(Left to right) North Carolina Congressman Howard Coble, State Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dale Carroll and Precor President Paul Byrne cut the ceremonial ribbon at the grand opening of the Precor strength manufacturing facility in Whitsett, NC. Photo by Micciche Photography Inc.

WOODINVILLE, WA -- Today, Precor held the official grand opening of its new manufacturing plant in Whitsett, NC. The facility recently received a Leadership in Energy and Efficient Design (LEED) Commercial Interiors (CI) Gold Certification for the office space area of the plant.

The $26 million, 236,000-square-foot plant will manufacture commercial strength equipment, including the newest Precor single station C-Line machines as well as Icarian plate-loaded, functional and multi-station machines. It replaces a smaller facility in Valencia, CA. The plant employs 71 people, but Precor plans to double that number in the next few years.

The process for obtaining LEED certification is based on the accumulation of points in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environment quality.

To achieve LEED CI Gold Certification, Precor installed low-flow fixtures to reduce water consumption by 42 percent, high efficiency HVAC units for heating and cooling, and CO2 monitors in the space to detect low levels and automatically provide more fresh air to occupants when necessary via the HVAC system. The company also reduced connected lighting power density by 38 percent. Ninety percent of equipment and appliances installed at the plant have an Energy Star rating. The project recycled or diverted 80 percent of on-site generated construction waste from landfills.

The U.S. Green Building Council gives out the LEED certifications, which are the nation’s premier program for design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. It is the recognized system for certifying green interiors that promote healthy, productive places to work, are less costly to operate and maintain and have a reduced environmental footprint.

“This distinguished award is the result of more than 18 months of preparing, planning and execution by our developers, architects, contractors and Precor,” Paul Byrne, Precor president, said in a statement from the company. “Together, we were able to deliver this project on time and under budget.”

In addition to LEED CI Gold, Precor also ensured that the high bay lighting fixtures at its plant contain T5HO fluorescent bulbs, which results in increased energy efficiency and better overall lighting. The company also recycles corrugated paper, wood pallets, aluminum shavings, and steel and metal scraps.

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