August 28, 2007

Kidder Mathews forms alliance with energy firm

By KATIE ZEMTSEFF
Journal Staff Reporter

Seattle-based GVA Kidder Mathews has chosen Honolulu-based based Energy Industries as the preferred energy services provider for all of the properties it manages.

The partnership is a first for GVA Kidder Mathews, a full service commercial real estate services firm, that manages 22 million feet of commercial space.

Keith Kaiser, executive vice president for management services at GVA Kidder Mathews, spearheaded the partnership after working with Energy Industries to retrofit Waterfront Place in downtown Seattle. GVA Kidder Mathews was looking to do something sustainable, he said, but it had to be flexible and make financial sense for property owners.

“Sustainability and green building initiatives have certainly captured the attention of the industry just as they have captured the attention of our culture,” he said. “But at the same time this is an industry that is dollar and cents driven. So energy conservation in part has the largest potential for return on investment in the context of sustainability in general.”

GVA Kidder Mathews will disseminate information to its clients on the benefits of examining and retrofitting buildings. If property owners choose to upgrade their systems through Energy Industries, they will get a price cut.

Energy Industries will assess building systems that could increase efficiency and cut costs including lighting, air conditioning and heating, pumping loads, variable frequency drives and other energy management systems.

Brian Kealoha, senior vice president of business development at Energy Industries, said, “GVA Kidder Mathews is pushing this as being the right thing to do but ultimately it's going to be the business owners that make the decision to make the right investment.”

The partnership covers the Northwest region but has the potential to grow further down the West Coast and into California.

Katie Zemtseff can be reached by email or by phone at (206) 622-8272.