Grubb & Ellis Company Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Earth Day

SANTA ANA, Calif., April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE), a leading real estate services and investment firm, today announced that on April 22, it will join people, businesses and governments across the world in the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day to promote the significance of taking care of the environment.  

The company will mark the occasion by holding special "green" events that have been organized in its local offices, as well as at many of the more than 2,100 properties the company manages for investment and corporate clients throughout the country.  Activities include planting trees and flowers, recycling electronics and offering hybrid and bio-diesel vehicle test drives on site.

"As one of the nation's largest property managers and a company with more than 100 of our own offices spread across the country, Grubb & Ellis is committed to make a difference when it comes to protecting our environment," said Thomas P. D'Arcy, president and chief executive officer.  "We are proud to recognize the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and to celebrate its mission today, and every day."

Through the company's Greening Our Offices program, Grubb & Ellis uses a creative, structured approach to encourage its local offices to adopt sustainable business practices to advance knowledge-sharing and build awareness among all employees.  The goal of the program is for sustainability to become second nature and core to the company's operations.  In addition, Grubb & Ellis participates in the Carbon Disclosure Project, annually measuring and seeking to reduce its carbon footprint by teaming with many of its vendors to facilitate the adoption of environmentally friendly products and services in support of its workforce.

For clients, Grubb & Ellis advances green real estate practices through its Sustainability Group, which provides long-term operational solutions and cost savings for environmental challenges through various services, including transaction guidance, property and facility management, construction and project management and portfolio planning and management.  The company's proprietary Roadmap to Sustainability tool incorporates participation in the EPA's Energy Star program, as well as low to no cost solutions and LEED certification guidelines to benchmark the performance of properties Grubb & Ellis manages for its clients.  This in turn drives greater operational efficiency, lower costs and a reduced environmental impact.  

Grubb & Ellis is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and has approximately 100 LEED Accredited Professionals, LEED Green Associates, Certified Green Brokers and Green Advantage certified professionals nationwide.  

About Grubb & Ellis Company

Grubb & Ellis Company (NYSE: GBE) is one of the largest and most respected commercial real estate services and investment companies in the world. Our 6,500 professionals in more than 100 company-owned and affiliate offices draw from a unique platform of real estate services, practice groups and investment products to deliver comprehensive, integrated solutions to real estate owners, tenants and investors. The firm's transaction, management, consulting and investment services are supported by highly regarded proprietary market research and extensive local expertise. Through its investment subsidiaries, the company is a leading sponsor of real estate investment programs that provide individuals and institutions the opportunity to invest in a broad range of real estate investment vehicles, including public non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), mutual funds and other real estate investment funds. For more information, visit www.grubb-ellis.com.

SOURCE Grubb & Ellis Company