Improve and Expand Recycling Program
• Improve Indoor Air Quality by Using “Green” Products
• Implement “Best Practices” According to the USGBC (United States Green Building Council – the creators of LEED)
• Document, and Track Sustainable Efforts & LEED “Credits”

What is wrong with the Tampa Bay Area?  The Tampa Bay Rays are great but they have the lowest attendance of fans in the Major League!  Why is that?  Is something in the water that makes Tampa Bayians lazy?

I have worked on about a dozen large office buildings in Florida and all buildings have saved enough money by reducing energy and water usage to pay for all the costs of Consulting and LEED Fees within 1 – 2 years!

2B Green World – 3 LEED EB Case Studies Cost Savings

2BGW – LEED EB Projects Energy Savings Equivalents

But I can’t even give away my services to building owners!  One building owner has an older building that spends about $4.50/square foot for electricity!  Typically buildings should spend about $1.50-$2.00/square foot!
I proposed to work on that building and 2 others for free up front but share a percentage of the energy savings realized at all 3 projects over a 5 year term. 

Can you believe they said “NO”?

Can someone help me out with getting new business for my sustainability company – 2B Green World?  Our projects “Payback” within 1-2 years, typically, and my fees are reasonable and willing to do small up front fee and share a % of energy savings over 2-7 years!

There are tangible and intangible benefits to LEED.
The tangible benefits are savings money, retrofitting light bulbs to less wattage/longer lasting/etc., changing faucet aerators to less GPM (Gallon Per Minute) 2.5GPM to 0.5GPM = 2 Gallons Per Minute Savings!
The intangible benefits are harder or almost impossible to calculate:  Improving Indoor Air Quality leading to higher productivity of building occupants, having direct lines of site to sunlight and optimal lighting conditions improve occupants productivity levels, using better quality Air Filters to capture more dust particles improve air quality and all examples lead to less sick days of occupants as well.  As you can see, the intangible benefits are harder to calculate and justify.

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2B Green World, a LEED Consulting Company, led the way for Island Center and Waterford Plaza (located on Rocky Point in Tampa, FL) to be awarded the prestigious LEED Certification for Existing Buildings (EB).

2B Green World was the LEED (EB) Consultant for both projects, conducting the building commissioning/engineering work that is part of LEED (EB) Certification.

Nearly every story has a dream-like picture perfect water view, proudly standing highest on the small island of Rocky Point, looking over both Tampa, to the East, and Clearwater to the West.

Island Center & Waterford Plaza Highlights

• Each comprise roughly of 250,000 square feet;
• Energy Star ratings in the high 80′s, low 90′s (10th Percentile)
• Energy efficient improvements implemented with estimated Return On Investment (ROI) outlined
• Water efficiency upgrades/retrofits reduce demand on water, energy for water pumps and prolong pipes and attached parts
• Improved Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) makes for cleaner/healthier atmosphere leading to more productive/happy/healthy occupants
• Increased recycling efforts include everything from paper, plastic, toner cartridges, electronics, furniture and demolition waste
• Cleaning company uses environmentally-friendly products roughly 70-80%, by cost, of the time

To see more about these LEED Existing Building (EB) projects, please visit 2B Green World’s website here

For more information, please email Bryan Lauer at Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

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Take our short survey, below.
Are you interested in using a web-based online tool to track LEED EB requirements for your building, or portfolio of buildings and create reports based on the information being tracked?
If so, then take our short survey to find out more -

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“Energy Star“, often heard in today’s “Green Industrial Boom”, is a tool used in many different areas but has 1 main goal – to help save & reduce energy use.
You can purchase Energy Star rated products, like computers, printers, fridgerators, washing machines, etc. and typically save 30% energy use vs. the standard product.

Energy Star can also be used to track buildings energy performance on an ongoing basis.  Their website can be used to setup a “Portfolio Manager” Tool, giving users the ability to review multiple buildings under one portfolio.

