Jones Lang LaSalle Supports the Cleantech Open with Expertise and Capital Resources

CHICAGO, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Lang LaSalle, a leading global real estate services firm, today announced it will provide expertise and capital resources to teams and contestants in the Cleantech Open business competitions. Jones Lang LaSalle executives will serve as subject matter experts and mentors to competition participants, and potentially as judges of multiple regions of the 2011 edition of the nation's premier cleantech business competition.

The Cleantech Open, which finds, funds and fosters businesses that work to solve energy, environmental and economic challenges, is now in its sixth year. The non-profit organization has an impressive history as an economic engine; its alumni companies have raised more than $300 million in external private capital and created thousands of jobs. Solution categories for the 2011 program include: air, water and waste; energy efficiency; green building; renewable energy; smart power, green grid and energy storage; and transportation. Companies with less than $1 million in private, third-party funding and less than $5 million from other sources of funding are qualified to apply to enter the 2011 competition by the May 24 deadline.

"Jones Lang LaSalle's sponsorship of the Cleantech Open is a synergistic relationship," said Ben Stapleton, Vice President at Jones Lang LaSalle and practice leader for Jones Lang LaSalle's Cleantech Practice Group. "Participants in the Cleantech Open gain from our experience and profile in energy and sustainability strategies on behalf of corporations, building owners and governments around the world. And we gain visibility for our tenant representation and project management expertise with a group of companies that are poised for rapid growth."

"Commercial buildings consume a significant portion of America's daily energy usage, and this is a huge opportunity to apply innovations that are a core part of what the Cleantech Open helps commercialize," said Rex Northen, executive director of the Cleantech Open. "The participation of Jones Lang LaSalle enables us to bring to light disruptive technologies that could dramatically alter the energy cost of both current and future commercial buildings."

Jones Lang LaSalle's Cleantech Practice Group provides a full suite of real estate services to companies that focus on clean technologies such as solar, wind power and other renewable energy products; LED and other energy efficient lighting products; and other energy and sustainability products and services. Members of the Cleantech Practice Group specialize in location advisory, lease negotiations, project management, capital markets transactions and other real estate services targeted to the specific needs of cleantech companies, from major multinational companies to start-up firms on a swift growth path.

In 2010, the Cleantech Practice Group completed nearly 1 million square feet of lease, acquisition and construction transactions. In addition, professionals across Jones Lang LaSalle saved property owners and occupiers $128 million in energy costs last year, reducing greenhouse gases by 536,000 tons. Jones Lang LaSalle is a member of Greenprint Foundation, a worldwide alliance of leading real estate owners, investors and financial institutions committed to reducing carbon emissions, and is also the only real estate-oriented member of Ceres, a coalition of business and public interests committed to environmentally responsible conduct. Recently, Jones Lang LaSalle was named a lead sponsor to the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) Cities program to improve environmental sustainability in the world's largest cities, and thereby enhance their economic viability.

About The Cleantech Open

The Cleantech Open runs the world's largest cleantech business competition. Its mission is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today's most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the Cleantech Open provides the infrastructure, expertise and strategic relationships that turn clever ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Since 2006, through its one-of-a-kind annual business competition and mentorship program, the Cleantech Open has enabled hundreds of clean-technology start-ups to bring their breakthrough ideas to fruition, helped alumni contestants raise over $300M, and created an estimated 2,500 green-collar jobs. Fueled by a global network of more than 1,000 volunteers and sponsors, the Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America's cleantech sector a thriving economic engine. For more information, visit www.cleantechopen.org, or follow @cleantechopen on Twitter and facebook.com/cleantechopen.

About Jones Lang LaSalle

Jones Lang LaSalle (NYSE: JLL) is a financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate. The firm offers integrated services delivered by expert teams worldwide to clients seeking increased value by owning, occupying or investing in real estate. With 2010 global revenue of more than $2.9 billion, Jones Lang LaSalle serves clients in 60 countries from more than 1,000 locations worldwide, including 185 corporate offices. The firm is an industry leader in property and corporate facility management services, with a portfolio of approximately 1.8 billion square feet worldwide. LaSalle Investment Management, the company's investment management business, is one of the world's largest and most diverse in real estate with more than $43 billion of assets under management. For further information, please visit our website, www.joneslanglasalle.com.

SOURCE Jones Lang LaSalle