Best Practices
50 Construction Equipment Distribution www.cedmag.com December 2009 Best Practices If you stepped into the dealership of the future, it might look some-thing like this: The smartly designed corporate headquarters of Henderson, Nev.-based Cashman Equipment. It is the first construction equipment dealership to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and the largest LEED industrial complex in Nevada. With its construction, Cashman Equipment has set a new standard for environmental leadership among dealers. In fact, Caterpillar corporate has rewritten their development guidelines for new facilities based on the Cashman Equipment example. The LEED certification system provides third-party verification that a building was designed and built to improve performance in energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emis-sions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. LEED points are awarded on a 69-point scale and bonus credits are available, four of which address regionally specific environmental issues. What Does It Mean to Be Gold Certified? There are four levels of green design achievement: Certified, silver, gold and platinum, with platinum being awarded to the most sustainable projects. The Gold level is obtained for design points ranging 39-51, and the Cashman project was awarded 45 points, placing it in the top of the range for LEED Gold. The company considered other design options such as solar panels to achieve a platinum level but opted against Cashman Turns Green to Gold CAT dealer receives LEED-Gold certification for new corporate headquarters. By joanne costIn (continued on page 52) The new LEED designated campus features seven buildings totaling 308,000 square feet on 53 acres. Buildings include an expansive parts warehouse, a maintenance facility with more than 20 service bays, major component rebuild capabilities, a full-service rental center, enhanced trucking service diagnostics and a central location for sales and product support reps.