The installation of these and other green technologies resulted in an electrical use reduction of 320,565 kWh, which avoids more than 230 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to removing the CO2 emissions from 26,131 gallons of gasoline consumed or 535 barrels of oil consumed.
“There is something special in this building and in this community that we have put together,” said Jim Abrams, Medline’s chief operating officer. “If we could bottle it and sprinkle the dust across the company, we’d be a better company than we are today.”
The new 66,000-square-foot facility is home to 275 Medline customer service employees. Back in the spring of 2000, when Medline moved its customer service center from its Mundelein, Ill., headquarters, it had 25 workers.
“The outstanding quality of the people here, along with the generous support of the city and state of Iowa, has made Dubuque an ideal home for our fast-growing customer service team,” said Abrams. “Being a green company is a key strategy for our business. We are incorporating green initiatives in almost every aspect of our business, including all of our physical facilities and every area of our manufacturing and distribution processes.”
The environmentally friendly Dubuque building is currently undergoing The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification review for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED certification is generally viewed as a trusted benchmark for a building’s impact on the environment, using measures beyond just energy efficiency.
“Medline’s impact on Dubuque extends well-beyond quality jobs. Quality people make the real difference,” said Rick Dickinson Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer, Greater Dubuque Development. “Medline’s corporate management and local, dedicated employees continue to make Dubuque a destination for opportunity. Pure and simple: Dubuque is better because of Medline. Medline is better because of Dubuque.”
In addition to the Dubuque building, all of Medline’s new and existing office, manufacturing and distribution facilities (totaling more than 40 around the country) incorporate energy and cost efficient technologies, including:
Light sensors in all offices at the Mundelein headquarters (lights automatically turn off when no one is using a room or office);
High-output T5 light fixtures (more energy efficient) and on/off sensors in all warehouses;
Retrofitted all warehouses with super-sized fans to reduce dependence on electricity for air conditioning and heating;
Recycling programs, including all corrugated boxes, office paper, plastics not meeting quality inspections, waste oil from manufacturing process and fluorescent bulbs;
Skylights and “Daylight Harvesting” technology (where digital photo sensors automatically adjust the level of the electric lighting depending on the amount of natural light coming into the room).
