Building The Future Together

The Wisconsin Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC-WI) celebrates leaders in the built environment by hosting their Annual Transformation Awards Reception to honor the individuals, groups and organizations championing sustainable practices and driving market transformation within Wisconsin’s built environment.

Hunzinger is proud to be presented with the Award of Merit for Education and to have a number of its clients receive awards this year!

We had the honor of being presented our award by longtime USGBC board member and recent retiree from Facilities Development for the State of Wisconsin Facilities Development, Rex Loker. In his presentation Rex said that, “Hunzinger has been at the forefront of LEED construction practices and administration for over 10 years and has 38 LEED Accredited Professionals, with specialty, on staff. They lead by educating clients, property owners, facility managers, subcontractor, and architects on green building practices. While they have many notable achievements, I will mention a few including creating a division, Sustainable building Solutions (SBS), for the purpose of green education/training and consulting and has trained over 1,200 people in Southeast Wisconsin for their LEED AP Exams. Next, Hunzinger has developed and presented a course to the International Union of Painters, AFL-CIO District Council No. 7 and the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters where they have trained over 1,500 tradespeople. Finally, Hunzinger facilitates an annual Green conference that is free to attend with over 250 attendees annually with over 2,000 people attending to date. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient who has had a greater positive impact on LEED education in our state”.

Phil Vetterkind, Director of Sustainable Building Solutions accepted the award and said, “It is a great honor to be recognized for something that we love doing and that we at Hunzinger think is so important”.

Other awards that night included Hunzinger clients, The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, The Dominion Group’s Sage on Jackson project and Wangard Partners for their High Point Building.

The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM) was awarded the Community Champion Award of Excellence. The award recognized HACM’s commitment to ensuring that the benefits of sustainable design are shared equitably across society, as well as for setting new benchmarks for sustainable development in Milwaukee and internationally.

Mayor Tom Barrett, who provided opening remarks at the ceremony and welcomed attendees from across the state, lauded the honor: “This award recognizes the Housing Authority’s leadership in sustainable design practices and its success in demonstrating that conservation and sustainability can be a part of the built environment that benefits all citizens, regardless of their economic circumstances. HACM Secretary-Executive Director Tony Pérez and his staff have earned this honor through their daily commitment to improving the lives of Milwaukee’s residents and neighborhoods.”

“We are honored to receive this award because it recognizes both the care we take to provide healthy built environments for our residents and our efforts to conserve our planet’s natural resources,” said Pérez.

Hunzinger/SBS client Dominion Properties was honored with an Award of Merit in the Innovation category for their commitment to their Environmental Resources Management Initiative founded on the understanding that our environment is precious, so they are committed to reducing their carbon footprint and conserving our resources. They make choices every day that benefit their residents and “pay it forward” by educating them on the benefits and savings. They make sure that their buildings use the least amount of resources possible. In doing so, they have become better stewards of our planet. Dominion Properties are leaders, out in front of all other residential property managers and developers in Milwaukee. They chose to seek out and are in the process of 3rd party verification (SBS) of their construction for LEED Platinum certification of their Sage on Jackson apartment infill development. It is the logical culmination of their deep commitment to sustainability and the best example of how they “think differently”. They are showing everyone that it can be done and it can make financial sense for developers to put sustainability on the priority list. They are exhibiting an entirely new way of approaching apartment construction in Milwaukee.

The final Hunzinger/SBS client to receive an award was Wangard Partners who received the Award of Excellence for Operational Excellence. They were recognized as a commercial developer that has set itself apart from all others within the marketplace through the revitalization of brownfield sites. Turning what are often times forgotten/blighted properties into fully operational community needs. As arduous a task as this may be, the company’s passion is to identify community needs and fulfill them, while also improving the landscape and economic development of the surrounding community. Wangard Partners also offer Property Management Services and each building within their portfolio has maintenance operations and sustainable landscape plans. Each has a mission of continuous improvement with a fundamental prerogative to be resourceful and environmentally friendly while caring for the buildings that host 5,000 professionals each day. High Point Office Center is one example of Wangard’s ability to embrace sustainability through the many LEED initiative they under take in order to maintain the Class A office building on a stunning campus. Wangard Partners’ core belief of sustainability runs deeper that most within their industry; it’s a way of life and defines their operational excellence and Hunzinger and Phil Vetterkind, Director of SBS are proud to have worked with Wangard to complete 5 Energy Star certifications and an EBOM Gold LEED RE-Certification on Wangard’s High Point Building. It is great to work with a repeat client that is so committed to sustainability in our built environment.