WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cassidy Turley, a leading commercial real estate services provider in the U.S., announced today that the firm has entered an academic partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business's Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL).

Cassidy Turley and IGEL will collaborate on initiatives that bond sustainability and business best practices and develop the next generation of sustainability solutions for both commercial real estate and the broader community. With a program committed to cultivating innovation, IGEL promotes knowledge for business sustainability through world-class research and an open dialogue between academic, corporate, government and non-government organizations.

Additionally, Wharton and IGEL faculty and researchers will participate in an open knowledge exchange with Cassidy Turley regarding sustainability, industry and community leadership.

"Partnerships with business leaders such as Cassidy Turley are essential to our research, teaching and thought leadership efforts," said Joanne Spigonardo, Senior Associate Director of Business Development of Wharton's IGEL. "Such collaboration yields practical results and cutting edge solutions for problems ranging from improving efficiency of our existing infrastructure to simply reducing energy and material waste."

For Cassidy Turley, the IGEL partnership offers a number of benefits, said CEO Joe Stettinius, including access to faculty and research at one of the world's leading business schools. What's more, Cassidy Turley has similar partnerships with organizations such as Tompkins International for supply chain solutions and SnapRates for real-time finance information and rates. Collaboration with thought leaders, hands-on service providers and emerging technology innovators enables the company to be more agile and responsive to markets' and clients' ever-changing needs.

"Based on our common interests regarding the importance of the environment, we formed a connection that quickly evolved into a growing thought leadership partnership to encourage green buildings," Mr. Stettinius said. "These efforts translate into intelligent counsel for our clients, as we continue to focus on collaboration, innovation and maximizing the value of our clients' investments. Given that commercial buildings account for 18% of all energy and 35% of all electricity used in the U.S., we have a real opportunity to impact and improve sustainable measures, both for our 400 million square foot portfolio of managed properties and the industry as a whole.

About Cassidy Turley

Cassidy Turley is a leading commercial real estate services provider with more than 4,000 professionals in more than 60 offices nationwide. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the company represents a wide range of clients—from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, from local non-profits to major institutions. The firm completed transactions valued at $25.8 billion in 2013, manages approximately 400 million square feet on behalf of institutional, corporate and private clients and supports more than 24,000 domestic corporate services locations. Cassidy Turley serves owners, investors and tenants with a full spectrum of integrated commercial real estate services—including capital markets, tenant representation, corporate services, project leasing, property management, project and development services, and research and consulting. Cassidy Turley enhances its global service delivery outside North America through a partnership with GVA, giving clients access to commercial real estate professionals in 65 international markets. Please visit www.cassidyturley.com for more information about Cassidy Turley.

SOURCE Cassidy Turley