U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL AND CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE COMMEMORATE 110 TOWER’S LEED GOLD CERTIFICATION WITH PLAQUE CEREMONY
8/4/2011

​On July 13, Transwestern and Genesis Capital Partners welcomed 50 VIP guests of 110 Tower for a private gathering in the 7th floor ballroom to celebrate the LEED Gold certification of the largest commercial building in Downtown Fort Lauderdale.

On hand for the celebration were Mayor Jack Seiler, 110 Tower’s design team, building contractors, tenants, and members of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the Downtown Development Authority of Fort Lauderdale, NAIOP of South Florida, and U.S. Green Building Council of South Florida. Hors d’oeuvres were served as a saxophonist entertained the crowd.

 
The event began with a formal ceremony hosted by Walter Robinson, senior vice president of Transwestern, who recognized the 110 Tower team including Genesis Capital Partners XI, Ltd. an investment fund sponsored by GenCap Partners, Inc., the owner of 110 Tower; Laurel Oswald and Jennifer Lee, who alongside Robinson, lead the commercial leasing efforts for 110 Tower; Andrea Lopez, vice president management services, southeast region, Transwestern; and Ellen Rivera, senior property manager for 110 Tower.
 
“110 Tower is an iconic building in Fort Lauderdale, and with this distinction, comes a corporate responsibility,” stated Walter Robinson, senior vice president, Transwestern. “This award represents our commitment to preserve natural resources and to provide a safer, healthier workplace for our tenants and surrounding neighbors. This was a collaborative effort on behalf of Genesis Capital Partners and Transwestern and one that we worked hard to achieve. We are very proud to be part of this team.”

Since being brought on board as the commercial leasing agent for 110 Tower, Transwestern has leased more than 200,000 square feet of office space of which 90,000 are new tenants.
 
David Coddington, vice president, Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance then spoke on the economic impact that sustainability has on the city, followed by Andrea Lopez, who highlighted the environmental features implemented at 110 Tower that elevated the building to this high level distinction.  Mayor Jack Seiler expressed the City of Fort Lauderdale’s support for 110 Tower and his appreciation for the team’s dedication and willingness to see this project through.
 
To cap off the ceremony, Robert Cannellos, president of the U.S. Green Building Council of South Florida, presented 110 Tower with a plaque, officially designating the building as LEED Gold certified. As dusk set in, 110 Tower’s new exterior lighting system was lit green in honor of the significant milestone.
 
110 Tower, the 30-story, 391,473 square-foot ‘class-A’ office building is currently the only option for tenants seeking a LEED Gold certified building within a multi-tenant high-rise office tower in Downtown Fort Lauderdale. 110 Tower is ranked as one of the Top 10 Largest LEED for Existing Buildings and one of the Top 20 Largest LEED Gold certification-level projects throughout South Florida by the South Florida Business Journal.
 
110 Tower’s LEED Gold certification is based on the actual operating performance of the existing building. The rating system addresses all levels of the building’s operation, such as exterior building site management programs, water and energy use, environmentally preferred products and practices for cleaning and alternations, sustainable purchasing policies, waste stream management and ongoing indoor environmental quality.  110 Tower’s onsite property management team utilized the expertise of Transwestern Sustainability Services, a LEED consulting firm based in Milwaukee, to achieve their goals for 110 Tower.
 
GenCap Partners and Transwestern incorporated a number of enhanced eco-friendly strategies, achieve the heightened standards of LEED Gold from USGBC, including:
  • Energy Efficiency:  The Tower’s Energy Star score was 86, placing it in the top 14% of similar buildings nationwide. The building emits 33% less greenhouse gas emissions than an average building, and is saving more than $198,000 on utility bills annually.
  • Sustainable Site: A highly reflective roof surface and an 8,798 square-foot vegetated roof area reduces the urban heat island effect, and minimizes the impacts of microclimates on humans and wildlife.
  • Water System Efficiency:  The implementation of a water efficiency program, including plumbing fixture retrofits, accomplished a 35% reduction of water use in all fixtures.
  • Green Cleaning:  The Tower utilizes products and equipment that are toxin-free to preserve air quality in the building.
  • Recycling: Implementation of a waste stream audit and occupant education programs to increase the amount of recycling and waste diversion in the building.
  • Purchasing:  The Tower uses a green office supply purchasing program to minimize the environmental impacts related to energy use, resource depletion, and waste.
The largest building in the CBD, 110 Tower is in the midst of a comprehensive $15 million renovation program that includes upgrades to the ground floor lobby, new 6th street look, upgraded upper-floor common areas and other interior spaces, replacement and improvement of all building primary mechanical systems, and a unique exterior lighting system. New and existing amenities include New York Bagel Café & Deli, a health club with pool, bank, and conference center. For more information, please visit www.110Tower.com. For leasing information, contact Walter Robinson, Laurel Oswald or Jennifer Lee of Transwestern at (954) 607-1083.
 
About Transwestern
Transwestern is one of the largest privately-held commercial real state firms in the United States. A diversified operating company, Transwestern is active in the real estate service, development and investment management businesses. Transwestern creates value for clients through innovation, penetrating market intelligence and legendary service delivered by teams of local market experts. The firm has product specialties including office, industrial, retail, multifamily and healthcare, as well as a wholly-owned research affiliate, Delta Associates. Transwestern leads the industry in sustainability and has received multiple ENERGY STAR® awards from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
 
About GenCap Partners
GenCap Partners, Inc. is a real estate investment, advisory firm based in Dallas, Texas. The firm provides specialized real estate advisory, asset management and development services to domestic and international institutions in core markets nationwide. GenCap focuses on creating value and superior returns for its clients through investments in office, multifamily and industrial products. The GenCap Group brings substantial experience in sourcing, underwriting, structuring and managing real estate investment and development transactions. GenCap’s strategic approach to real estate balances opportunistic, core and value added approaches to the market to meet the unique risk profiles of its diverse clientele. GenCap currently manages over $400 million on behalf of its European private and institutional clientele.
 
About U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 80 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 155,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, teachers and students. Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.
 
About LEED
The. U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED green building certification system is the foremost program for the design construction and operation of green buildings. Over 32,000 projects are currently participating in the commercial and institutional LEED rating systems, comprising over 9.6 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 114 countries.  By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. USGBC was co-founded by current President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, who spent 25 years as a Fortune 500 executive. Under his 15-year leadership, the organization has become the preeminent green building, membership, policy, standards, influential, education and research organization in the nation.  For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.