The national office--which is a virtual organization not headquartered at any one location--will now provide more management and guidance in these goals, she tells GlobeSt.com. Each Skanska USA Building office in the US is re-organizing their local Green Council Chapter through the leadership of their Area General Manager.

The company's goals for the first year is to accredit an additional 150 LEED professional, she says. Currently it has 117 LEED APs, which means the goal for 2008 is to almost double its green expertise. In the Philadelphia office, those goals translate into an additional nine or 10 employees that have gone through the necessary training to become LEED certified.

Skanska first founded a Green Council in 2004, with the support of co-COO William Flemming, who continues as the council's official sponsor. "Our formal launch signifies the company's growing presence and commitment to sustainable construction throughout our local, national and international markets," says SVP of preconstruction and Skanska's National Green Council Chair, Beth Heider. Skanska USA Building Inc. is a provider of construction, preconstruction consulting, general contracting and design-build services.