Tarlton’s spring “home improvement projects” were pretty substantial. We updated the high-bay lighting system in our open work area, which looks bright and beautiful. We had three Big Ass Fans (yes, that is their name) installed with 5-foot-long blades that keep air circulating nicely and should save 25 percent during our heating/cooling periods. And we put a 25 kW solar array on our rooftop to draw some energy from the sun. That’s a biggie, and I had to have a look, so Bryce, Duane and I took a little field trip to the roof a couple days ago. (Summary: Very cool. More on that later.)

 

These renovations were prompted by the self-assessment we conducted during the inaugural year of the St. Louis Green Business Challenge. We got involved to be greener, no small feat given that we started with a pretty high baseline, since our HQ is LEED Silver. These steps will count toward our progress in Year 2 of the RCGA initiative, which is great. But I can safely say that the prospect of winning an award was not the driver. I think it’s much more about acting on our beliefs and leading through example. It’s more about employee health and comfort. It’s more about taking pride in the “home” we built and want to keep improving. 

 

I’m not involved in the business decisions behind such projects, but I know enough to understand it’s not inexpensive, especially in the short term. So I appreciate that I work for a company whose leaders make decisions based on their values, and that they take a long-term business approach.  Payback comes in many different forms. Ongoing improvements mean a lot to me as an employee, and I think they speak volumes about the kind of company Tarlton is – true to the core.