Innovation

Bazzani Building Company has been innovating in the construction industry by focusing on brownfield projects in the Grand Rapids area (Michigan, USA). “We get inspired by catalyst projects,” says Guy Bazzani - ones that "simultaneously help us to improve and benefit our community." A key to their approach is renovating old and historic buildings to newer, energy efficient buildings. From the day of their founding, they wanted the company to “be better than others” in the construction industry.

The company is the brainchild of Guy Bazzani, founder and CEO of Bazzani Building Company. He has been in the construction industry for more than 30 years. It was his philosophy to direct his company towards positive social and economic growth, while also respecting the environment around southwest Michigan. He has continuously worked to shape Michigan’s environmental policy, being a member of Michigan Climate Action Council, and being a vice president and founding organizer of West Michigan Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Bazzani Building Company is a triple bottom line organization balancing economic viability with social responsibility and environmental integrity. They earned their B Corp status in 2014 by meeting rigorous standards for environmental and social performance, transparency, and accountability and have been recognized for earning a B Impact Score in the top 10% globally. Bazzani achieved a B Impact Score of 147 (minimum required to become a B Corp is 80), attaining substantial subscores in community and environment. In 2015, they were listed in the Best for the World List which names companies at the gold-standard for high-impact.

Inspiration

The idea for the business emerged with the idea, “We wanted to do better than everyone else”. Guy attended Aquinas College Business School and received his degree in Sustainable Business. He held numerous leadership positions for sustainable building including Local First Founder Emeritus, U.S. Green Building Council Local Founding Member, Sustainable Business Forum Member, Social Venture Network, Michigan Climate Action Council-Voting Member, Uptown CID Board, Grand Rapids Transformation Advisors, and Conservation Design Forum. This education and experience in the industry shaped the foundation for Bazzani Building Company and motivated them to follow a “triple bottom line” approach to performance assessment.

“Community plays a significant role in the way we do our business” and this is clearly reflected in their mission statement, which is “...is to serve our clients by creating high-performance buildings that are cost-effective, efficient, and sustainable. We see responsible business as a vehicle for improving the economic, social and environmental health of the communities we serve. Our efforts inspire residents, businesses, non-profits, and municipalities to collaborate and thrive. Rely on us to take a holistic approach to meet your needs through creative problem-solving and innovative, sustainable solutions.”

Overall impact

Bazzani Building Company believes in the interdependence between company, people and planet. They strongly believe they can make profits for the business while also contributing to their local community and encouraging sustainable environmental practices all at the same time. Triple bottom line strategy flows through their entire organization, which is seen even in their logo representing the importance of triple bottom line. The short term impact is that they are changing the perspective of a construction company not being sustainable to being sustainable. The long-term impact is making downtown Grand Rapids a wonderful place of mixed-use development with both business and residential units.

Bazzani has completed many projects like the Paw Paw Village Pharmacy, Wealthy Street Animal Hospital, East Hill Center, Bazzani Headquarters, and the Kingsley Building. All are commercial LEED certified commercial properties. Additionally, Full Circle Apartments and Diamond Townhomes are LEED certified residential properties. “Guidelines for LEED certified commercial buildings are different from guidelines for LEED certified residential buildings.” Managing this complexity is a competency of Bazzani Building Company having successfully incorporated both into their portfolio.

Business benefit

Since more people are becoming aware of sustainable living, Bazzani Building Company has been able to expand their markets from commercial or mixed properties to complete residential properties. This has brought more opportunities for the firm to expand its business.

Social and environmental benefit

In order for projects to be LEED certified, builders must get their materials from within an average radius of 250 miles. They must also follow strict guidelines to manage their waste. Although Bazzani Building Company is committed to locally sourced materials, they will reach beyond the 250 miles for a product that has, for example, special environmental features. They are able to retain the 250 radius average limit by sourcing other materials closer to their project or even reusing materials.

Interview

Peter Skornia, Dan C. Colella, Elln Olney, President, Executive Vice President, Office Manager