Houston, TX (PRWEB) April 23, 2012
Smith & Associates, the leader in the independent distribution of semiconductors and electronic components to electronics and high-tech manufacturers, today announced that the city of Houston has recognized the company as the winner of the first-ever Greatest Implementation of Green Building Innovations award. This highest honor, awarded by Houstons groundbreaking Green Office Challenge program, recognizes Smith & Associates for its ongoing efforts to become fully sustainable and carbon-neutral in its campuses and operations at home and around the world.
Being classified as an industry leader in sustainability is especially meaningful to us, as we dedicate a lot of effort to maximizing sustainability in both our offices and in our supply-chain operations worldwide, said Art Figueroa, environmental director of Smith & Associates. We’re honored that Smith received such a highly-regarded award by the city of Houston, where weve had our global headquarters for almost three decades. Our goal moving forward will be to continue to expand our sustainable initiatives globally and to ensure environmental responsibility.
Beginning in mid-September, the city of Houston challenged companies citywide to demonstrate leadership in environmental performance by taking measures to assure environmental sustainability, energy efficiency and, as the opportunities arose, ENERGY STAR and LEEDTM-rated certifications. Smith, with its commitment to become fully sustainable and carbon-neutral by 2020, incorporated the challenge into its ongoing improvement plans that included a state-of-the-art, air-cooled HVAC system, temperature-sensitive solar energy systems, companywide recycling efforts and other greenovation measures. The following are some of the major green building innovations and sustainability management programs implemented at Smith’s global headquarters located in Houston:
Changing out asphalt roof with eco-friendly materials cool roof and solar TPO poly roof system;
Solar photovoltaic rooftop system that can generate 91.08KW of solar power;
Solar thermal rooftop system to heat 115 gallons of water/day up to 140 degrees for office use;
Solar photovoltaic parking system to provide shade and electric car recharging stations for employees;
LED interior and exterior lighting systems with motion and light sensors, respectively;
Replacement of compressed gas HVAC system with air-cooled chiller towers, exterior water pumps, and chill water air handling units;
Development of Smith Sustainability Group (SSG), an employee-directed sustainability group that meets weekly to monitor, promote and implement green initiatives and sustainability management for Smith;
Smith provides two 2012 Chevy Volt electric-only cars for Smith employees as part of an incentive system in which high performers have full use of the car for one month. This raises awareness and familiarity of electric vehicles and smart transportation choices in a hands-on way for employees.
Smiths recognition as a leader in environmental sustainability is a direct result of an ongoing commitment to become a green company of the future. The next phase of Smiths corporate sustainability campaign will be the companys ongoing greenovation of Smiths other domestic and international offices. With offices worldwide, including Europe and Asia, Smith intends to build upon its successes locally and expand its service programs in 2012 to meet customer needs.
Smith pledges to think, act and operate green, said Figueroa. Receiving the honor of overall winner for the first Green Office Challenge is a true affirmation of our ongoing efforts. The event itself is a notable testament to the rapid growth and progress that Houston, as a community, has made in living a green and sustainable lifestyle.
For more information on Smith and Associates green initiatives, please visit: http://www.smithweb.com/en/company/smith-and-the-environment
About Houstons Green Office Challenge
The goal of the Houston Green Office Challenge is to equip and motivate property owners and managers throughout Houston to reduce their energy consumption, waste production, and water usage, as well as to encourage more office tenants to adopt sustainable practices like recycling, carpooling, and green product purchasing.
About Smith & Associates
Founded in Houston in 1984, Smith & Associates is a leader in the independent distribution of semiconductors and electronic components to electronics and high-tech manufacturers. Smith offers shortage sourcing for commodity and obsolete parts, innovative purchasing and inventory management solutions, redistribution of excess inventory, and component stocking for warranty and repair programs.
A privately held company, Smith & Associates employs more than 350 people worldwide, with annual revenue in excess of US $ 500 million. Smith’s regional hubs in Houston, Hong Kong and Amsterdam are ISO certified and IDEA compliant. In addition, sales and purchasing offices are located in Silicon Valley, Barcelona, Guadalajara, New York, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, and Denver. For more information, see http://www.smithweb.com/ or to reach a Smith representative 24 hours a day, please call: 1.800.HOUSTON or +1 713.430.3000.
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Contacts:
Mark Bollinger
Smith & Associates, V.P. of Marketing
+1 713.430.3000
mbollinger(at)validmgt(dot)com
Ashley Wilkinson
BOCA Communications
+ 1 415.738.7718 x4
Ashley(at)bocacommunications(dot)com
