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St. Louis Local Completes Massive Eco-Friendly Projects

May 10, 2010

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Scores of St. Louis Local 1 members have helped make the area greener by completing two multimillion dollar projects – one of which boasts the largest solar power array in the Show-Me State.

Members employed by signatory contractor Guarantee Electric completed a $50 million project, wiring a state-of-the-art data center for Emerson Electric Co. – a Fortune 500 engineering services corporation. About 20 percent of the new building’s power will come from a massive 550-panel rooftop solar array.

Guarantee Vice President Dave Gralike said that the year-long project signals a step forward in the ways that large companies think about their carbon footprints.

“I think there’s been a fundamental shift in perception in recent years,” said Gralike, a 27-year Local 1 member. “Corporations like Emerson are realizing that being kind to the environment can help them build a better bottom line. Companies are starting to understand that their customers and employees expect them to be environmentally responsible as part of being socially responsible.”

Other eco-friendly features of the 35,000-square-foot building include new remote monitoring systems and energy-saving distribution devices developed by Emerson – technologies so advanced that they aren’t yet commercially available.

Headquartered in suburban St. Louis, Emerson has a global reach spanning 150 countries. The company employs 140,000 workers worldwide and is the one of the largest employers in the region. Such a presence is dependent on massive energy use. As a result, the company’s pollution levels for part of the last decade were relatively high. Those statistics have significantly declined over the past few years as Emerson has adopted greener construction and efficiency standards, drastically reducing its carbon footprint – and the IBEW’s work on the new data center will help drive pollution down further in the future.

“Local 1 is helping move the state more in the direction of using renewable resources, and the Emerson project is a prime example,” Gralike said. “We’re proactive in preparing members to master the new skill sets required by the green and alternative energy industries. This sector has the potential to generate tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the state.

The Emerson project provided about 28,000 man hours and was completed last June.

A 45-minute drive west of St. Louis, Local 1 members working for PayneCrest Electric and Communications, Inc., completed last month an $8 million electrical installation project in O’Fallon for the new primary data center of BJC HealthCare. The nonprofit organization keeps information on patients from 13 hospitals and more than 100 health care sites in the state and neighboring Illinois. The IBEW members’ work – which included installing two independent electrical systems and multiple backup generators – eliminates the possibility of power outages that could hamper health care providers’ ability to deliver quality services.

The project was awarded LEED certification – an elite designation indicating the construction and operation of the building adheres to strict environmental guidelines on waste and energy use.

“From lighting controls to temperature-sensing mechanical systems, this building is designed for maximum efficiency and minimum carbon output,” said Local 1 member Tony Baudo, general foreman on the project. “It’s advanced, and creating this kind of facility couldn’t be done by anyone other than skilled electricians.”

The local has long been leading the call for a renewable-energy future by offering a green curriculum through its electrical industry training center, featuring about 70 courses on topics such as how to wire and install solar panels, wind turbines and various “smart building” technologies that conserve energy.