Western Extralite's Best Idea Yet: “Go Green”

tEDmagazine“GREENEST OF THE GREEN” 2012Western Extralite’s BestIdea Yet: “Go Green”WESTERN EXTRALITE BLAZED A BROAD GREEN TRAIL DURING THE PAST DECADE, TRANSFORMINGFACILITIES AND OPERATIONS AT 17 SERVICE CENTERS IN TWO STATES. THIS MONTH, ATNAED’S NATIONAL MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D.C., THE COMPANY WILL BE RECOGNIZED ASTED MAGAZINE’S 2012 “GREENEST OF THE GREEN” ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR.STORY BY JAN NIEHAUS & PHOTOS BY JASON DAILE YWinning tED magazine’s 2012 “Greenest ofthe Green” award caught Western ExtraliteCFO Pat Doolan off guard. Busy documentingtheKansas City, Missouriheadquarteredcompany’s2011 return toprerecession revenuelevels, Doolan admitsthat he was distractedby the fact that Feb ru -ary 2012 was the company’sbest Febru aryever. “I hadn’t evenrealized that we hadentered the competition,”he recalled, “butI wasn’t surprised tolearn that we hadwon.” Nor was anyoneelse at Western Extra -lite, it seems.“Everyone is awareof the steps we’vetaken from a green perspective,”Doolan ex -plained. “We all knowabout all of the thingsthe company has doneover the years to greenour facilities and ouroperations.”These “things”Doolan speaks ofinclude a new LEEDcertifiedservice center,roof top solar systemsinstalled at six servicecenters, and lightingretrofits in 15 serviceFrom left: Pat Doolan, CFO;Etta Potts, operations manager;and Tom Isenberg,president, in Western Ex tra -lite’s energy-efficient warehousein Kansas City, Mo.centers. There is also the installation of new exterior LEDlighting and new high-efficiency heating and cooling systemsat company headquarters, a new office and warehouse facilitythat features energyefficientlighting andcontrols, and a newcorporate fleet managementstrategy.Employees atWestern Extralite areaware of the company’sgreen initiatives,not only because theysee them on a dailybasis, but also becausethis is the kind of companywhere peopletalk. Employees talkamongst themselves,and they talk with topmanagement.In fact, some of thesustainability improvementsstarted as em -ployee suggestions.The company’s longstanding,cross-functional,interdepartmentalPeo ple’s Task Forceroutinely developsideas and presentsthem to the executiveteam, which conductsthe appropriate financialanalyses and, whenappropriate, deems thegrassroots proposalsworthy of top-levelsupport. That’s howthe box crusher came66 the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR • Apr. 12 www.TedMag.com

Green initiatives atWestern Extralite headquartersinclude(clockwise, from topleft): A solar electricgeneration system,wall-mounted outdoorLED lights, LED parkinglot lights, and a highefficiencyHVAC unit.Judging criteriatED magazine’s “Greenest of the Green” award was de signed to recognize an NAED distributor member company for implementingenergy-efficiency solutions in its own operations. The winning selection was based on the following criteria:• Corporate dedication to green. Does the commitment come from the CEO level? Is it part of the mission statement? Is itorganization-wide and conveyed as such? Have teams been put in place to further sustainability efforts?• Employee engagement and involvement. Are the employees actively engaged in green/sustainable habits? Does the companyencourage employee ideas and input? Does the company offer incentives for participating in green activities on a daily basis?• Positive effect on the bottom line. Are cost savings being realized as a result of green efforts? Are the savings sustainable?• Environmental im pact. To what degree have the company’s efforts changed its impact on the environment for the better?• Overall improvements to facilties. From lighting retrofits to LEED ac creditation, how much time, effort, and energy has thecompany dedicated to physically greening its facility?www.TedMag.com Apr. 12 • the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR 67

