Environmental stewardship is nothing new to Decker and his business partner, John New."John and I have always been the guys that turned the lights off when people left the room," says Decker. Despite that, he and New did not initially set out to form a company dedicated to green initiatives.

"We started the business because we saw there was an unmet need in the market for high-quality meeting space for rent," says Decker. "Most of the solutions in the market then were hotels, which are more about the guest rooms than the meeting rooms. After we developed our business model, we realized that the hospitality industry is one of the most wasteful industries out there. John and I have always been environmentally conscious people, so we thought it was a great fit for us to take our personal beliefs and bring it to an industry that needs help. In three years, we've raised the bar in the region. We've got the total package: We have environmental correctness, incredible space and high-quality services."

The Hub continues to grow internally as well as externally. Last month, the company took almost 1,000 extra sf at Cira and plans to take over the remainder of the mezzanine level--approximately 3,800 extra sf in the next two years. The company is also considering expanding beyond the Philadelphia area.

"Having proven our model, we feel that we can move beyond Philadelphia," says Decker. "We've looked around but haven't put together the right deal yet. It's difficult, but there's a trend out there and progressive landlords are realizing that they have an opportunity to add an incredible amenity to a building and create a profitable business. Landlords are seeing the writing on the wall; they realize that if they're going to create a sustainable commercial development, they have to position it as a center of commercial activity so there are a lot of feet coming through the door."