Old Dominion Freight Line Inc.’s newest service center in Canton, Ohio recently opened and is slated to be the company’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified facility in its nationwide network. The 70-door facility, the company’s 216th, will employ 40 people. Old Dominion operates six other service centers in Ohio: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown.
“The state of Ohio is vitally important to Old Dominion’s operations.,” says Greg Gantt, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Thomasville, N.C.-based company. “With this new service center, we can provide our current and future customers with an even more reliable link to the area’s major thoroughfares. Many of the measures used in the design and construction of this center to achieve LEED certification are common-sense solutions that will help us meet our business goals while also being responsible environmental stewards.”
To work toward LEED certification, Old Dominion employed a number of energy efficiency and water savings measures, including a water-efficient landscape design that does not require irrigation; low-VOC paints, coatings and carpet; and a combination of increased wall and roof insulation, high-performance windows, efficient HVAC equipment, light fixtures and controls intended to help to reduce energy use by 19 percent compared to a facility designed and built to standard construction codes.
In addition, Old Dominion used sustainable materials in the service center’s construction: 39 percent of building materials used during construction have recycled post- or pre-consumer content, and 63 percent of building materials originated and were manufactured within a 500-mile radius of the site. Old Dominion estimates that the center will see a 19.7 percent annual energy savings, including a reduction of 319,511 kWh and 1,678 therms. The company estimates it can achieve a 34 percent reduction in water use, saving more than 31,000 gallons of water annually.
The Canton center is strategically located along Interstate 77, which provides easy access to Interstates 80 and 90 – two of the nation’s longest interstate highways – and Interstate 70, which the federal government in 2007 named as one of six “Corridors of the Future.” The program aims to reduce congestion on major thoroughfares, and when complete, Interstate 70 will have dedicated truck lanes between Ohio and Missouri.
The Canton Service Center is the latest in a string of upgrades Old Dominion is making to its national network. In 2011, the company plans to invest between $260 million and $295 million on capital expenditures, including $100 million to $120 million for real estate purchases and expansion projects at the company’s existing facilities.
