GAT Develops First LEED Silver Certified building with Solar Power in Jackson

Jackson, Tenn. February 28, 2013 — Gary A. Taylor Investment Company (GAT) announced today that the office building at 257 BancorpSouth Parkway in Jackson has been awarded LEED Silver certification. This is the first building in Jackson to be awarded Silver certification. GAT developed the 41,000 square foot building in the Park Place East development on I-40, which is partially occupied by Regional Hospital Support Services.

The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of energy efficient and sustainable buildings.

“We were excited to see how well energy saving, water saving and renewable energy components fit into a beautiful building that is highly occupant friendly,” said Gary Taylor, GAT president. “ Many of the things we did to achieve LEED certification made the building a more pleasant place to work.”

GAT engaged the following team members to complete the design and construction of the project: Alan Crittendon with DW Collier Engineering, as LEED-certified mechanical engineer; Doug Short with iDesign Architecture Group as architect; Mike Gardner with MG Construction as general contractor; Jay Hall with Hall Engineering, as electrical engineer; Joseph Parsley with Carlson Consulting Engineers as civil engineer; Jeremy Scallion with Allen & Hoshall as structural engineer and Eric Rank with Solar & Renewable Power Systems for solar panels.

GAT achieved LEED certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions aimed at achieving high performance in: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Key features of the building include parking for energy efficient vehicles, automatic lights that turn off when a room is not occupied, bike racks, picnic tables, energy efficient restrooms and day lit entrances.

This building is one of the first LEED Certified buildings in West Tennessee to include a solar energy system. A solar array on the roof will supply approximately 74% of the building’s power needs. When the building’s power demands are low and the solar installation produces excess power it will be sold to the Tennessee Valley Authority.

“Gary Taylor Investment Company’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president of USGBC. “ The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and this building serves as a prime example of just how much we can accomplish.”

Gary A. Taylor Investment Company has developed over 2,500,000 square feet of retail and commercial space. Current GAT developments underway in Jackson are Park Place, where the new LEED certified office building is located, and Sandstone Village. Both are located on I-40 near a Seattle Mariners minor league baseball stadium and a 17- field sportsplex for youth and amateur sports. The developments contain a mix of retail, services, lodging and entertainment which make an attractive campus-like setting for the Regional Hospital Support Services which employs 110 people.

Other active GAT developments are Shadow Creek Medical Park, Smith Farms, Columns I, Columns II, all located in Jackson, and University Commons located off the Highway 45 Bypass near the University of Tennessee at Martin.