AAA Michigan Rededicates New Green Branch Office

LEED (R) designed building is first of its kind in Birmingham, Mich.

    DEARBORN, Mich., Jan. 15 // -- AAA Michigan's brand new Birmingham branch is taking the LEED (R) when it comes to building "green."

    The branch will celebrate its grand reopening from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday (January 18) at 34802 Woodward Avenue in Birmingham, Mich. AAA has had a branch at this location since 1954, but the old facility was recently demolished to make way for a new building at the same location -- the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building in the city.

    LEED (R) is a green-building rating system established by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

    The new Birmingham branch has already earned recognition for its decision to build "green." The Southeast Michigan Chapter of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has selected the Birmingham branch as its "2007 Building of the Year."

    "The new design meets our vision to build green by choice," said Greg Demanski, director of Real Estate Services for AAA Michigan. "We now have an integrated design approach to optimize a building's environmental sustainability, performance and cost savings. Building green by choice supports our core values as a responsible corporate citizen in each of our service communities."

    According to Demanski, the new branch will yield reduced energy bills and healthier employees.
The LEED (R) building offers many benefits. It:

     -- Uses energy, water, materials and land more efficiently.

     -- Creates appealing environments for members and staff with more natural

     light and cleaner air to improve occupant health, comfort and

     productivity.

     -- Achieves efficiencies in energy, water use and lower operating and

     maintenance costs.

     -- Obtained materials from local areas to reduce air emissions and

     petroleum consumption.

     -- Recycled demolition waste and used conscientious construction methods

     to divert waste material from landfills.

     -- Uses renewable products to promote sustainability and specifies low-

     emission paints, sealants and adhesives to improve indoor air quality.

    "We look forward to serving our members in this state-of-the-art facility," said Birmingham Branch Manager Marilyn Bennett. "We think our members will be very pleased with our new branch."

    AAA Michigan has 43 full-service branches throughout the state. The Birmingham branch employs 26 people and offers automobile, travel, insurance and financial services to more than 18,000 AAA members.

    AAA's array of services and products includes 24-hour Emergency Road Service, special member-only savings at thousands of retailers on auto, home, dining, travel and sports products and services.

    Special events will mark the official grand opening for employees and members throughout the day on Friday.

    AAA's "Ready ... Set ... Winter" seminar will review winter driving skills (10-11 a.m.). There will also be safety displays and Child ID available. Members and visitors can also discover what kind of discounts are available from AAA's Show Your Card and Save(R) retail partners, discover dozens of vacation specials from AAA Travel Agency and enter for a chance to win a AAA gift certificate.

    Refreshments will be provided. For more information, call 800-222-4419.