Cherapa Place: Howalt+McDowell's Corporate Office is located on the 6th Floor in Sioux Falls, SD
One way to understand Howalt+McDowell is through the relationships we keep. None is more important than with the place we call “home.”
We’ve made a concerted effort both to invest in our home and to give our people the chance to give back. Perhaps the most visible way we’ve done this is by establishing our new headquarters in Cherapa Place, one the first LEED certified, or “green,” buildings in South Dakota. Opened in November, 2007, Cherapa represents Howalt+McDowell’s commitment to sustainability — in both the place we do businesses and the practices we use there.
“We all need to reduce our negative environmental impacts, whether it’s saying ‘no’ to plastic bags at the grocery store, or riding your bike to work on a nice day,” explains Jeff Scherschligt, President, Howalt+McDowell. “A change takes a much larger effort from all of us.”
With our new headquarters, Howalt+McDowell is leading the way. “Cherapa” is the name of the magnificent sculpture of a buffalo that welcomes visitors near the entry of the building. In fact, it’s the Crow Indian word for “buffalo,” which is also means “reverence.” That seems an appropriate term that hints at the connection the building has to both the land and our regional heritage. After all, Cherapa Place is a hallmark of sustainable building and energy efficiency in South Dakota. Built on a reclaimed brownfield in the heart of downtown Sioux Falls, a choice site on the banks of the Big Sioux River that used to be native prairie, the project recycled 80 percent of its construction waste, including the material from the former Zip Mill elevator that previously occupied the site (the concrete from that building was crushed and used to pave the parking area of the new building).
In its place stands a structure built in concert with nature, with locally sourced materials, recycled materials, and energy efficient design, all integrated with native plants both around and even on top of the building. Annually, buildings consume more than 30 percent of the total energy we use in the U.S., including more than 60 perecent of its total electricity. By using LEED standards to build green, Cherapa makes a difference and point to a future of sustainable business. LEED delivers an immediate and measurable result: dramatic energy savings, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, lower water usage, better indoor air quality, and lower operating costs.
Around the office, our people are assiduous about recycling, reducing paper usage and using sustainable media as the default material in the documents we assemble. Even though we operate in a document-intensive environment, Howalt+McDowell has worked hard to set an example. It’s an example that’s been spotlighted in our local press and reaffirmed with our sponsorship of the Sioux Falls Green Project, a first-of-its-kind non-profit dedicated to promoting green practices and business in our community (it’s also located in Cherapa Place).
But sustainability is only one way we’re invested in our community. For years, Howalt+McDowell has been a tireless supporter of the local United Way, the Children’s Miracle Network and causes like MS, youth activities and arts organizations. And we give five percent (5%) of our pre-tax income to charity. We also make room for our staff to volunteer and actively encourage all our colleagues to contribute to the community on the company’s watch.