BB&T Signs New 32,000 SF 15-Year Lease at Tower Companies' 1909 K Street/The Millennium Building

Expands Additional 7,093 SF for Wealth Management Group

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The Tower Companies, the area’s largest developer of LEED buildings, announced today that BB&T Corporation (NYSE: BBT) has signed a new 15- year lease at The Millennium Building at 1909 K Street, renewing its 19,557 SF of commercial office space and 5,072 SF of retail space, that has served as the company’s regional headquarters since 1999, and adding an additional 7,093 SF to house their Wealth Management Group.

“We’re very proud of our 11-year relationship with The Tower Companies. We believe The Millennium Building is ideally situated to serve our clients in and around our Nation’s Capitol,” said Richard “Dick” L. Prosser, BB&T Vice President and Area Real Estate Manager.

“We are longtime customers of BB&T and are proud that they have chosen to renew and expand their regional presence in our LEED building, having been our flagship tenant there since it redelivered in 1999,” stated Eric S. Posner, Tower executive and LEED® Accredited Professional.

John Kerr of CBRE represented BB&T while CBRE’s Randy Harrell, Kevin Howard and Nathan Beach represented The Tower Companies

About 1909 K Street/The Millennium Building

Millennium Building is a 236,000 SF, Energy Star® rated, high-performance LEED office building, located on the premier corner of DC's Golden Triangle Business District and within walking distance of the White House. The building's sophisticated interiors features an elegant pear-wood paneled lobby, full service on-site concierge, gleaming marbled floors, original sculpture garden and arboretum, original art, beautiful music, individual meters on every floor, and a rooftop deck and garden, with breathtaking 360- degree views of the city.

Serving as an icon for green corporate values, The Millennium Building uses 100% wind power, is 16% more energy efficient than comparable class A's and uses 23% less water. With a 360-degree perimeter of low-e glass, thermal comfort is assured with a minimum of heat gain and loss. Green cleaning practices are used throughout the building.

The building has access to public transportation, and offers bicycle storage and changing rooms. Other amenities include 100% underground parking and a fitness center. Teatro Goldoni, an authentic Venetian-inspired restaurant named one of Washington Magazine's "100 Very Best Restaurants" is conveniently located on the lobby level.

About BB&T

As of June 30, BB&T is one of the 10 largest financial services holding companies in the U.S. with $155.1 billion in assets and market capitalization of $18.2 billion. Based in Winston-Salem, N.C., the company operates approximately 1,800 financial centers in 12 states and Washington, D.C., and offers a full range of consumer and commercial banking, securities brokerage, asset management, mortgage and insurance products and services. A Fortune 500 company, BB&T is consistently recognized for outstanding client satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates, the U.S. Small Business Administration, Greenwich Associates and others. More information about BB&T and its full line of products and services is available at www.BBT.com.

About BB&T Wealth Management

High net-worth consumers rated BB&T Wealth Management the No. 1 regional bank wealth manager and No. 3 national bank wealth manager in the 2009 Luxury Brand Status Index survey conducted by the Luxury Institute, an independent ratings and research organization based in Manhattan.

About The Tower Companies

The Tower Companies, located in Rockville, MD, is a three-generation; award winning, family-owned real estate Development Company founded in 1947. Tower is the largest LEED developer of sustainable properties in the DC area, EPA-certified carbon-neutral and a member of EPA's Climate Leaders, Energy Star and Green Power Partnership programs. Tower built The Blairs, the first LEED certified apartments in America. Their 4.5MM sq ft portfolio includes office buildings, office parks, apartments, regional malls, residential communities, lifestyle centers, and hotels within the DC area, of which one million square feet are green or sustainable projects. Currently more than 1MM sq ft are under renovation to meet LEED Gold. Tower has six LEED certified projects, seven are LEED registered, and 25% of their employees are LEED Accredited Professionals.

Tower developed 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard, the world's largest Fortune-CreatingTM/Vedic and first multi- tenant commercial office building to be certified LEED Platinum in the region; proclaimed by the State as "the healthiest building in Maryland." The building was the subject of a Harvard Case Study entitled: Design Creates Fortune: 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard. Tower's focus on education and outreach to promote innovations and best practices has garnered the company numerous awards, such as: 2010 "40 Environmentalists in 40 Years" Award, Montgomery County Council, 2009 Visionary Award, Washington Business Journal and Board of Trade, 2009 Environmental Excellence Award, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and DC Department of Energy, and the 2006 and 2003 Green Power Leadership Awards, US Environmental Protection Agency and US Department of Energy.

Media Contact: Elizabeth Oliver-Farrow/The Oliver Group, Inc./ Direct: 202.494.1977

SOURCE The Tower Companies