In Energy Star, you can track the following types of buildings:

• Offices
• Bank/Financial Institutions
• Courthouses
• Data Center
• K-12 Schools
• Hospitals (Acute Care and Children’s)
• Hotels
• Retail Stores
• Supermarkets
• Senior Care Facility
• Residence Halls/Dormitories
• Warehouses
• Medical Offices
• Wastewater Facilities
• House of Worship

2B Green World, a consulting firm specializing in sustainability and LEED EB certification, will help you get setup into EnergyStar.

Please email us at Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com to find out more about getting your project setup into Energy Star.

2B Green World is a proud partner with Energy Star

Energy Star Parnter Logo

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2B Green World (2BGW), a consulting firm specializing in LEED certification for Existing Buildings (EB), has developed a step-by-step process for clients to go through the LEED EB Certification process. 2BGWs – “LEED EB Green Guide” (name of software), takes users through the LEED EB certification process in a user-friendly way.


The program is in its final stages before going public.  We are expected to go live in the 3rd Quarter of 2011.  If you are interested in being in the BETA program please email us – Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

“We have developed an effective and efficient process for building owners to obtain LEED (EB) Certification”, says Bryan Lauer, Owner of 2B Green World.  “Now anyone has the ability to gauge their project(s) achieving LEED EB Certification.”

“This is a do-it-yourself program that guides you and the ‘Team’, step-by-step, from start to finish, allowing users to keep costs down, and go at their own pace. You can also email a help-center for questions and clarifications.

The initial LEED EB certification process should take anywhere from 1,500 – 2,500 hours, between all Team members. Team members consist of:

* Project Contact/Coordinator – “LEED Project Manager”
* Project Vendors/Contractors:

1. Landscaper
2. Pest Control
3. Window Washer
4. Cleaning Company
5. Light Bulb Supplier
6. Contractor for “build-outs”
7. Recycling – Durable Goods and Ongoing Consumables
8. Waste/Landfill Management
9. HVAC vendors
10. Chiller – Chemical Management Vendor
11. And all other vendors related to the project building(s)
*  TenantsVisitorsProperty Management & Operations Teams
*  LEED EB Green Guide

The step-by-step process easily guides users through all 4 Phases of LEED Certification:

* Phase I – LEED EB Feasibility Study
* Phase II – LEED EB Implementation/Application Submission
* Phase III – LEED EB Final Review/Application Submission
* Phase IV – LEED EB: Ongoing Tracking & Implementation

Email or Call us today to find out more about how you can LEED (EB) certify projects on your own – 813-964-7336 or Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

The step-by-step process was developed for the primary project contact and team members to work on “Task Items”, taking on average 10 – 45 minutes to complete. This allows the Team to complete multiple tasks in one sitting or day, moving the project forward easily.

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The Florida Gulf Coast Chapter (FGCC) of the USGBC upcoming events:  LINK

• Wednesday, March 2nd - Charlotte County Waste-water Facility Tour – 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM – 17430 Burnt Store Road, Punta Gorda. FL 33955
• Thursday, March10, 2011 – SOUTHWEST FLORIDA LEED CASE STUDIES SPEAKER SERIES – Edison State College – Fort Myers – 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – Student Services (Building S), Room S117.  Follow the campus signage to Parking lot #6 for the most convenient access.  Vendor space is still available for suppliers of related products. signed up please do so quickly as we a filling up fast.  You can register and pay online at www.csifloridasouthwest.org
• Tuesday, March 15, 2011 - LEED BD+C IEQ credit by credit review – 1.5 CEU hours – St Petersburg College EPI Center – Room 1-324 — 13805 58th St. N. in Largo, FL – SIGN UP HERE

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Representative Kathy Castor’s Outreach Director and Legislative Aide for Energy & Environment are touring 100 North Tampa on Thursday, February 24, 2011.

Bryan Lauer and Cal Buikema

Kathy Castor’s team is in for a treat – touring 100 North Tampa with Cal Buikema, Senior Property Manager, and Bryan Lauer, owner of 2B Green World and the buildings LEED Consultant.

