LOS ANGELES—Today, the Los Angeles Business Council is honoring Servicon Systems chairman Michael Mahdesian with the Chairman's Sustainability Award for the firm's recently completed Mahdesian Learning Center & Client Innovation Hub. In an earlier story, GlobeSt.com reported that the recently completed Mahdesian Learning Center & Client Innovation Hub was the first and only building to earn a LEED-New Construction Platinum certification. The LABC is recognizing this feat with Mahdesian's award.

“The LABC is one of the city's leading business and advocacy groups and has been a leader on local and statewide sustainability issues for years,” Mahdesian tells GlobeSt.com. “They were one of the prime movers of a rooftop solar program known as CLEAN LA (Clean Local Energy Accessible Now) that provides tax benefits for businesses as well as residents. They have had a terrific impact on improving a sustainability focus in Los Angeles, and it's an honor to be credited as a leader in that area from such a great organization.”

As a provider of sustainable custodial solutions and green cleaning, Servicon Systems is dedicated to sustainability. The firm's Mahdesian Learning Center & Client Innovation Hub is a testament to that commitment. The property was built on the frame of a windowless warehouse and uses a smaller carbon footprint than a Toyota Prius. “People spend 90% of their time indoors in the commercial workplace. Sustainable/green cleaning vastly improves indoor air quality and in turn health issues. A sustainable environment can reduce absenteeism, improve morale and increase productivity. It can reduce the degradation of assets over time and have a positive impact on an owner's ROI,” says Mahdesian about the importance of a green space.  

The firm doesn't plan to stop with the center. It also recently completed the Servicon Learning Center and Client Innovation Hub, which earned a LEED-Platinum certification. There, the firm trains employees on the best green practices and ensures they are setting a high standard for sustainability. “We never stop innovating,” adds Mahdesian. “We hope to be a model in our industry and virtually change the face of the cleaning industry. We're developing very sophisticated dashboard metrics and measuring every aspect of our performance, cleanliness, health and the impact on our clients' ROIG—unprecedented in our industry. These are initiatives and best practices that our employees are very proud of, as am I.”