Construction Business Owner, December 2010
Founded in 1984, Stewart Perry is a Birmingham, Ala.-based construction firm that seeks out repetitive customer relationships. They work primarily in the Southeast and offer commercial construction, civil management and adaptive reuse services. We talked to President Merrill Stewart about how the company's corporate headquarters embodies their values. Here's what he has to say.
Living Green: We believe that an office should represent something more than four walls and a roof overhead. In 2007, we built our campus on a 16-acre site that we redeveloped using sustainable methods. Our campus, which includes a shared community walking trail and three-acre pond for catch-and-release fishing, attained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification. One of the most interesting green features of our campus is the repurposed red bald cypress that was discarded from a jobsite in Florida. This wood has now become our ceilings, cornice and doors.
The biggest challenge of this project was site improvement. We had to drain the lake to remove coal tailings and worked hard to find the optimum spot for positioning the building on the land. Initially, the original plans were to raise the building higher, but through site improvement, we altered the reasons to raise the structure and kept the building closer to the ground. I believe buildings should be a partner with the land.
Through this project, we learned that having respect for the environment and implementing initiatives of sustainability are not that difficult. It makes sense and it's the right thing to do.
Reaping the Rewards: There is a perception that practicing green building methods can be more costly. I would say a case could be made that the payback is reasonable within a few years. We are already experiencing a 20 to 25 percent payback in utility costs for our campus.
On the Current Climate: The biggest challenge we face is that lenders are not loaning money to fund new projects. However, I think we are gradually climbing our way out and that this recession is part of a normal economic cycle. Though our jobs may take three times longer to obtain than in previous years, we have remained successful. One way that I define our success is that we have allowed everyone in our company to keep their jobs and retain benefits. We watch costs closely and pursue only opportunities that have real value. We haven't veered off on tangents, but rather have stuck closely to our core customer base.
Words to Live By: The best advice I ever received was from the late Houston Brice Jr., a principled man whom I worked for in the 1970s. He said, "Do not worry about future projects until you complete what's underway."
For more information about Stewart Perry or to read Stewart's blog, Planting Acorns, visit stewartperry.com.
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