Verizon Wireless Opens State-of-the-Art 'Green' Store in New York City

ORANGEBURG, N.Y., July 1 /PRNewswire/ --

• LEED® certification is a third party validation of Verizon's investment in green building strategy.
• "Green" building design features improvements in energy and water efficiency, CO2 indoor air quality and recycling
• New location offers entire line of Verizon Wireless voice, data, music and video products and services

Verizon Wireless, provider of the nation's largest and most reliable 3G network, today announced the opening of the company's "green" Communications store in New York City, located in the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park in Manhattan.  The state-of-the-art design to improve energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions, indoor air quality and recycling processes is a significant achievement in environmental building design and expects to meet the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) criteria for LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification.

The 3,335 square foot store provides local residents and visitors with a convenient neighborhood destination for all Verizon Wireless devices, accessories and support from the largest, most reliable 3G network in the country. Staffed by knowledgeable wireless professionals, the store provides consumers with the full gamut of Verizon Wireless products and services, including the entire line of DROID smartphones such as the Incredible by HTC, LG Ally and Fathom and the Motorola Droid and Devour, as well as Blackberry and Palm smartphones, netbooks, Wi-Fi devices and accessories. Store hours are Monday through Friday 8:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., Saturday 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. and Sunday 11:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. and the phone number is 212-328-3746.  Mark Absher is the store manager and will oversee operations for the location.

"We are excited by the opening of our first 'green' store in New York City, as we work to incorporate environmental efficiency and enhance the customer experience in our Communications stores nationwide," said Pat Devlin, president, Verizon Wireless, New York Metro Region.  "Pursuing this level of LEED® certification is a great honor for Verizon Wireless. The proven conservation measures used in the design and operation of our store help protect the environment today and conserve resources for generations to come."

A Device Specialist is available during all store hours to provide technical support, as well as help demonstrate the features of each product to make sure every customer gets the right device based on their specific communications needs.  Additionally, a Small Business Specialist is on staff to help business owners devise a plan and identify the products and services that best fit their company's operations.

The Bryant Park store also includes:

• Interactive product and service demos available throughout the store
• Integrated systems and operational enhancements designed to streamline the sales process and increase customer satisfaction
• A check-in kiosk inviting customers to sign in on arrival and stay informed via monitors that track their place in the queue for service
• Roomy and easy to locate technical assistance and customer support areas

Store Manager Mark Absher is also encouraging area residents to join Verizon Wireless in its efforts to help survivors of domestic abuse by bringing no-longer-used wireless phones to the store for donation to the company's HopeLine® phone recycling program.  HopeLine collects used cell phones to be recycled or sold and donates the proceeds in the form of cash grants and pre-paid wireless phones to advocacy groups for use by survivors. Verizon Wireless was the first wireless carrier in the nation to collect and recycle old cell phones, and has done so on behalf of survivors of domestic violence since 1999 – first in New York and then across the U.S.

Learn more about Verizon Wireless' company-wide "green" initiatives at http://aboutus.vzw.com/Green_Initiative/overview.html. For more information on Verizon Wireless, please visit www.verizonwireless.com or call 1-800-2-JOIN IN. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VzW_NYMetro.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable and largest wireless voice and 3G data network, serving nearly 93 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 81,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About LEED®

The LEED Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED® and related logo is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council and is used by permission.

About USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501(c)(3) non profit composed of leaders from every sector of the building industry working to promote buildings and communities that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The U.S. Green Building Council developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless