For More Information:
Bo South, Vice President
704.940.3905
bsouth@myers-chapman.com
CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 8, 2010 – An industrial facility renovated by Myers & Chapman (www.myers-chapman.com) has earned LEED© Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Rock Hill, S.C., building is occupied by Carolina Ingredients, an international food production company that blends and packages seasonings. The 70,000-square-foot building serves as the headquarters for the business as well as its research, production, packaging and distribution facility.
Carolina Ingredients is one of the first industrial food producers in the U.S. to occupy a LEED©-certified manufacturing facility and the first seasoning manufacturer in the country to use solar energy as an alternative energy source in production.
The most notable aspect of the $2 million renovation is a 156-unit photovoltaic solar panel array, designed and installed by Argand Energy, which generates 43,590 kilowatts of electricity. The system is expected to reduce the business's carbon footprint by 23 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Carolina Ingredients also installed and uses a solar thermal system to pre-heat water for its natural gas-powered water heater.
The 70,000-square-foot facility includes offices, product testing and development space, an employee locker/shower area, production area, and warehouse/distribution space.
Myers & Chapman completed the renovation in December.
The project included the replacement of all plumbing, HVAC, and electrical devices. Only materials rated low VOC (volatile organic compounds) were used in the renovation.
Carolina Ingredients expects the new facility to use 88.5 percent less wash-down water than conventional food producers, and save energy through the use of more efficient lighting and special attention to natural lighting throughout the building.
"Carolina Ingredients wants to be an environmentally friendly manufacturer and be attractive to environmentally sensitive food production partners," says Doug Meyer-Cuno, president of the business. "With that in mind, we chose R4 Architecture, Optima Engineering and Myers & Chapman to design and build the facility. These companies are experienced in green building and in the LEED© certification process. We're pleased with the way that Myers & Chapman handled the construction of the job. They brought great knowledge and value to the project."
Myers & Chapman has six LEED©-accredited staff members, including company CEO Bob Webb. The firm's headquarters off Billy Graham Parkway in Charlotte is Gold-Level LEED©-certified.
"We're extremely pleased with the result achieved for Carolina Ingredients," said Bob Webb, CEO of Myers & Chapman. "All of the partners in the project, from the owner, the architect, Optima Engineering, our subcontractors, and our own staff, really worked hard to ensure the project came together better than Carolina Ingredients expected. We broke new ground in the region in terms of creating an environmentally sensitive industrial facility and we're looking forward to seeing more of this type of investment in our region."
Founded in 1953, Myers & Chapman is one of the Carolina's oldest contracting firms. Headquartered in Charlotte, the firm provides services throughout the Southeast, including preconstruction services, general contracting, design/build, and green and sustainable building services.
