Kum & Go Receives First Silver LEED® Certification for a Convenience Store in Midwest — Dec 15, 2009
Kum & Go Receives First Silver LEED® Certification for a Convenience Store in Midwest
Two Des Moines Area Locations become first in Iowa to obtain certification
(West Des Moines, Iowa — December 15, 2009) Kum & Go, L.C. announced today that two Des Moines area stores have received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certification, becoming the first convenience stores in Iowa with the distinction.
The LEED certified Kum & Go stores are located at 5800 Northglenn Drive, Johnston, IA and 2110 Guthrie Street, Des Moines, IA. The store in Johnston is the first convenience store in the Midwest to obtain a Silver LEED certification.
"Kum & Go is proud to continue our tradition of being marketplace pioneers by becoming the first convenience store in the Midwest to be Silver LEED certified,” said Kyle J. Krause, Kum & Go President and CEO. “In 1997 we were among the first to introduce E85 and hope to have the same industry impact with our LEED construction model. We strongly believe in our practice of environmental responsibility that benefits our customers.”
In order to become LEED certified the Kum & Go stores: used regional and recycled materials, improved energy performance, reflected the suns rays by using extra-white concrete and highly-reflective roofs which reduces heating of urban areas, reduced water usage and improved indoor air quality.
“Kum & Go’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and Kum & Go serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.”
LEED certification was applied for with the U.S. Green Building Council after completion of construction. The Council rated the store on a number of categories, including water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality and innovation and design. The two certified Kum & Go stores will serve as pilots for future company LEED builds.
“LEED certification was a natural progression of the efforts we have made the past three years. We made only minor modifications to our design and construction methods to assure LEED certification,” said John Feldman, Vice President of Construction for Kum & Go. “Our goal is to continue to incorporate these environmental features whenever possible as we construct new stores.”
As part of Kum & Go’s commitment to developing environmentally friendly building and operating practices, the majority of new stores are constructed with LEED standards in mind, and are all equipped with heavily insulated glass, LED cooler door lights, sun reflecting roofs and energy-efficient heating/air conditioning and refrigeration systems. Additional measures for LEED certification include providing alternative transportation options such as electronic vehicle charging and carpool/van parking, construction waste management, 30% water use reduction and use of materials that do not emit solvent vapors and other harmful chemicals into the store environment.
About LEED
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance.
About Kum & Go, L.C.
Kum & Go has maintained 50 years of dedicated community commitment, each year returning at least 10 percent of its profits to the communities it serves. Kum & Go is the 3rd largest private owner operator of convenience stores in the United States.
Founded on exceptional customer service, Kum & Go is a pioneer in the convenience store industry. The family-owned company began in 1959 in Hampton, Iowa, and has grown to more than 430 convenience stores in 11 states (Iowa, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming). Thanks to the efforts of its more than 3,600 associates, Kum & Go convenience stores continue to lead the industry in customer service and convenience. In addition to a wide selection of products, Kum & Go provides customers a proprietary mix of products under the well-known Hiland brand name. Other proprietary product offerings include Java Ridge Premium Coffee, Napa Creek and Sea Ridge wines, Go Fresh Market sandwiches and Nuclear energy drinks. For more information about Kum & Go, visit www.kumandgo.com.
