Tampa, FL (January 30, 2019) — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Florida Gulf Coast Region has announced the winners of its 2018 LEEDership and Green Awards Program.
The nonprofit organization’s ninth annual LEEDership Awards celebration recognized and honored those outstanding projects, inspirational businesses, dedicated volunteers and community stakeholders who are LEEDing the way to a more sustainable built environment in the Florida Gulf Coast community. Over 110 guests attended the awards ceremony at the LEED Silver Tampa Bay History Center.
Chris Castro, Director of Sustainability, City of Orlando, highlighted the evening of recognition and appreciation for the Florida Gulf Coast’s green-building community as the event’s keynote speaker. Castro’s inspiring presentation shared many of the cutting-edge sustainability initiatives that the City of Orlando has embarked upon; making Orlando the greenest city in the Southeast as recognized by WalletHub and supported by the recent $2.5 million grant award from Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Alexis Muellner, editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal, served as the evening’s emcee. Taylor Ralph of REAL Building Consultants, and Chair of the USGBC Florida Gulf Coast Region, welcomed a packed room, and Sarah Boren, Community Director, USGBC Florida, provided guests with a peek into the strategic vision for the next 25 years of USGBC Florida.
In addition to the awards presentations and keynote address, LEEDership included a pre-event sponsored reception, dinner, networking with industry professionals from throughout the US, and a raffle. As the Region’s sole fundraising event of the year, LEEDership raised funds to support 2019 Greenbuild Atlanta scholarships for local college students.
The 2018 LEEDership Award winners included:
- Outstanding Community Initiative — All for Transportation
- Outstanding Elected Official — Harry Cohen, City of Tampa Councilman
- Outstanding Local Government — City of Largo
- Outstanding LEED for Homes — Element House
- Outstanding LEED for New Construction – Education: Public — USF St. Pete Kate Tiedemann College of Business
- Outstanding LEED for New Construction – Education: Private — University of Tampa Fitness Center
- Outstanding Green Infill Project – The Pearl
- Outstanding Community LEEDer — David Whitwam- Whitwam Organics
- Outstanding Business: Consultant — E3 Building Sciences
- Outstanding Business: Innovator — Two Wheel Bike Valet
- Outstanding Design Team – BECK Architecture
- Outstanding Developer – Strategic Property Partners
- Greenest Apple — Tampa Bay Farm to School
- Outstanding Green Event — Gasparilla Music Festival
- Outstanding Green Business: Solar Provider — SEM Power
- Outstanding Green Visionary — Marshall Gobuty, Mirabella / Hunters Point Developer
- President’s Award – Sean Baraoidan
The 2018 LEEDership Award Sponsors were:
- Silver Sponsors: VHB, Strategic Property Partners, Walter P Moore
- Award Sponsors: TECO, Creative Contractors, Mirabella
- Other Sponsors: Tampa International Airport, REAL Building Consultants, Willis Smith Construction, SEM Power, Emerald Engineering
Media: To obtain photos or arrange for interviews with award winners or USGBC leadership, contact Sean Baraoidan, Chair, USGBC Tampa Bay Branch sean@realbuildingconsultants.com or Sarah Boren, Community Director, USGBC Florida 904-535-0055 sboren@usgbc.org. Pictures of the event are available upon request.
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About LEED
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art “green” strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality. The awards event recognized projects and individuals that help move our region in a more sustainable, responsible and healthy direction—creating environmental, social and financial prosperity for all.
About the U.S. Green Building Council Florida
The U.S. Green Building Council Florida (USGBC FL) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit committed to a prosperous and sustainable Florida through cost-efficient, healthy, high-performing, and energy-saving green buildings. It embraces innovative building practices that conserve land, energy, water, resources and materials. USGBC Florida has nearly 15,000 members, volunteers and friends providing educational programs and market transformation services to the Sunshine State from seven Regions — Central Florida, Florida Capital, Florida Gulf Coast, Heart of Florida, Northeast Florida, Northern Gulf Coast, and South Florida. USGBC FL works toward its mission of market transformation through its robust educational offerings and awareness building initiatives, green building tours, green schools and Green Apple Day of Service, and policy advancement in support of public policy that encourages and enables sustainable green buildings and communities. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/usgbc-florida, explore the Green Building Information Gateway (GBIG), contact Sarah Boren (904.535.0055; sboren@usgbc.org) and connect on Twitter and Facebook.
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