NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ABM Janitorial Services, through its industry-leading ABM Green Care™ program, worked in concert with clients Wright Runstad & Company and Beacon Capital Partners to play a key role in helping a marquee Seattle property achieve Platinum certification, the highest level under the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (LEED-EB O&M). ABM Janitorial is a subsidiary of ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM), a leading provider of integrated facility services.

The property at 1201 Third Avenue in Seattle received the LEED-EB O&M Platinum designation for a comprehensive set of measures that demonstrated the building's efficiency and sustainability. LEED-EB is a sustainability program and rating system developed by USGBC to help building owners and operators measure and meet established standards for existing building operations, improvements and maintenance. The goal is to maximize a building's operational efficiency while minimizing its impact on the environment. LEED-EB Platinum is the highest achievable certification level for the sustainable operations and energy efficiency of an existing building.

Achieving the Platinum Rating

Named by the New York Timesas one of the nation's three best new office buildings when it opened in 1998, 1201 Third Avenue has received numerous awards over the years for the 55-story, classically designed tower with more than one million square feet of occupied space. ABM Janitorial Services, the U.S. leader in commercial cleaning and maintenance, fully implemented the ABM Green Care™ program at 1201 Third Avenue, incorporating a number of specific measures to enhance the sustainability of one of Seattle's leading properties. These measures included:

• Establishing a high-performance commercial cleaning program
• Utilizing "green" cleaning supplies and deploying advanced cleaning equipment
• Introducing a client-focused recycling and waste program as well as a green cleaning policy

"We asked ABM to begin a green cleaning program over three years ago, and since then it has become our standard," said Jeff Myrter, General Manager and Director of Property Management with Wright Runstad & Company. "We wanted a comprehensive, integrated program. In 2008, we decided to phase in composting, and ABM's team helped us roll this out. Now, most of our tenants are participating as we divert more waste away from landfills. Our partnership with ABM Janitorial Services began in 1988, and it's terrific to look back and see how we've continued to evolve the cleaning program over the years. This prestigious recognition for 1201 Third Avenue demonstrates the success of our efforts."

Tim Brekke, Executive Vice President, ABM Janitorial Services, said: "Obtaining Platinum status for such a prominent Seattle building with more than one million occupied square feet is a testament to the vision, focus and hard work of everyone involved. Our longstanding relationship with the Wright Runstad team has produced results in terms of improved building quality for the tenants while collectively reducing our impact on the environment. We congratulate the entire team for this well-earned recognition, and look forward to continuing our work to help clients in Seattle and elsewhere move to more efficient and sustainable operations for the future."

About the ABM Green Care™ Program

Implemented in 2006, the ABM Green Care™ Program leads the facilities services industry in providing solutions for a cleaner and healthier environment. ABM is currently green cleaning more than 250 million square feet of USGBC LEED® Certified, Registered or initial square footage. More square footage is covered by ABM's Green Care™ program than most of its competitors clean in total.

About ABM Industries Incorporated

ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM), which operates through its subsidiaries (collectively "ABM"), is the leading provider of facility services in the United States. With fiscal 2010 revenues of approximately $3.5 billion and nearly 100,000 employees, ABM provides janitorial, facility, engineering, parking and security services for thousands of commercial, industrial, institutional and retail facilities across the United States, Puerto Rico and British Columbia, Canada. ABM's business services include ABM Janitorial Services, ABM Facility Services, ABM Engineering Services, Ampco System Parking and ABM Security Services. For more information visit www.abm.com.

ABM Industries Incorporated
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Source: ABM Industries Incorporated

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