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ARTICLES

SPONSOR HIGHLIGHT:

SWBC

Heather Carleston, SWBC

Being efficient and profitable in business while being a good steward toward the environment is not something that every company thinks about – but they should. With more than 1,400 employees, and locations throughout the U.S., SWBC , financial and insurance services company headquartered in San Antonio, has seen the light, so to speak, and has taken great strides toward making decisions that promote the visions of environmental responsibility. The company seeks to find the delicate balance between environmental, economic, and community concerns not only through its sustainability initiatives but also through its company-wide wellness initiatives and community-action projects.

To house its corporate offices, SWBC purchased the SWBC Tower, a Class “A” office building, in 2008. Built in 1984, it has approximately 236,000 rentable square feet and 13 floors. In addition to SWBC, it is home to 20 tenants and includes a parking garage with 905 spaces. With every upgrade and enhancement to the building, SWBC works closely with top designers and engineers to ensure the finest quality products and solutions are chosen to maximize sustainability.

In 2010 and 2011, the building achieved Energy Star rating, largely due to upgrading its rooftop chillers, which support the building’s HVAC system. The building also underwent an elevation modernization project, which included the installation of energy efficient motors.

Other SWBC sustainability endeavors include:

• Implementing energy efficient building designs with its branch offices
• Encouraging employees to recycle at the office as well as at home
• Engaging energy company assistance in identifying ways in which it can improve efficiencies
• Exploring the use of hybrid vehicles within its vehicle fleet

Pursuing sustainable living at SWBC also means encouraging employees to live a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. The company does not hire tobacco users and currently offers its employees 100 percent employer-paid premiums for medical and dental insurance. In addition, SWBC provides each full-time, San Antonio employee with a Spectrum Athletic Club membership. Or, if they currently have a different gym or live outside of San Antonio, SWBC reimburses them a portion of the membership costs to other health clubs. SWBC also promotes wellness programs such as Virgin HealthMiles that encourage healthier lifestyle choices and offer substantial financial rewards for being active.

SWBC believes in giving back to people and communities in which its employees live and work. Since its inception in 1976, SWBC has been a leader in community involvement and growth. SWBC employees, through the SWBC Cares program, participate in a wide range of community activities in San Antonio and across the country, lending support to local, regional, and national causes.

The importance of sustainability is consistently top-of-mind throughout every business endeavor and program implemented at SWBC. Co-owners, Chairman Charlie Amato, and President Gary Dudley, continuously demonstrate sensible and creative business decisions that help to promote the company’s vision of environmental responsibility.

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Handy Optimization Tools For Reducing Waste

John Facey , UTSA Sustainability Program

Microsoft Excel is a popular spreadsheet program widely available on most personal computers. One need not be a “super user” to understand the power of this useful tool. One straight forward capability called “GOAL SEEK” can be used to solve a number of simple business problems such as, break-even analysis to determine the level of sales or production necessary for a desired level of profit. The Goal Seek feature can be found on Excel 2007’s Data tab. On the Data Tools ribbon, click on What-If Analysis and select Goal Seek. The Goal Seek menu will drop down. With a set up such as the example to the left, click on the cell value that you are exploring (Cell F17 for Gross Profit) and it will appear in the “Set Cell:” field. Enter a zero in the “To Value:” field and then, enter J10 in the “By Changing Cell:” field. Click “OK” and voilà, four spreadsheet values will change. Cell J10 will become 667, Cell F17 will become zero, Cell F13 becomes $33,333.33 and Cell F15 becomes $33,333.33. These figures mean the firm would have to produce and sell 667 units to break even (where total revenue equals total cost) and more than 667 units to make any profit. Excel’s Goal Seek feature did all the work for you!

As slick as Goal Seek is, it has a major limitation; it can process and analyze only a single variable. In the above example, that variable was the number of units produced and sold. Wouldn’t it be great if all business problems were that simple to solve? Alas, many business problems like production scheduling, resource allocation and even financial investment strategies involve multiple, even many variables. These more complex problems seldom have pat answers. Instead, the solution is more properly called an optimization target and depends heavily upon one’s objective, that is, what it is that one is attempting to optimize and a wide variety of constraints which literally “shape” the possible range of acceptable solutions. Two typical classes of objectives are maximization, as in profit or, minimization, as in costs (although the method can be used to find optimized solutions for problems as obscure as determining operational business locations.)

The solution to these more complex problems can be approached by developing a series of what are known as linear equations which describe the effect of the constraints upon the value being optimize. This formidable sounding process is actually made quite simple by a number of proprietary, and sometimes expensive computer programs which are taught in college business courses variously referred to as management science or operations management. Here’s where the good news comes in. This same capability lies often unused on most people’s desktop computers. Yes, you may have guessed it, Microsoft’s Excel again.

