First LEED® Certified Building In Gary, Indiana, Awarded To Gary Jet Center

GARY, Ind., June 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gary Jet Center and LEE Companies announced that the recently constructed Gary Jet Center (GJC) Hangar III, a 40,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art corporate aircraft hangar at the Gary/Chicago International Airport, has been awarded the LEED® Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council – the first LEED-certified building in the city of Gary, Ind. 

The LEED® rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the premier, world-wide certification program recognizing buildings constructed, maintained, and operated for improved environmental performance and sustainability. 

"We are honored to receive LEED® Gold certification for our new corporate aircraft hangar, ranking it in the top 17 of LEED®-certified hangars in the world," said Wil Davis, President and CEO of Gary Jet Center.  "Obtaining LEED® certification through our partnership with LEE Companies is an important step in leading the charge for environmental sustainability at the Gary/Chicago International Airport."

Factors that lead to the LEED® Gold certification include a 47 percent energy cost savings as GJC Hangar III uses 33 percent less energy than the average hangar, and the recycled content of the building materials reached the exemplary level of 53 percent.  Additionally, the Gary Jet Center has made a commitment through the Carbon Solutions Group to purchase green power for 70 percent of the projected electrical consumption over the next two years. 

"Due to the complexities of certifying an aircraft hangar, our original goal was entry-level LEED® Certified but through careful design and planning we were able to obtain LEED® Gold," said Pat Lee, President of LEE Companies. "It might seem a contradiction to focus on environmentally sustainable projects in the middle of the Rust Belt, but our vision is to help change the image of the region with a commitment to green-building initiatives."

Gary Jet Center, www.garyjetcenter.com, is a full-service Fixed Base Operator at the Gary/Chicago International Airport located 25 minutes from downtown Chicago.  A family-owned and operated company, the Gary Jet Center provides fuel and customer services to a variety of corporate and general aircraft. With over 110,000 sq. ft. of hangar space, Gary Jet Center is poised to accommodate and service the corporate jet market in the Chicagoland area.

LEE Companies, http://www.leecompanies.net/, is a Gary based Project and Construction Management firm that has been minimizing costs, maximizing quality, and optimizing schedules for its clients, from initial planning through final close-out, for over 40 years.  LEE Companies is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and all its Project Managers are LEED® Accredited Professionals.