Representative Kathy Castor’s team is touring 100 North Tampa to learn more about LEED certification for Existing Buildings (EB) and sustainability for office buildings.  LEED certification is a great way to implement sustainable practices and ensure proper ongoing implementation.  View 2B Green World Projects here – PROJECTS

2B Green World is HQ in Tampa, FL, specializing in obtaining LEED Certification for our clients assets.  Our goals are to make a “win-win” situation by improving clients “Triple Bottom Line”.  

100 North Tampa is a 42-story, 574 foot high, Class “A” office building, often referred as “Downtown Tampa’s premier office building”.   This project is 99% leased as of November 2010.

Downtown Tampa has 2 LEED EB Certified Projects:

• 100 North Tampa – received LEED EB Silver Certification in October 2009
• City Center – received LEED EB Gold Certification in early 2010

Downtown Tampa has 1 LEED Commercial Interior (CI) Project:  Gensler, 100 North Tampa Building, Silver Certified.  There are no other LEED certified projects in downtown Tampa.  Greater Tampa Bay has about 2 dozen LEED certified projects of all types, but there are only 3 LEED EB projects certified to date.  The 3rd LEED EB project is the USAA building, a single tenant building.

There is increasing interest from both, large/institutions and small building owners, in sustainability and LEED Certification.  100 North Tampa saved over $200,000 in energy costs in 2010 vs. 2009!  All projects 2B Green World has completed has saved enough energy to pay for all costs within 2 years, and in most cases 1 year!  These are great facts to have as to why building owners should pursue sustainability and LEED certification.

More information about 2B Green World can be found at their corporate site, here – www.2BGreenWorld.com

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I HAVE TO MAKE THIS KNOWN

Commercial Real Estate firms have been developing their own “Green” groups specializing in LEED certification and other sustainable services, offering their new services to clients.  What happens is that the commercial firms monopolize their clients by offering sustainable service, claiming to be competitive with sustainable consulting firms.  In many cases, this can be a dis-service to their clients by withholding outside proposals from companies specializing in sustainable/LEED certification consulting.

The dis-service comes into play when the property manager doesn’t even forward the sustainable consulting companies proposals to the owner, deliberately keeping us out of the bidding process, if there is one.

OWNERS SHOULD ASK FOR 3 TO 4 PROPOSALS FROM OUTSIDE COMPANIES SPECIALIZING IN SUSTAINABILITY. Sustainability is our core competency but we have a commercial real estate background, understanding the management and operations process, combining the two creating even more value.

Experienced LEED Consulting companies can provide the same service, and probably better service, to building owners.  I have experienced this first hand, multiple times, and finally voicing my opinion so it gets heard.

Building owners should ask their property management companies to obtain bids from expert consulting companies to compare rates and understand who else is in the market and what their services are.

I have been shunned by too many large commercial real estate firms because they want to keep the revenue that’s generated from LEED consulting fees.  This is a disservice to their client and it needs to change NOW!

BUILDING OWNERS, ASK ME FOR A PROPOSAL EVEN IF IT’S JUST TO COMPARE RATES.

MY COMPANY HAS PRODUCED ENOUGH ENERGY SAVINGS IN THE FIRST YEAR TO PAY FOR MOST OF ALL LEED CONSULTING FEES!

We do this by implementing best practices using common sense and sustainable practices.  View our projects and their savings here – 2B Green World Past Projects

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Check out the amazing Class “A” Office Buildings I’m working on in Florida.

These projects are in different stages of obtaining LEED Certification.  There are many benefits to achieving LEED Certification, such as:  Cost Savings, Electric Savings, Water Savings, Increase Recycling, Improve Building Operations & Maintenance.

Find out more about getting your project LEED Certified.  Email Bryan Lauer at Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com or call 813.96GREEN (47336).

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2B Green World is based in Tampa, FL specializing in LEED Certification Consulting. We are reliable, effective and efficient getting your project LEED Certified.  2B Green World has completed multiple Existing Building projects having an average payback less than 2 years!