tEDmagazine“GREENEST OF THE GREEN” 2012to be added to warehouse operations in 1995, how the nowroutinepractice of recycling office paper was put in place in2007, and how the company made the switch from paper toelectronic pay stubs in 2011.It’s also how PV ended up on the company’s rooftops: Asuggestion from Western Extralite’s Energy Solutions Groupresulted in a multisite solar installation completed in 2011.The bottom line: Employees play a pivotal role in operationsat Western Extralite. “We don’t have a formal greenorganizational structure,” noted Tom Isenberg, president,offering that the company’s commitment to sustainability iswoven into the corporate cultural fabric. For example, “green”is a standard agenda item at monthly meetings of operationsmanagers, who are encouraged to share best practices andupdates on their projects.“One of the things that I like about our efforts is that theyjust kind of bubble up. We’ve created a culture where peoplefeel free to offer their ideas,” Tom Isenberg noted. “I amproud of ev erybody involved in our winning the ‘Greenest ofthe Green’ award. It’s a wonderful thing for the company andfor the people who work here.”tED magazine isn’t the only organization to honor WesternExtralite for its leadership in the community and industry. InJune 2011, the Kansas City Business Journal presented West ern“GO GREEN” INITIATIVE SAVES ENERGY AND EXPENSETechnology kWh saved Dollars saved OtherSix rooftop solar systems, sixservice centers, 108 panels/systems (all in Missouri)During first six months:• Produced nearly90,000kWh (total for allsix facilities)• Reduced electric usageby approximately 19%During first six months(mostly fall and winter),saved nearly $10,000based on $0.11 per kWh• ROI approximately 15%• Payback five to six years• Equivalent to:✓ 1,600-plus treesgrown for 10 years✓ Nearly 150,000 carmilesLEED-certified service center,including occupancysensors in offices and warehouse,energy-efficient lightingand skylights, exteriorLEDs, high-efficiency heatingand cooling (Lawrence, Kan.)Energy consumption andcosts in 20,000-square-footbuilding are nearly equivalentto usage in former 12,000-square-foot locationN/A• Customer demonstrationand showcase• Better lighting in warehouseimproves safety andproductivityNew service center, includingsolar wall, daylight harvesting,energy-efficient lighting,oc cu pancy sensors(Manhattan, Kan.)Energy use in new 20,000-square-foot building isalmost same as in original10,000-square-foot facilityN/AImproved lighting in warehouseimproves safety andproductivityLED lighting retrofit andsensors in offices and warehouse(Kansas City, Mo.,headquarters)114,000kWh$12,500Improved lighting improvessafety and productivityLED exterior lighting retrofitand sensors (Kansas City,Mo., headquarters)27,000kWh$3,000Brighter, more even lighting,provides heightened securityFour high-efficiency HVACunits (Kansas City, Mo.,headquarters)40,000kWh$4,400Fleet management strategy(company-wide)N/AN/A• Use 25% to 30% less fuel• Improved customer service68 the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR • Apr. 12 www.TedMag.com

“We have no immediate plans to replace any service centers,but certainly, if we were to get to the point where we aregoing down that road again, we would look again at LEEDcertification,” Doolan added.“We’ve gained some institutional knowledge that will helpus as we move forward. If we were to build another facility,there is no question that we would put skylights in it,” TomIsenberg noted, adding that the participatory culture thatWestern Extralite has established almost ensures ongoinggreening.“Too often there’s a breakdown of trust inside organizations,”he said. “We try to run an operation where people feellike they can make a contribution through their ideas, whetherit’s an energy-saving or a process-im prove ment idea orsome other suggestion.The important thing tome is to create a culturethat encourages peopleto bring their good ideasforward.” ■LEARN MORE AT TEDMAG.COM:Western Extralite will be presented withthe 2012 “Greenest of the Green” awardat NAED’s 2012 National Meeting in Wash -ington, D.C. Following the meeting, lookfor video footage of the green initiativesdescribed in this article on tedmag.com.Niehaus is an active member of numerous environmentaland building industry or ga nizations, and her commitment togreen runs deep: Her St. Louis home is built with materials recycledfrom 1904 World’s Fair buildings. Contact Niehaus atJan@CommunicationByDesign.net.What’s in a name?What may seem like a curious name for an electrical distributorship, Western Extralite conveys thestory of an industrious and ambitious couple who immigrated to the United States from Dusseldorf,Germany, in 1937: Ludwig and Anne Isenberg.According to the company website, Ludwig and Anne brought with them a Belgian light bulbwith the brand name “Extralite,” so called because the silvered reflector bulb emitted superior light.The “Extralite” portion of the company name derived from this product. The word "Western" in thecompany name refers to the fact that Kansas City, Mo., where Ludwig and Anne settled andfounded their electrical wholesale business, is west of Belgium.Today, Western Extralite still sells a descendant of the original “Extralite” light bulb (pictured).Half the Men / Half the TimeYour source for unparalleled paralleling solutions!“Half the Time”“Half the Men”“No Prep”“No Cleanup”Reel-O-Matic’s Combo Paralleling Cable Reel Stands are a contractor’s dream.Versatile models available for their needs and your business!FOR YOUR FREE DVD CALL Toll Free: 1-888-873-4000 / 1-405-672-0000To learn more about our Wire and Cable Handling Solutions Please call or visit us on the web: www.reelomatic.comYour complete source for Reel and Cable Handling Equipment.For more information visit tedmag.com/InfoCardwww.TedMag.com Apr. 12 • the ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTOR 71