Pioneer Construction, one of the largest full-service general contracting, design-build, and construction management companies in Michigan, Oct. 1 announced it has been named a certified green contractor by Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC). Pioneer is the first contractor in the Midwest and just the ninth in the nation to receive this designation.

The ABC Green Contractor Certification program is designed to document the construction community’s efforts to develop a sustainable workplace environment — both on and off the job site — while also recognizing ABC-member firms that are green industry leaders.

To achieve certification from ABC’s National Green Building Committee, Pioneer was evaluated by ABC and a third-party, onsite assessor to determine if its company policies and workplace practices met certain sustainability criteria. ABC’s Certified Green Contractor program focuses on the green initiatives ABC-member firms undertake in the workplace.

“Pioneer is proud to be a company that not only delivers ’buildings that perform,’ but also embraces sustainable practices in our day to day business operations. This helps us meet the needs of our clients with specific sustainability goals, and its good business,” said Tim Showalter, president and CEO of Pioneer Construction. “In many cases, the energy efficiency, employee productivity and other performance objectives of our clients motivate them to pursue building projects that already have many of the green characteristics that help attain LEED Certification or sustainable construction goals.”

“ABC members have been on the forefront of the green building movement since its inception, but ABC also believes in stretching green achievements beyond the construction process and into the workplace,” said W. Brewster Earle, chairman of the ABC National Green Building Committee. “The Green Contractor Certification program is another step in ABC’s goal to provide support and recognition for those firms that are setting an example for the industry by promoting green practices within the company and those that would like to create sustainability in the workplace as well as in construction practices.”

Each certified company must complete 13 prerequisites ranging from the electronic distribution of documents to establishing an aggressive recycling program. In addition, companies are required to fulfill at least 12 out of 36 elective items that include conducting a professional energy audit, engaging in water conservation efforts and providing incentives for carpooling or using public transportation. Each company also must achieve four education and training benchmarks, such as instructing employees on sustainability issues and requiring at least 25 percent of eligible managers to receive green building awareness education.

For more information, visit www.greenconstructionatwork.com/Certification.

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