The field of green building encompasses a large number of practices. Green buildings do not have to be yurts in the middle of nowhere with no connection to public utilities services. They have all of the same conveniences as other modern buildings, but have a reduced impact on the environment.

Their environmentalism starts with the style of their building, which uses recycled and environmentally friendly components whenever possible. These buildings are typically designed to take advantage of opportunities for natural lighting, heating and cooling. Finally, green buildings use environmentally sensitive components such as high-efficiency HVAC plants, solar panels, low-flow water fixtures and LED and florescent lighting.

To maximize the booking benefit of building a green hotel, developers should go beyond just using environmentally responsible building practices. Interestingly enough, guests look for an environmental certification as opposed to looking for specific green building practices. Make sure your builder has earned their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the US Green Building Council. HiFive Development Services’ LEED-certified professionals bring green-building expertise to every project.

Green building also makes good sense. While it is true that retrofitting a building to make it meet LEED standards can be expensive, building a new building with green practices is can be very affordable, especially over time. Studies show that meeting LEED standards for green building can add as little as two percent to a building’s construction cost. Given that green buildings cost less to operate and maintain due to the use of high-quality materials and energy-efficient systems, the additional cost gets paid back very quickly. In addition, given the increased desirability of green buildings, they generate additional room and rental revenue, further paying back the increase in construction cost. This is why real estate investment trusts that invest in green buildings are reporting excellent returns.

There can be no doubt that green building practices make good business sense. They generate buildings that are easier to fill and cheaper to run. Furthermore, as energy and water costs continue to escalate, the value of the savings that they generate will increase. Finally, constructing green buildings is the right thing to do for the community in which they are located and for the surrounding ecosystem.

Posted On behalf of guest blogger, Nicole Adams of Westwood College

TO LEARN MORE, PLEASE VISIT WWW.HOTEL-CONTRACTOR.COM

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbender/2011/08/05/how-green-is-your-hotel/

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988

http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/LEEDing-REITs-See-Green-RWR-JLL-LRY-BXP-BPO-PLD-GE-ICF1122.aspx#axzz1ldX9xvuZ

http://www.nrdc.org/buildinggreen/factsheets/cost.asp

Matthew 28:18-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

A little while back, a building team from a mid-size church in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania made several visits to our office here in Mason, Ohio. I finally had to ask the Senior Pastor why it was so important to travel that distance to work with HiFive…surely there were other church specialists in his area that could design and construct his new campus. “I’ve done my homework”, he said, “and you guys know how to explode churches!” I have to admit, I’d never quite thought about it that way before.

So I put together a simple questionnaire and sent it out to all the Executive Pastors with whom we’ve worked over the years asking them to provide us with their growth statistics at various intervals. Specifically, I asked for actual, non-redundant attendance numbers prior to construction, immediately after construction and one, two and three years after construction. What we discovered is nothing short of astonishing!

ATTENDANCE

NOTE: Most of the churches which responded were either flat in attendance or showing marginal growth prior to moving into their new facilities.

GIVING

Although getting financially involved with a church typically lags behind attendance growth by at least 12 months, it’s important to note both the short and long-term effects. Respondents to our questionnaire provided the following data for giving-growth.

In addition, HiFive gathered the following encouraging data from our church surveys:
• Average Cash on Hand (in Building Fund) prior to Capital Campaign: $174,000
• Average Initial Cash Offering: $362,000
• Average 3-Year Pledge Total: $935,000
• Average % of Pledges Received: 84%

In the world of church economics, increased giving is necessary to maintain pace with increased attendance. Outside of normally anticipated cost increases in staffing, mortgage and ministry, other incidental costs tend to accrue to growing churches. As they grow, churches simply tend to provide more services, not fewer. Healthy churches strike a balance between cost-growth and attendance-growth.

HiFive Church Group is in the business of “exploding churches”…it’s our passion, our joy and our commitment to you!