Project – 100 North Tampa; Gross SF – 590,947

Total Project Cost – $155,000

Payback – 7 – 8 months

Project – 2525 Ponce de Leon; Gross SF – 263,118

Total Cost – est. $65,000

Payback – 7 -8 months

Project – 2555 Ponce de Leon; Gross SF – 112,711

Total Cost – est. $55,000

Payback – 1.34 years

We are the cost-effective route with obtaining LEED Certification through consulting.  We treat every client individually and develop a plan based on their goals.

Our LEED consulting fees vary, primarily based on Gross Square Feet, working within our clients budgets and time frames.

For more information call Bryan Lauer at 813.363.0861 or email at Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

Please call with any questions or interest you may have.  Go Green!

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2B Green World proved that going green saves green.  Please read the article here – http://www.review.net/section/detail/green-makes-green/

For more information on how to save money and LEED call Bryan Lauer at 813.363.0861 or email – Bryan@2BGreenWorld.com

100 North Tampa Bldg.

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Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is the most recognized standard when going “Green”.  “It’s (LEED) like ADA (American’s with Disability Act) when it first came into existence.”  LEED is becoming industry standard putting those Certified head and shoulders above others.  LEED has different meanings that everyone must be cognizant of.

LEED addresses the complete lifecycle of buildings.  There are different LEED systems to address different project types:  Homes, Neighborhood Development, Commercial Interiors, Core & Shell, New Construction, Schools, Healthcare, Retail and Operations & Maintenance.

Once the Operations and Maintenance of the various LEED project types begin creates sustainability, including cost savings.  The bulk of cost savings is realized through implementing energy efficient best management practices outlined in the LEED Reference Guide.   There are many benefits to LEED, including:  Increasing Occupancy Rate, Reposition Asset, Increase Asset Value, Reduce Operating Expenditures, Increase Marketability, Improve Corporate Image, Improve Indoor Air Quality, Utilize Environmentally Friendly Products.  The cost of LEED can typically be paid back within 3 to 5 years, sometimes sooner.

“The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven building rating system based on existing proven technology.  It evaluates environmental performance from a whole-building perspective over a building’s life cycle, providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a green building…LEED has five environmental categories:  Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality…It is based on accepted energy and environmental principles and strikes a balance between known, established practices and emerging concepts. It is a performance-oriented system in which points are earned for satisfying criteria that address specific environmental impacts inherent in the design, construction, and operations and maintenance of buildings.” (USGBC- LEED EB: O&M manual)

There are different levels of certification (Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum) awarded based on the number of points earned.  The LEED process is very comprehensive in scope yet simple once established.

For further information please visit www.GoGreenCommercially.com or call Bryan Lauer at 813.349.8550, bblauer@clwrg.com

-Bryan Lauer, LEED AP

CLW Real Estate Services Group

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The following project was completed by Sustainable Services, a boutique LEED Certification company specializing in Existing Buildings.  To inquire on LEED Certifying your building, please contact Bryan Lauer at 813.349.8550 or bblauer@clwrg.com

Tampa’s tallest building just got “taller”

100 North Tampa recently received LEED Silver Certification from the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) on October 19, 2009!  The results come from a year long effort by the staff of CLW Real Estate Services Group, lead by Calvin Buikema, and Sustainable Services, lead by Bryan Lauer, LEED AP.

The LEED (Existing Building) Certification entails all aspects of building management, operations and maintenance.  The LEED process “fine-tuned” building operations and maintenance enabling a more effective and efficient building.

The following are the results of a 12-month process.

