Greenest Company With More Than 50 Employees: Arvest Bank Operations Center, Lowell
by July 14, 2008 12:00 am 172 views
Arvest Bank isn’t new to the sustainability movement.
Monte Mills, Arvest data center and critical systems manager, said the bank was implementing sustainable practices at its operations center long before going green was in style.
Arvest’s operations center, which was built in 1989, houses more than 300 full-time equivalent employees and is one of the company’s greenest spaces.
Mills said the center has been able to utilize new technologies and systems to not only reduce paper usage and travel but to also streamline and simplify operations.
Electronic and online systems available for customers have helped the center reduce its paper usage in many areas.
All employee paychecks are direct-deposited and many items that were formerly printed and distributed are now shared online. Conference calls and Web-ex presentations are used in lieu of travel, when possible.
New technologies have also allowed the company to use document recording and imaging applications to electronically store and transfer documents and information, reducing paper usage, man hours and the amount of time required to transfer documents from braches to the operations office.
An emphasis on recycling has helped the Arvest facility recycle 24 tons of paper each year.
Decommissioned computers, printers and toners are also processed and recycled. And everyday items are collected for recycling.
The building’s exterior also boasts green features.
The roof is a Firestone white reflective Thermoplastic Polyolefin Membrane that reduces heating and cooling costs and the building’s north-south orientation allows maximum natural light capture.
It’s small, everyday things that add-up to make the operations center a sustainable office, Mills said.
“It’s all part of the culture of the bank,” Mills said. “It’s a stewardship that has been adopted by many of our employees. And it’s an easy focus because everyone wants to use their resources more wisely.”
Mills said the company intends to stay on the forefront of the green movement, utilizing new technologies and environmentally friendly methods as they become available.
(See more of the greenest offices in Northwest Arkansas by clicking here.)