WMSBF November 10 Membership Meeting

Haworth, Holland

Schools of Hope

Fritz Crabb, Director of Literacy at the Heart of Michigan United Way, presented on the School’s of Hope tutoring program.  After outlining the need for action – highlighting the dropout and illiteracy rates – in the Grand Rapids Public Schools, he presented the program, inviting members of the WMSBF to participate.  The program relies on local business support and all tutors receive 2 hours of training.  If two or more employees from a work site sign up, training can be done on site.

WMSBF Announcements:

• The Design Committee announced that it is nearing completion on its first home and set to begin the second in January.  There will be an open house in mid-December, but donations for the house and a holiday car package for the family are still being collected.
• The State Sustainable Business Conference is this Thursday, November 13.  There are still approximately 50 openings available.  Go to the Southwest Michigan Sustainable Business Forum’s website (www.swmsbf.org) for more information or to register.

§         All those eligible to vote on LEED 2009 standards are encouraged to do so this week, as a quorum is still necessary.

§         WMSBF President Marylu Dykstra encouraged all those with questions concerning the WMSBF’s restructuring into an independent 501c3 to contact her.

Presentation

Ken Branson, Manager of Facilities and Design Management at Haworth, offered a presentation on the building.  It was necessary to build a new building and the company wanted to apply its commitment to sustainability to its structure as it represents Haworth, its products and culture, to its clients.  The building is registered as LEED Gold but not yet certified.

The design process began with surveys, a site analysis, and sustainability studies determining access to daylight, wind energy, and other vital information.  The building has over 25,000 sq ft of office space, a glass atrium, and is nearing completion.

Questions:

·         Was material from the remodeling reused?

o        Windows were reused in concrete block, post-industrial content.

·         What was the total investment in the project?

o        The only number that has been made public is that it was about $120 per square foot.

·         What is the slope of the roof?

o        Ken was not sure, but felt it was about 12 degrees – compound, extra support to keep material from coming off was added but does not seem to have been needed.

Building Tour

Those in attendance were given group tours of the first floor of the atrium, highlighting structural and design attributes.

Attendees left as their tours ended near the entrance.

Attendance:

If you would like to have your email address included in future minutes, please indicate consent to do so to wmsbf@wmeac.org