In Partnership With:  IBEW, IBT, IUPAT, LIUNA, SMWIA, UA,UBC

Union expertise builds green projects and revitalizes communities

At a Glance Commercial real estate developer Gerding Edlen Development, Inc., is nationally known for its green, mixed-use, urban development projects. Founded in 1996, they are currently the nation’s leading developer of LEED-certified projects with over $5 billion worth of green real estate developed to date. Headquarters Portland, OR Website www.gerdingedlen.com Industry Real Estate Development Union Employees 90-99% of contractors belong to unions Annual Revenues $5 billion Outlets Projects along the West Coast including Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland, with future expansion to East Coast markets such as Washington, DC, Boston, and New York.

A pioneer in the green building industry, Gerding Edlen Development relies on skilled union workers as it revitalizes communities, furthers innovation, and creates good jobs. The commercial real estate and investment firm has developed more LEED certified green buildings than any other private development firm in the country, including the first LEED-Platinum certified renovation of a building on the National Register of Historic Places. The company is moving toward a “deeper shade of green,” and is now surpassing existing standards to develop projects which produce zero net carbon emissions.

The firm sees its highly-trained, union workforce as key to its success. As CEO Mark Edlen says: “Union workers bring the skill set, creativity, and workplace safety the company needs to execute such complex projects: that’s why Gerding Edlen uses union labor.” The company solicits worker input at the beginning of each project in brainstorming and planning sessions with the full project team. Senior Vice President Molly Bordonaro zeroes in on how such collaboration benefits the bottom line: “In the business and development world, time is money. We’ve been able to prove demonstratively higher rewards and more valuable assets, even in a down economy, because of union labor.”

Gerding Edlen’s commitment makes a big difference for its workers. Union contractors, like those used by the company, can earn up to three times the average wage of a non-union worker, as well as receive fair benefits, in return for their skill and expertise. The firm has helped further union workers’ professional development, working closely with many building trades unions to design green building training programs for their members. For two straight years, the firm has topped the Oregon Business Journal’s annual list of the best green companies to work for, and has been voted one of Oregon’s most admired companies for at least four years in a row.

Unions working with Gerding Edlen see the value in supporting a company that values its workers. Through their pensions and other funds, numerous unions have invested in projects developed by Gerding Edlen. This partnership has served to bring much needed capital to projects that revitalize cities, reduce carbon emissions, and create thousands of jobs extending beyond the initial construction.

Gerding Edlen is proving that working with unions facilitates mutual rewards, environmental stewardship, and a successful business model.