Posty Cards Shows LEED Is For Small Business Too

Posty Cards, Inc, which makes business-to-business greeting cards, has received LEED- Platinum certification for its expanded manufacturing plant.

Not only is the company one of just seven manufacturers to earn LEED-Platinum certification in the US, it’s also the smallest company to do so. 

"Knowing that our expansion would likely be a once-in-a-generation event, we chose to use sustainable building technology to significantly reduce our future energy consumption," says Erick Jessee, President of the 65 year old, family-owned business. Although many Fortune 500 companies are greening their operations, given all the advantages and the many incentives available, there’s never been a better time for small businesses to get on board."

"Receiving LEED- Platinum certification is a tremendous accomplishment for Posty Cards. It requires a great deal of work and dedication to obtain Platinum status and I think it’s incredible that a small company cares so much about the environment. It is companies like Posty Cards that are making a difference in our world," says Jenny Bloomfield Sciara, chair of the USGBC Central Plains Chapter.

Located in Kansas City’s urban core, Posty Cards expanded and renovated its manufacturing plant. It nearly doubled the plant’s energy efficiency while doubling in size, from 22,000 to 45,000 square feet. The expanded plant will use just 5% more energy.

Green features include solar PV, generating about 11% of electricity,  solar-heated water, high-efficiency variable refrigerant volume HVAC, active lighting controls, rain water reclamation for irrigation and flushing toilets, bio-retention and underground basins for managing storm water runoff, and native plant landscaping.

Project design and construction teams: McHenry Shaffer Mitchell Architects, PKMR Engineers (Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Design), KH Engineering (Structural Design), SK Design Group (Civil Design), Patti Banks Associates (Landscape Design) and Turner Special Projects (Construction Manager).

Project funding was made possible with cooperation from U.S. Bank, KCMO CDE, Economic Development Corporation of KC, and the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority.

Posty Cards prints greeting cards with soy ink and many are printed on recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper, and packaged with recycled materials. Catalogs are printed on FSC-certified paper.

In addition to on-site solar generation they buy 100% Green-e certified electricity.