Major Highlights

• 9 pre-requisites to qualify for LEED (EBOM) Certification were attempted
• 48 out of 52 Credit points were achieved – a Silver Rating
  • 2 Sustainable Sites (SS)
  • 9 Water Efficiency (WE)
  • 13 Energy & Atmosphere (EA)
  • 7 Materials & Resources (MR)
  • 10 Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
  • 7 Innovation in Operation (IO)
• The LEED team implemented no-cost/low-cost energy efficient strategies with very significant projected savings.
• The LEED team has developed an energy-efficient capital improvement plan for lighting retrofits and HVAC improvements.
• With building owner approval, the LEED Team retrofit – 140 toilets, 173 faucets and 14 shower-heads.
• Management improved the cooling tower operation and resulted in saving an estimated 1.1 million gallons of water and $7,300 per year!  The project cost was $11,000.
• Management discontinued irrigating the landscape as the plants are well established and native.  This will save an estimated 26,728 gallons of water per year and average savings of $102 per year over 10 years.
• Increased the property’s recycling program and now track the amount of materials leaving the building (outlined below).  The site generated 311,165 pounds of ongoing consumable waste of which 228,905 pounds (74%) were recycled during our performance period (3/1/09-5/31/09).
• The LEED Team created the following policies/procedures to ensure best management practices and the use of sustainable products:
  • Building Exterior and Hardscape Management Policy
  • Integrated Pest Management, Erosion Control, and Landscape Management Policy
  • Sustainable Purchasing Policy (Facility Alterations & Additions)
  • Solid Waste Management Policy (Ongoing Consumables, Durable Goods and Facility Alterations & Additions)
  • Light-bulb Purchasing Policy – to reduce the amount of mercury-containing light bulbs onsite
  • Green Cleaning Policy
  • Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Management procedures
  • High Performance Cleaning policy
  • Indoor Integrated Pest Management policy
• Management now has the following tracked and documented:
  • Light bulb purchases – to verify our goal of averaging 70 picograms per lumen-hour (mercury) or less
  • Ongoing Consumables – to verify and compare the amounts going to the landfill and amounts being recycled
  • Durable Goods – to verify all durable goods leaving the site are properly disposed of
  • Facility Alterations & Additions – to verify our contractor’s purchase at least 50% sustainable products and divert at least 70% of waste generated during build-outs/improvements
  • Cleaning products – to verify our goal of purchasing at least 90% sustainable products
  • Cleaning Equipment – to verify our goal of purchasing sustainable equipment from now on.  Currently, over 30% of our cleaning equipment is sustainable
  • Pest Management products – to ensure environmentally-friendly products are used within the building
• The LEED Team conducted a Waste Stream Audit to better understand the buildings waste streams.  The results conclude that building occupants, for the most part, properly dispose of “waste”.  (this credit was not earned even though attempted).
• The LEED Team conducted a 10-question Occupant Comfort Survey.  334 building occupants (30.6%) filled out the survey with over 75% either “Neutral”, “Satisfied”, “Mostly Satisfied” or “Very Satisfied” on all 10 questions.
• The LEED Team conducted a Custodial Effectiveness Assessment that audited:  office space, restrooms, corridors and lobby.  The average score was 1.18 – nearly perfect with 1 being the best and 5 being the lowest.

In conclusion, the LEED Certification process was a great success.

• The building is running efficiently and effectively
• The building occupants are satisfied
• Management implements best practices
• Vendors are utilizing environmentally-friendly products

For more detailed information, go to www.GoGreenCommercially.com and type in “100 North Tampa” in the websites search-bar at the top right of the site.

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Sustainable Services is an LLC specializing in converting Existing Buildings into LEED Certified buildings.  We are a boutique firm based out of Tampa, FL.  We have the capacity to work anywhere around the country.  We are relationship driven and treat each client as if there were our only client.

Our cost-effective process produces the following benefits for building owners:

• Reduce Operating Expenses
• Increase Marketability
• Increase Occupancy Rate
• Increase Rental Rate
• Increase Sales Price
• Increase Recycling
• Improve Building Operations
• Improve Indoor Air Quality
• Improve Occupant Comfort
• Utilize “Green”, environmentally-friendly products

The first project undertaken was a 42 story, 550,000 square foot office high-rise in downtown Tampa (100 North Tampa Street).  

For more information, please contact Bryan Lauer at 813.349.8550 or blauer123@hotmail.com

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