LEARN MORE AT WWW.CHURCH-DESIGNER.COM

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

As you may or may not be aware I am a recovering banker with more than 35 years of addiction to balance sheets, profit and loss statements and cash flow analysis. For most non-bankers, the hardest lending concept to grasp is….if you need money, you can’t borrow any……but if you have plenty of money, you can borrow all you want. Now that you understand this underlying principle of lending, I want to let you know there is opportunity for those of you willing to move forward with an appropriate ministry expansion project.

After we go through the design and engineering process with our church partners and determine the appropriate response to their ministry expansion needs, we collect the necessary financials and corporate records to compile a “bank manual” which details the project scope, budget and required documentation from the church. In every case, we offer multiple financial institutions the opportunity to submit a term sheet for the ministry project. This allows us to assist the church in negotiating rates and terms with multiple lenders to achieve the best possible financing for their project. We have been extremely successful in obtaining financing for our church partners who have answered the call to move forward with their ministry expansion projects. These projects have ranged from $450,000 to over $5,000,000, and in each case we were able to select the best available financing option for the church and their particular situation.

The following are actual case studies of ministry partners we have helped with securing financing for their projects:

Case #1 – $2.5 million financing for church expansion

Loan Amount: $2,500,000

Amortization: 20 years

Construction Loan:
Interest Rate: Variable rate at One Month Libor plus 2.41%.
Rate at time of commitment 2.65%

Permanent Financing:
Interest Rate
Option 1: Variable Rate at One Month Libor plus 2.41%.
Rate at time of commitment 2.65%

Option 2: 5 year Fixed Rate at 5 Yr Constant Maturity Treasury plus 2.69%.
Rate at time of commitment 5.25%

Case #2 – $1.3 million financing for expansion and remodeling

Loan Amount: $1,200,000

Amortization: 20 years

Construction Loan:
Interest Rate: Variable rate at One Month Libor plus 2.82%.
Rate at time of commitment 2.99%

Permanent Financing:
Interest Rate
Option 1: Variable Rate at One Month Libor plus 2.82%.
Rate at time of commitment 2.99%

Option 2: 5 year Fixed Rate at Bank Internal Cost of Funds plus 2.65%.
Rate at time of commitment 4.70%

LEARN MORE AT WWW.CHURCH-DESIGNER.COM

Those hotel investors who can navigate the stormy financial waters will reap the rewards of that increasing demand while taking advantage of of historically-low interest rates.

The major franchises continue to freshen their prototypes and roll out new flags to respond to demand as well as give investors increased opportunities to place product in brand-saturated locations.

According to Jan Freitag, Senior VP of Global Development at STR, “The smart money is building right now. The really smart money is opening right now because they were building in 2009.” For private hotel investors who can get financing, now is the time to get going. That’s because the supply pipeline is at the bottom of its current “u-shaped” cycle.

Bobby Bowers, Senior VP of Operations at STR said, “My guess is you’ll see pickup in the planning and pre-planning stages by the end of 2011 and into 2012. You’d like to think that before too much longer, the turnaround will accelerate. If you’ve got new product out there, you’ll be in a good position to capitalize on it.”

Patrick Ford, President of Lodging Econometrics, suggests that if the current economy moves forward, even if only slightly, hotel operations will perform “through the roof.”

Contact HiFive Development Services today to see how we can get started on your next project.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.HOTEL-CONTRACTOR.COM

GREEN.

Green technology, green jobs, green construction, green cars, and green light bulbs. It’s rapidly becoming politically inexpedient to NOT be “green.” With everyone hopping on the green wagon, it’s inevitable that an unintended consequence would occur… and it’s commonly referred to as “green washing.” Green washing refers to the insincere display of concern for the environment. In the construction industry, it can refer to a building which makes a pretense of concern for the environment, but without any discernible criteria by which to measure that concern.

A hotel is a specific type of building for which certain green technologies make economic sense, while others do not. At HiFive, we’ve undertaken significant and real-world studies to discern which of those technologies are expedient and result in the highest benefit and cost returns. Our LEED-certified professionals analyze all building components in the design process for their efficiency and value. In circumstances where brand approval of a component is required, we work closely with the franchise to ascertain their acceptance. Furthermore, once a “green” project has been completed, we monitor energy consumption and cost to compare those with original forecasts.

