Exeter business LEED-ing the wayBuildings abandoned because of increasing environmental restrictions will soon be remade as one of the most environmentally friendly offices in the nation.
Garuda International held a groundbreaking ceremony Jan. 16 for the construction of its new headquarters at the former Waterman Foundry at the corner of G and Chestnut streets in Exeter. The three steel buildings on the north end of the property will be converted into the company's future office, packaging warehouse and manufacturing plant.
CEO Roger Matkin said the buildings would be a gold LEED certified building once they are completed. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a voluntary building certification adopted by the U.S. Green Building Council. The USBGC is the nation's foremost coalition of business leaders across the nation working toward more environmentally responsible yet profitable buildings. There are only 20 gold certified LEED buildings in the state.
We really have two bottom lines as a company, Matkin said. The first is to be environmentally friendly and the second is second is to financially responsible. It all fits together with our business, but we would still do
Garuda plans to spend $2 million on the first phase of construction to renovate two 5,000-square-foot buildings into offices and a warehouse. The next phase, which would cost an estimated $3 million, would convert a expand a third building into a manufacturing plant sometime next year. Once the manufacturing plant is open, Garuda will increase its number of employees.
Mountain Vista Construction's owner Stuart Rigney said about 75% of the original building will be kept in the renovation. He said 10-20% of the building would be constructed with recycled materials.
Rigney said both buildings in the first phase would be completely powered by photovoltaic, or solar panel, systems. Landscaping will use native, drought-resistant plants that, along with automatic faucets and flushers, will reduce water use by 50%. Even the parking lot will be green with a pervious material that will allow water runoff to soak into the ground and not into the city's storm drain system. Overall, the cost of construction is only about 10% higher than traditional buildings. The buildings will also use 50% less energy by using more natural light, efficient fixtures and automatic heating and air conditioning systems that shut off at optimum temperatures.
In five to six years our electricity will be free, Matkin said. We would be crazy not to do this.
LEED certification also involves creating a healthy work environment for employees. Rigney said every employee will be able to see outside from their workstation and that the ventilation system will monitor carbon dioxide levels and draw in fresh air when it gets stuffy. Showers will be installed in the offices so that employees can ride bicycles to work and vanpool parking will be available to reduce carbon monoxide emissions to and from work.
The happier the employees are, the more productive your company will be, Rigney said. This building will set the standard for everyone to follow.
The city of Exeter is happy too. Mayor Ted Macaulay said the project is a positive reflection on the entire city.
Anyone would be thrilled to have this in their town and they chose Exeter, Macaulay said. We pride ourselves on being different than other cities, and I think this is another feather in our cap.
The buildings are part of the former foundry where irrigation manufacturer Waterman Industries made its moldings and castings for water control gates and valves. The plant was shut down in 2002, partially because of increasing environmental restrictions in California, and more than 50 employees were laid off. Macaulay said the project will not only invigorate an abandoned building, but bring good paying, technical jobs which will help the local economy.
I think the word is getting out that this project is in Exeter and hopefully will bring a few more industries like this one into town, he said.
Matkin started Garuda 23 years ago in the back bedroom of his Santa Cruz, Calif. home. Armed only with a typewriter, Matkin worked to make contacts within the ag industry and customers overseas. Originally the company exported vitamins overseas. It has since grown and now produces its own products. Garuda takes agricultural waste, such as whey, or the water part of milk separated during the process of making cheese. The whey is then purified and used to produce all natural food, beverage and dietary supplements, such as its Garuda's COWCIUM, which provides lactose-intolerant people with milk that has high calcium and phosphorus content, no fat and is low in lactose. Other products include VEGE-COAT, an all-natural, edible coating used to preserve flavor and extend the shelf life of nut meats, prevent stickiness of licorice pieces, and coat nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical tablets.
Six years ago, he moved the company to Exeter to be closer to the agriculture industry and is currently operating out of an office on Industrial Drive. Garuda now produces more than 90 products sold to multinational food, cosmetic, dietary supplement and pharmaceutical companies in more than 30 countries. According to http://www.garudaint.com, the company maintains memberships with the respected National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA), Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and the American Botanical Council.
I think the growth potential for this industry is huge, Matkin said. I think we will see a lot of expansion in the next five to 10 years.