Nationwide Insurance's 280 Plaza is Columbus' latest green building

Energy efficiency efforts lead to LEED EB Certification

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2010

Contacts:
Nationwide
Liz Christopher 614-249-7705
christe1@nationwide.com

CBRE
Robert O. Click 614-430-5040
rob.click@cbre.com

Columbus, Ohio — Employees of Nationwide and several other companies are now working in downtown Columbus’s latest green building at 280 North High Street.

Nationwide Insurance’s 280 Plaza has been awarded LEED® EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Existing Building) certification. Established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED® is a leading edge rating system certifying the greenest performing buildings in the world and a nationally accepted benchmark for building sustainability.

“We’re proud to have partnered with building manager CB Richard Ellis to earn this designation and provide a more energy efficient and environmentally friendly workplace for our associates and the more than a dozen other tenants of our building,” said Ken Fraizer, Associate Vice President of Corporate Real Estate at Nationwide. “We’re proud to be operating in an environmentally friendly way.”

This is Nationwide’s third major facility to earn a LEED certification. Nationwide built and opened downtown Des Moines, Iowa’s first LEED certified office building in 2009. Nationwide Funds Group associates in the Philadelphia suburb of King of Prussia moved into a LEED silver office building in July 2009.

CB Richard Ellis enrolled 280 Plaza in the LEED program last year and worked with Nationwide and the other building tenants to gain certification. Several updates were made to the building, including revisions to the ventilation system, modernizing the elevators, instituting an office recycling program and working with a janitorial company that became Green Sealed certified. These measures and other Nationwide green initiatives will result in more than $150,000 in annual savings on building operational costs.

“Earning LEED certification validates our commitment to enhancing the environmental sustainability of 280 Plaza while making a positive contribution to the well-being of our community,” said building manager Gary Calliari, CB Richard Ellis senior real estate manger. “The transformation of 280 Plaza is a significant achievement and supports our ongoing efforts to make the building a model of energy and resource efficiency.”

To receive LEED® EB certification, Nationwide met high standards for building sustainability, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.

For Nationwide, it is another milestone in its continuing efforts to develop more environmentally friendly workplaces. Nationwide is currently the largest member of the Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman’s GreenSpot program and through that has committed to several measurable and meaningful sustainability initiatives.

Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by A.M. Best. The company provides a full range of personalized insurance and financial services, including car insurance, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life insurance, farm, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and health and productivity services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.

_{Nationwide, the Nationwide Framemark and On Your Side are federally registered service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.}