RGM Limited

RGM LIMITED

RGM ‘LEEDS’ THE WAY!

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RGM LIMITED

“WE SET THE BAR OF WHAT PRESTIGIOUS, HIGH-END COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT SHOULD STRIVE FOR IN TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY BENCHMARKS.”

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TAKING THE

LEED Sustainable Business Magazine speaks to Gerard D’Arcy, Chief Executive Officer of RGM Limited, about LEED certification, sustainable facilities management, and expanding into the Caribbean.

With features including solar-powered LED lighting, variable refrigerant flow (VRF) air conditioning, occupancy sensors, rainwater capture, sophisticated insulation, and a living ‘green wall’, as well as a green rooftop deck, Savannah East, a commercial building in Port of Spain completed by real estate developers RGM Limited, was awarded LEED Silver in 2017, making it Trinidad and Tobago’s first ever LEED-certified building. RGM Limited acted on the growing demand for sustainable developments by the international market.

SUSTAINABILITY PIONEERS “We chose to pursue LEED status because it set us a target and gave us a template to achieve international sustainability goals,” explains Gerard D’Arcy, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of RGM Limited. “There are of course other standards out there, but we

chose LEED because it was the most established and recognized. We tend to follow developed markets when we have to, as that provides proven guidance which leads to the best results. As a result, LEED gave us a template on which to build a sustainable building. We thought it was important because we believe the built environment needs to transition into a more sustainable space. Trinidad needs to get on-board with the rest of the world and try to reduce the impact that the built environment has on the natural environment.”

RGM Limited is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s leading property development and management companies. With three major shareholders – RBC Merchant Bank (Caribbean) Ltd, Guardian Holdings Ltd, and Sagicor Life Inc. – RGM Limited is known for its A-class office space and its commitment to core principles of sustainability.

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RGM LIMITED country lacks true top-to-bottom integrated facilities management vendors who use technology and sustainable practices.”

“Servus manages Savannah East for us,” says Mr. D’Arcy. “They operate with sustainable practices built into what they do. That means the type of chemicals they use, the frequency with which they do things, and a general adherence to best practice. For example, the use of green chemicals and efficient low-consumption cleaning methods and equipment ensure they have low water consumption. There is a green policy that runs throughout their work. They are doing a good job and meeting performance requirements, not just in sustainability but for building appearance and maintenance.

We’re very happy with what they are doing and their other clients seem to be as well – the business is growing.”

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS In 2017, the last time Sustainable Business Magazine spoke with Mr. D’Arcy, the company was about to welcome the first tenants to their pioneering Savannah East office block (see Sustainable Business Magazine 03/16 for the full feature). Today, with Savannah East open for business, Mr. D’Arcy told us about how the building’s sustainability accreditation allowed them to remain competitive, despite challenging market conditions.

“RGM tends to target multinational companies, and they all have sustainability requirements in the buildings they want to occupy as a matter of corporate policy,” says Mr. D’Arcy. “That could be anything from embassies and government buildings to NGOs and even private corporations like BP. We saw that having a LEED-certified, sustainably developed building would be an asset and marketing advantage. Unfortunately, the market has been very quiet recently, and that’s been an issue in getting clients. However, within the depressed market, we’ve done reasonably well when compared to other buildings that we’re competing with.”

Since 2017, another building has also achieved LEED certification in Port of Spain, a few doors down from Savannah East. “We are proud to have pioneered LEED certification in Trinidad and Tobago,” says Mr. D’Arcy. “We set the bar of what prestigious, high-end commercial development should strive for in terms of international sustainability benchmarks.”

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BUILDING MAINTENANCE RGM Limited also has a wholly-owned subsidiary called Servus Ltd, a fully-integrated facilities management company tasked with managing all RGM’s buildings, as well as other commercial buildings. “Servus handles everything from high-end property management and administration to executing janitorial hygiene and security services, delivered directly,” says Mr. D’Arcy. “That company has grown from about 150 people to about 300 people over the past few years.” (See Sustainable Business Magazine issue 04/18 for an interview with Raul Mohammed, Chief Operating Officer at Servus Limited.)

While Servus is a highly successful business in their field, RGM’s involvement allows the company better control over the day-to-day functioning of their buildings and ensures the highest standard of services. “The maintenance business has proven to be very profitable,” explains Mr. D’Arcy. “Whether this economic slowdown happened or not, we would still naturally be focusing on that stream. We think the

CONNECTING WITH THE FUTURE Recently, RGM carried out upgrade work across all the buildings in their portfolio.

“We’ve had requests for things like more fiber optic cables and more bandwidth into buildings in order to meet demand,” says Mr. D’Arcy. “This is in line with the demands of international companies carrying out heavy internet-based operations. It’s a big challenge because of the work required to get fiber optics into already-established buildings. What we’ve found, though, are the vendors selling bandwidth are more than cooperative in incentivizing the buildings, because it’s new business for them.”

Meanwhile, going forwards, RGM are looking to expand in new areas. “We are going to put a focus on regional projects and try to generate some business in other nearby territories such as Saint Lucia and Guyana, perhaps Jamaica,” says Mr. D’Arcy. “There appears to be potential to market wares both in terms of our property development activities as well as for integrated facilities management and maintenance services. We are currently looking at multiple opportunities and hope to be breaking new ground in the coming months.” c

Limited

Recently installed pump packages at the Savannah East building which is the first LEED Certified green building in Trinidad and Tobago.

Savannah East BUILDING

The Water Source Limited is committed to providing quality services related to designing purposed built, fully customisable pump sets for commercial and residential use. We supply, install and service all pump systems. These systems comply with the specified requirements of our clients.

SYSTEMS INCLUDE:

Fire

Pool & pond

Irrigation

Solar heating

Grey water

Water filtration

Potable water

Sewage treatment

CONTACT US AT: info@watersourcett.com (868) 674-PUMP (7867) www.watersourcett.com San Juan, Trinidad, W.I.

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RGM Limited Albiona Plaza Energy Centre 22-24 Victoria Avenue, Port Of Spain, Trinidad And Tobago o: (868)285-9075 www.rgm.co.tt

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M A G A Z I N E

SBM Media Ltd, The Henderson Business Centre, 51 Ivy Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR5 8BF, UK T: +44 (0)1603 516519 E:mail: info@sustainablebusinessmagazine.net www.sustainablebusinessmagazine.net

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