EPA announces 2012 energy star award winners

On March 15, EPA and DOE held the 2012 Energy Star Awards ceremony honoring businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to energy efficiency and environmental protection. The reception and dinner were held at 5:30 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC. 

Numerous companies across the country were honored, ranging from appliance retailers and manufacturers to energy companies and consultancy firms. A complete list of winners can be viewed at EnergyStar.gov. Several well-known players in the commercial real estate industry were also honored, including: 

Sears Holdings Corporation took top honors of the night with the Corporate Commitment Award, reserved for partners whose superior achievements in energy efficiency span the breadth of the Energy Star program. 

Bentall Kennedy (Seattle) is one of North America's largest independent real estate investment advisors, serving 500 clients across 142 million square feet of commercial space valued at $26 billion. The firm received an Energy Star Sustained Excellence award for continuing to set and achieve new energy efficiency goals for its portfolio. 

Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International (Washington, DC) is a multinational federation of 100 local associations and affiliated organizations. It received the Sustained Excellence award for leadership in promoting the adoption of energy efficiency best practices to the commercial real estate market. 

CBRE Group, Inc. (San Jose, CA) is one of the world's largest commercial real estate services firms managing nearly 3 billion square feet of commercial properties. The Sustained Excellence award was given to CBRE for using its leadership position to raise the bar for energy efficiency across the industry and increasing the number of managed buildings benchmarked in the Energy Star program. 

HEI Hospitality (Norwalk, CT) owns and operates 41 hotels across 16 states totaling more than 9.5 million square feet. Sustained Excellence recognition was given for an innovative and holistic approach to energy management, increasing energy savings year after year. 

Hines (Houston) is a privately-owned real estate firm managing more than 122 million square feet around the world. Hines received the Sustained Excellence award for embracing Energy Star energy management best practices and actively promoting the Energy Star platform for tracking and evaluating energy performance. 

Jones Lang LaSalle (Chicago) is a multinational provider of commercial real estate services and an industry leader in property and facility management services with a portfolio exceeding 1.8 billion square feet worldwide. JLL is being recognized with the Sustained Excellence award for its dedication to driving deeper energy savings across its portfolio and communicating its success with Energy Star to employees, tenants and the industry. 

Transwestern (Houston) is a national, privately-held operating company specializing in commercial real estate services, investment and development with more than 225 million square feet under lease or management. Transwestern received the Sustained Excellence award for demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement through the enhancement and expansion of its energy management programs, including Energy Star tools and resources. 

USAA Real Estate Company (Irvine, CA) owns, manages and develops commercial real estate with assets across the county valued at more than $7 billion. USAA received the Sustained Excellence award for continuing to find new and creative opportunities to improve energy efficiency throughout its portfolio of diverse and high-performance properties. 

Beacon Capital Partners LLC (Boston) is a private real estate investment firm the develops, owns and operates class A office product totaling 30 million square feet. Beacon was named a Partner of the Year for incorporating Energy Star guidelines into its standard business practices, including optimized start-up and shut-down procedures at each of its properties. 

Liberty Property Trust (Malvern, PA) is a $6.4 billion real estate investment trust with nearly 700 properties totaling 79 million square feet of office and industrial space. Liberty Property was also named a Partner of the Year for its comprehensive energy management approach using Energy Star tools and resources to set goals and measure success and investing money to complete cost-effective energy efficiency projects at its properties. 

Nationwide Marketing Group (Winston Salem, NC) is America's largest buying organization with 3,000 members operating approximately 10,000 retail storefronts nationwide. NMG stood out for its remarkable efforts to increase market share of Energy Star qualified products in most major appliance and electronics categories and so received an Energy Star Award for Excellence.