Ben Franklin TechVentures2 Recognized as a Sustainable Community

BETHLEHEM, PA, December 05, 2012 (Press-News.org) Ben Franklin TechVentures2 was recognized as a Sustainable Community by the Lehigh Valley Branch of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (LV-DVGBC) at an event attracting more than 100 community and business leaders on November 26th. TechVentures was one of three nominees in the private project category.

"The DVGBC awards recognize dedication and support of sustainable and environmentally responsible planning, design, construction, and operations in the Lehigh Valley community," said Christa Kraftician, LEED AP+BD&C, AIA, Chair of the LV-DVGBC, and Partner at Spillman Farmer Architects. "Conscientious building practices like those utilized at Ben Franklin TechVentures will collectively provide an energy legacy for future generations."

Ben Franklin TechVentures2 will allow the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania to accommodate start-up technology companies that create as many as 200 sustainable, highly paid jobs and retain 100 more jobs in the first three years. Twenty-five early-stage firms, employing 158 people, are currently located in Ben Franklin TechVentures. Since 1983, the Ben Franklin Business Incubator and TechVentures have graduated 55 successful companies, together grossing more than $620 million in annual revenue, and creating more than 5,400 jobs.

Ben Franklin TechVentures2 won the Pennsylvania Economic Development Association Project of the Year award in 2011, and received first-place national honors in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2011 ENERGY STAR Challenge Contest. In January 2012, the facility won the American Institute of Architects Eastern Pennsylvania 2011 Award of Merit, and two Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal Best of 2011 Awards. The National Business Incubation Association named Ben Franklin TechVentures the 2012 National Incubator of the Year, a remarkable repeat of Ben Franklin's 2001 honor.

Most recently, the State Science and Technology Institute named TechVentures the winner of its Building Entrepreneurial Capacity 2012 national award. Ben Franklin TechVentures2 is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

About the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania http://www.nep.benfranklin.org
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania creates and retains highly paid, sustainable jobs by linking companies with experts, universities, funding, and other resources to help them prosper through innovation. The Center strategy encompasses three key areas: developing early-stage, technology-based companies; helping established manufacturers creatively apply new technologies and business practices; and promoting an innovative community-wide infrastructure that fosters a favorable business environment for high-growth companies. The northeastern center is headquartered in Ben Franklin TechVentures on the campus of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, and is part of an award-winning, four-center, economic development initiative that is funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners has returned $3.50 to the Pennsylvania treasury for every $1.00 invested in the program.

About the Delaware Valley Green Building Council
http://www.dvgbc.org
The Delaware Valley Green Building Council works to inspire, educate, and connect people around green building practices that will transform our communities into healthier, more prosperous places for people to live, work and learn.

DVGBC was formed in 2001 as a mission-based nonprofit organization and as a chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. DVGBC is the primary point of contact for practitioners, governments, and companies interested in advancing sustainable communities, and is a leader in fostering cooperation and collaboration among organizations dedicated to environmentally responsible practices in the building industry and beyond. The organization is headquartered in Philadelphia and has branches in the Lehigh Valley, Bucks and Montgomery Counties, the Metro Philadelphia region, and in the state of Delaware.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern PA promotes, sustains and invests in the transformation of our regional economy through innovation and partnering. For further information, please contact us at 610-758-5200.