Feb 23, 2012 10:35 AM

From left: Chicago 11th Ward Alderman James Balcer; Stevie Testa; Michelle Winters, senior sustainability analyst, LEED AP at Epstein (behind); Wendy Berger Shapiro, WBS Equities (front); Mary Bonome, deputy commissioner, Department of Business Development; Peter Testa, president of Testa Produce; Doug Widener, executive director, US Green Building Council–Illinois Chapter; Dominick Testa, vice-president, Testa Produce; Andy Mooney, commissioner for Department of Housing and Economic Development; and John Molloy, economic development coordinator, City of Chicago.

Joined by city dignitaries, partner organizations, and employees, officials at Testa Produce have put the crowning touch on the company’s new sustainable distribution center in Chicago IL. At a special ceremony February 22, a plaque was presented by the US Green Building Council recognizing Testa’s recent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certification.

Testa Produce is the first food distribution company in the nation to gain LEED platinum certification, the highest level available.

“We’ve received a lot of awards during our more than 100 years in business, but this LEED Platinum plaque and the certification behind it are among our proudest accomplishments,” said Peter Testa, president of the company. “Along with our partners in constructing this unique facility, we’ve raised the bar, and we hope others will follow our lead toward more sustainable, environmentally friendly ways of doing business. This plaque is a testament to the commitment on the part of everyone involved in this project to get it right, to cut no corners, and to insist on innovation every step of the way. We hang it very proudly.”

Besides the Testa president, the plaque unveiling ceremony featured Doug Widener, executive director of the US Green Building Council’s Illinois Chapter; Andrew Mooney, commissioner of Housing and Economic Development; and Wendy Berger Shapiro of WBS Equities, Testa’s project consultant. Other Chicago city officials in attendance included chief sustainability officer Karen Weigert and Alderman James Balcer. Representatives from Summit Design + Build, the construction management firm for the Testa Produce project; architectural partner Epstein; and Robert Ebl, the landscape contractor that designed the facility’s barrel-shaped, partially vegetated roof, also attended.

Located at 4555 South Racine Avenue in the Chicago Stockyards Industrial Park, the new Testa Produce distribution center opened in May 2011. For more information on the facility and its sustainability features, visit www.testaproduce.com.