Excel has a number of interesting “add-ins” available free to licensed users. The Excel add-in I will introduce to many of you is called “SOLVER” and it is quite a powerful tool. As you might imagine, a university topic taught over 16 weeks can’t be addressed adequately in what remains of this article but, I will do my best to at least get you started.

First, check your Data tab again and look far to the right. If you have an Analysis ribbon with Data Analysis and Solver options then, there’s nothing else to do to prepare. If you don’t have this ribbon and options, here’s what to do:

1. Click the office button in the upper left corner of your Excel worksheet
2. At the bottom of the drop down menu, click on Excel Options
3. On the left hand margin, look for and click on Add-Ins
4. In the list search for and click on Solver Add-In
5. Click OK

This may take a few seconds and will result in your having a new Analysis tab with Data Analysis and Solver options. If you click on Solver, you will see a menu appear which bears a striking resemblance to the Goal Seek menu, only a little more complex. Its use however, is definitely not intuitive but, at least you have your start. Due to space constraints, I will leave it here. If you like this type of article let the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce know and we’ll arrange a follow-up article to go beyond this point with Solver.

Note: Other tools can be found at the Sustainable Business Program’s website digital library

Two Business Priorities for Fall:
Energy Efficiency & Safety

Sam Taylor, CPSEnergy

You may have heard the old story about the grasshopper and the ant, which teaches the value of hard work and preparation. In the same way, CPS Energy encourages you to demonstrate the attitude of the ant and prepare your business for the winter months ahead. During this fall, consider getting your business an Energy Evaluation through the CPS Energy Savers Program. Through the program, commercial customers are responsible for only 25 percent of the cost of the Energy Evaluation.

With the evaluation, which is determined by your facility’s square footage, you may receive:

• A 75 percent savings and value ranging from $9,000 up to $48,000
• An on-premise assessment from a specially trained Energy Auditor
• A customized energy report

• A prioritized list of recommended energy efficiency measures
• An estimate of energy savings
• A list of eligible rebates and cash incentives
• Assistance finding a contractor
• Opportunities to participate in the Retro-commissioning or Peak Saver programs

For more information about CPS Energy Savers, visit cpsenergysavers.com or call (210) 353-2220.

Get Routine Safety Checks for Natural Gas Appliances

Fall is the perfect time to make sure your natural gas appliances are operating safely and efficiently. Before San Antonio gets its first blast of cold weather, it’s important to make sure heating equipment isn’t faulty or a carbon monoxide hazard. For example, dirty or malfunctioning heaters may create a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. To avoid this hazard, CPS Energy recommends getting a reputable licensed contractor to check your appliances. It’s also a good idea to set up a service contract with the contractor to assist with annual maintenance.

Good Maintenance Can Protect Customers, Employees

Good maintenance of gas appliances and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can protect your customers and employees from fire and dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (also known as the “silent killer”). The safety checklist below will help you make your business safe from these hazards during the winter months and beyond.

Safety Checklist

• Make sure smoke detectors are operating correctly.
• Install carbon monoxide detectors on walls.
• Avoid installing detectors near a furnace to prevent a false alarm.
• Test detectors at least once a month and replace them according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Check batteries in detectors every six months.
• Make sure natural gas appliances have a blue pilot or burner flame, which will indicate that the appliance is adjusted properly and has adequate oxygen.
• A yellow or orange flame may indicate a problem and should be checked by a qualified technician.
• If you suspect carbon monoxide, open windows to ventilate the area, shut off the furnace and other natural gas appliances, and get out of the area. Call 9-1-1 to report the emergency and then call CPS Energy at 353-HELP (353-4357).
• An odor that smells like a rotten egg is added to natural gas so in the event of a leak it can be detected. So if you think you smell natural gas, do not use a phone or flashlight, switch lights on or off, or light a match. Use a phone away from the building you suspect the gas leak is in.

Energy efficiency and safety are top priorities for CPS Energy. We hope this information will be helpful to your business.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

** October 28, 2011 — San Antonio River Authority, Green Futures – To learn more, click here

** November 9, 2011 — LeadSA SustainAbility “Clean Air & a Fresh Future” – Find out what your business can do to be a breath of fresh air for the San Antonio business community and our economy. – To learn more about the LeadSA event and to register, click here

** December 1, 2011 — Technological Pathways for Cleaner, Greener Economic Sustainability – To learn more about this community event, click here

*** December 6, 2011 - The World of Eagle Ford Shale hosted by SA Clean Tech Forum. Click here to learn more

EDITOR'S NOTES