The Starnet Worldwide Commercial Flooring Partnership honored H.J. Martin and Son with the 2017 Gold Starnet Environmental Achievement Award. Starnet represents more than 170 locally owned, full-service flooring contractors throughout North America and annually recognizes member companies who undertake initiatives “to preserve our resources so future generations can enjoy them.” H.J. Martin and Son is one of four Starnet members serving Wisconsin.

Among the environmentally friendly initiatives undertaken by H.J. Martin and Son are: the installation of LED lights on the sales floor of the company’s two showrooms, offices, and warehouse, reducing electricity use to one-sixth of its prior amount; the use of eco-friendly products for installations whenever possible; the implementation of electronic timecard and payroll systems; the conversion of all accounting reports and postings to a PDF format to reduce paper use; separation of cardboard and wood waste from normal on-site trash for proper recycling and disposal; purchase of a new server and storage equipment to reduce electricity use by one-half, along with decreasing cooling needs; participation in a local program to recycle used cell phones; and company promotion of carbon-footprint reduction through car-pooling and bicycling to work. H.J. Martin and Son also partners with Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) for the recycling of used carpet and pad. In 2016, the company recycled 79,380 square feet, weighing 549,070 pounds.

“We applaud the management of H.J. Martin and Son for taking the initiative, and for continuing to focus on, sustainability,” said Fred Williamson, executive vice president of Starnet. “Thank you for raising awareness, both inside and outside of the flooring community, and for being a strong leader in environmental stewardship.”

David Martin, executive for H.J. Martin and Son, added, “We thank Starnet for this great honor. H.J. Martin and Son appreciates the partnership with Starnet as it makes us a better company. We look to Starnet to gain best practices from commercial contractors across the country and to implement them in our business. This award is a credit to our team and customers who are environmentally conscious.”

For more information, visit www.hjmartin.com.