CresaPartners creates Green Assistance Program for businesses

Prior to the current economic crisis, global warming and the environment were among the top concerns of Americans. Since then, many of the nation's businesses have viewed saving the environment as an unaffordable luxury. CresaPartners, a leading Long Island corporate real estate firm is taking Green Building off of the back burner by providing cash incentives for companies to think and act green. The firm's new G.A.P. (Green Assistance Program) has been created to encourage tenants to green their office space by providing matching funds for green improvements. Typical companies can easily qualify for tens of thousands of dollars in incentives. Larger firms can reach into six figures to offset the cost of green improvements. "Tenants have a perception that being green is both expensive and difficult to achieve; neither is true any longer" said Ralph Benzakein, a LEED Accredited Professional and vice president of Long Island's CresaPartners office. "In addition to our program, there are utility company incentives, possible tax savings, lower operating costs to offset any possible expenditures and wide availability of green products." CresaPartners G.A.P Program provides matching funds for any LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) credit-earning strategy. For example, if energy efficient lighting and lighting controls are considered an upgrade to the landlord's standard build-out, The G.A.P. Program will provide matching funds to pay for the upgrade. Other possible "green upgrades" include glass vision panels to increase daylighting; special air filtration methods; Low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint or carpeting; or any other LEED Credits. "A typical 10,000 s/f tenant could qualify for about $30,000 that CresaPartners will provide to be used for green improvements" said Richard Caputi, managing principal of CresaPartners Long Island. "I don't know of any of real estate firm in the country that is committing hard dollars to this critical environmental issue" The program requires tenants to agree to be represented by CresaPartners (at no cost to tenant) for new lease negotiations and renewal negotiations and to register their LEED project with the US Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org). Complete details are available at www.cresapartners.com/longisland/programdetails/.