Our experience has shown that hotel investors do care about the environment, and that they are also concerned with initial and operating costs. If energy savings are targeted as part of SBA financing (read more in our “SBA Financing… a New ‘Green’ Twist’” article), then thorough analysis is even more critical. It’s our job to produce a building that satisfies all requirements for overall efficiency and cost.

Contact HiFive Development Services today to see how we can help with your next hotel project.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.HOTEL-CONTRACTOR.COM

As part of the Recovery Act of 2009, the Federal Government set aside funds to make SBA loans more palatable for small businesses. Simply put, the SBA waived filing fees and approximately doubled the amount it would underwrite for buildings which met certain criteria for energy savings (specifically, reductions in carbon footprint).

Although the waiving of filing fees has since been expired (and may return again), the bulk of these program enhancements remain intact.

HiFive commissioned a nationally recognized engineering firm to study only those energy saving exercises that made economic sense and with finite payback periods.

Without listing all of the specifics of achieving energy savings in hotel buildings (find out more in our “Making Green With Green” article), HiFive has found reaching the initial threshold is a relatively easy thing to do. For example, in a recently completed project, the construction budget only increased by 3%. To the delight of the hotel, the energy savings have led to a “real world” reduction of approximately 30% in their energy bills.

Finally, from a bank’s perspective, it cannot be understated that the prospect of loan approval increases greatly when 40% of the debt is guaranteed by the government.

Contact HiFive Development Services today to see how we can make SBA financing work for your next building project.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.HOTEL-CONTRACTOR.COM

HiFive has been successful in helping its hotel customers obtain financing by observing a few simple rules:

RELATIONSHIPS.
Over the years, HiFive has built relationships with specific individuals at lending institutions who have both the interest in making hospitality loans and the authority to do it.

PACKAGING.
In most cases, at the request of the investor, we “package” his/her financials in the specific manner requested by the lender. This simple step streamlines the process of initial approval by the underwriter or loan committee. In these cases, HiFive will execute a “non-disclosure agreement” with the investor to protect his/her interest.

DRAWINGS.
As the only hotel developer in the region with a complete “in-house” architecture firm, we provide drawings and specifications within requests for financing so that lenders’ appraisers can evaluate the proposed improvements. In most cases, we keep the cost of those initial drawings very low or simply defer the cost until financing is approved.

PERSEVERANCE.
In a recent case, HiFive presented a particular financing package to 29 banks, all of whom declined to consider the loan. But the 30th bank, a small agricultural bank in Central Ohio, was eager to make the loan… and did. That hotel had its grand opening a few weeks ago and is already cash-flowing for its owner.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.HOTEL-CONTRACTOR.COM

A groundbreaking ceremony was held this morning. Crossroads Community Church in Oakley has launched a campaign to help finance startup costs for the CityLink Center.

Click here to read more >

LEARN MORE AT WWW.CHURCH-DESIGNER.COM

Congregations at Crossroads Community Church celebrated the news about the future CityLink Center at weekend services. Their church is leading the effort with $10 million in funding, supported by several social-service agencies.

The Mason design and construction firm HiFive Development Services has spent years on the plans for the old slaughterhouse on Bank Street. New designs call for 60,000 square feet of the 80,000-square-foot building to include classrooms, offices, meeting spaces and computer labs. CityLink will save some space for future expansion.

TO READ MORE, PLEASE USE THE LINK BELOW:

http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110627/BIZ01/106270311/Construction-start-July?odyssey=nav|head

Indeed a change in how churches are evangelizing has stimulated the Greater Cincinnati economy.

We need only look at the last three years at The Vineyard in Springdale, where the band will get you revved up if the coffee doesn’t.

The very “current,” high-tech, but down-to-earth style is bringing people in and they’re digging in their pockets to reach out.

In the last three years, The Vineyard has transformed a 110,000 square foot warehouse into a student union and healing center offering some fifty services to the community. Some 500 volunteers give time every month to keep it going, and it also employs a dozen people.

“We’ve always felt like ministry dollars should be going into ministry,” said Senior Pastor Dave Workman, “and so if it’s flowing out then we feel good about what’s happening here.”

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