February 2010, Around the State
Southwest
Quarra helps build green, provides new LEED resource
Madison-based Quarra Stone, a company that supplies and fabricates natural stone for signature architectural and restoration projects throughout the country, has launched a comprehensive database that identifies dimensional stone quarries throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The database is designed to enable architects who are specifying natural stone in their projects to earn points towards LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Current guidelines call for the award of one point towards LEED certification for builders who use dimensional stone that is quarried within 500 miles of construction.
According to James Durham, president of Quarra Stone, taking a lead in providing the building industry with strategic resources to help stimulate measurable environmental benefits is a natural for his company.
“We specialize in natural stone, an inherently earth-friendly building product,” says Durham. “Quarra has a deep commitment to the goals of sustainability and we are excited to be on the leading edge of providing our customers the services and resources they need to help them create environmentally sensitive architecture.”
To create the quarry database, Mr. Durham engaged a task force of business school interns who worked on the initiative in consultation with LEED accredited professionals. During this project, the team also worked with the Deutsche Naturstein-Archiv — the world’s largest collection of dimensional stone samples — to help increase the size and scope of their North American collection.
More than 500 quarries in the U.S. Canada and Mexico were identified for inclusion in the inventory which is slated to be updated quarterly. Quarra also established a “library” of samples from each quarry as well as accompanying data, photo images and product descriptions.
The new database will initially be made available exclusively to Quarra’s current clients and prospective clients who are specifying stone for major building projects. A Quarra team member will be assigned to help guide the data retrieval process and work closely with customers to strategically utilize the database in combination with Quarra’s other resources to help identify a range of appropriate LEED-qualified stone selections for interior or exterior application.
Park Towne provides parcel of land to DeForest Area School District
The DeForest Area School District’s Board of Education has accepted an option agreement from Park Towne, a Madison-based real estate company, for a public elementary school site in the Rivers Turn neighborhood of the Conservancy Place development. The agreement gives the school district the opportunity to acquire the site at no cost.
The 27-acre parcel of land at Conservancy Place will be used as a combination school and park. “Nine acres have been set aside for the elementary school,” says Joe Ring, executive vice president of land services with Park Towne. “The plan to incorporate an elementary school has been our vision since 2001 when we first started planning Conservancy Place.”
According to school district representatives, acquisition of the site is part of the district’s long-range planning. When completed, the Rivers Turn neighborhood is expected to include more than 1,200 new residential units.
“We fully anticipate having a school facility in the Rivers Turn neighborhood in the future,” says Jon Bales, DeForest Area School District superintendent.
The 650-acre master-planned community developed by Park Towne is situated along 3.5 miles of the Yahara River. Conservancy Place.
MOVERS
>> Clifton Gunderson has added Vicki L. Buening, CPA to its Middleton and Tomah practices.
>> Market & Johnson Inc. has hired Bud Miyamoto as its new business development representative in La Crosse.
>> La Crosse-based Harvest Moon Advertising has welcomed Brad Dinsmoor as account strategist.
>> Axley Brynelson LLP of Madison promoted Attorney David M. Pelletier and Attorney Melissa K. Warner to partners in the firm.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
JANESVILLE: CRT Processing LLC has changed its name to Universal Recycling Technologies LLC, effective Jan. 4, 2010. The new name better represents the expanding company, which has added numerous services, product lines and locations since it was founded in 2003. Initially focused on cathode ray tube computer monitor recycling, URT now offers universal waste, e-waste, asset management and pre-paid pack-and-ship recycling box programs. The company also manufactures its own proprietary recycling equipment.