Turner is bringing lessons learned in green building to Indiana.

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“When green building started to rise to the forefront of the construction industry, Turner was one of the first corporations to jump on board,” says Mike Kaiman, vice president and general manager of Turner’s Indiana office. He says Turner is often at the forefront of construction trends, and strives to lead the industry in innovation.

“Turner believes it should be a steward for change in the industry,” Kaiman says. The company is leading the green movement nationwide and as such is bringing lessons learned of environmentally responsible building to Indiana.

“The state of Indiana has had a high interest lately in completing more projects that are LEED-certified, and they’ve been making that a priority,” Kaiman explains. “Many healthcare clients are also seeing the benefits of using green building guidelines in their projects, as well.”

The IU Cancer Center, for instance, has incorporated green roofs. These sustainable spaces include publicly accessible roof gardens, patient courtyards, outdoor dining and viewing gardens adjacent to infusion and treatment suits. In addition to improving the healing environment, the green roofs reduce the heat island effect and reduce energy consumption and storm water filtration.

Turner finds itself being environmentally responsible even when clients do not request sustainable building practices. For instance, Turner issued a company-wide recycling initiative in 2004. This initiative has taken hold at  its job sites nationwide. In just the first six months of 2007, 53 percent of its total construction waste in Indiana was recycled or otherwise diverted from landfills.

Long-term Clients
Turner entered the Indiana marketplace in 1995. “Our first project was with Howard Regional Health System in Kokomo,” recalled Kaiman. “It was an $800,000 project and we were the low bidder by just $2,000.” What started out as a single job evolved into a long-lasting relationship between Howard Regional and Turner, who have been working together on Howard’s growing healthcare complex ever since, with several projects currently in the preconstruction phase.

This long-time client, like many others, likely continues to work with Turner because of its people. “We have so many repeat customers,” Kaiman asserts. “I believe it’s because of our people and their commitment to the project and the client.”