CANTON, Ohio, Oct. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.'s newest service center – located in Canton, Ohio – officially opened last week and is slated to be the company's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified facility in its nationwide network.
Old Dominion opened the 70-door facility, the company's 216th, and will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 9. Canton Mayor William J. Healy II; Old Dominion Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Gantt; and Old Dominion Senior Vice President of Sales Marty Freeman are expected to attend the ceremony.
The new center, located at 3970 Commerce Street SW, will employ 40 people. Old Dominion operates six other service centers in Ohio – Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown – and currently employs 530 people statewide.
"The state of Ohio is vitally important to Old Dominion's operations. With this new service center we can provide our current and future customers with an even more reliable link to the area's major thoroughfares," Gantt said. "Many of the measures used in the design and construction of this center to achieve LEED certification are common sense solutions that will help us meet our business goals while also being responsible, environmental stewards."
To work toward LEED certification, the company employed a number of energy efficiency and water savings measures. They include a water-efficient landscape design that does not require irrigation; low-VOC paints, coatings and carpet; and a combination of increased wall and roof insulation, high-performance windows, efficient HVAC equipment, light fixtures and controls that should help to reduce energy use by 19 percent compared to a facility designed and built to standard construction codes.
In addition, Old Dominion used sustainable materials in the service center's construction. Thirty-nine percent of building materials used during construction have recycled post- or pre-consumer content, and 63 percent of building materials originated and were manufactured within a 500-mile radius of the site.
Old Dominion estimates that the center will see a 19.7 percent annual energy savings, including a reduction of 319,511 kWh and 1,678 therms. The company estimates it can achieve a 34 percent reduction in water use, saving more than 31,000 gallons of water annually.
"We want to recognize and thank Mayor Healy and his team, Canton City Council, Stark Development Board, the State of Ohio and our partners at DeHoff Development as we all worked together to locate Old Dominion Freight Line to the Mills Business Park," said Dennis P.