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OWC LEED Project Timeline |
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2006: Plans for the new LEED building had
come to a close and were revealed at the
Other World Computing Christmas Party.
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June 2 2007: The day of ground breaking. |
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Dec. 2007: Building nears completion. |
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Feb. 18, 2008: Feb. 22 occupancy date drawing near. |
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Feb. 26, 2008: First departments begin transition to new headquarters. |
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March 9, 2008: Warehouse/Order Fulfillment/Assembly operations transferred to new headquarters. |
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April 4, 2008: All OWC Departments and Staff now moved to new location. First time in about four years that the entire OWC team is under a single roof. |
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May 19, 2008: Other World Computing CEO Larry O’Connor, right, and OWC Logistics Manager Larry O’Connor raise the American flag for the first time at the new OWC corporate headquarters building. The flag, donated by an OWC staff member, was flown over the Pentagon shortly after 9/11. |
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 August 4, 2009: The foundation is prepared as construction begins on a Vestas V 39, 3-Blade, 500kW Wind Turbine that will be able to generate approximately 1,250,000 kWh per year (kilowatt hours per year) - up to more than double the current energy requirements of all OWC operations, including the datacenter. Average wind speeds at the site are 10-15 mph, and the turbine is designed to produce power at wind speeds as low as 9 mph, with a blade housing that can rotate 360 degrees to best take advantage of wind conditions. |
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 October 2, 2009: OWC staff members are invited to sign one of the Wind Turbine blades, delivered onsite and awaiting installation. Warehouse Operations Manager Ryan O'Connor adds his name to blade. |
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October 19, 2009: OWC becomes 100% on-site wind powered by switching its daily operations energy needs over to a Vestas V39-500 kW wind turbine. The turbine, at a height of 194 feet from the ground to the tip of the blade, is clearly visible miles away from the OWC campus. After OWC draws off the power it needs, excess energy produced is sold back to the local power provider, thus making OWC a net supplier of sustainable energy to the McHenry County, IL. |
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The OWC Wind Turbine, silhouetted in a beautiful autumn sunset, is a visible reminder of OWC's commitment to the future. |
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March, 2010: The Other World Computing corporate campus is awarded LEED Platinum Certification by the Green Building Certification Institute. Platinum is the highest achievable level of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program, which began in 1998. Out of more than 14,000 LEED projects engaged worldwide since the program's inception, OWC is one of less than three hundred to achieve the Platinum standard. With this recognition, OWC also became the first privately owned light manufacturing/assembly building in Illinois to obtain LEED Platinum status. |
