Sustainable architecture firm moves from Asheville, N.C. to offices near Summerville

Columbia, SC – The Verdi Company, a sustainable architecture and development firm specializing in green building techniques and consulting services, is moving its headquarters from Asheville, N.C. to new offices near Summerville, S.C.

Verdi is consolidating all of its operations in the Charleston region, adding manufacturing and construction arms to the architecture and real estate development sectors already represented in the community. Verdi’s new Ladson facility will be located in the Benchmark Office Park, from which the company will fabricate green building materials and make them available for use in the local construction industry.

Verdi buys raw Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) 8 to 24 feet long by 4 ½ – 12 ¼ inches thick and transports them to its South Carolina facility, fabricates them by pre-cutting and pre-framing doors and windows and roof angles, numbers the panels, then sends a crew to install them on construction sites.

The company will host a grand opening event from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. on June 30 at 3265 Benchmark Drive in Ladson. Local contractors and other interested parties are invited to attend.

For company owner David Hill, AIA, moving to South Carolina is about coming home to family and pursuing new opportunities. Originally from South Carolina, with much of his family still living in the Charleston area, Hill will run Verdi as a family-owned business.

“Our move to South Carolina also has a lot to do with opportunity for our company,” Hill said. “Nobody in the area is doing what we are in terms of green building. No other company has as good of an integrated understanding of green building from mechanical and structural standpoints. By consolidating our operations, we will have a greater opportunity to reach far beyond our current areas of service to become more of a regional company servicing the entire Southeast.”

Several of Hill’s employees are making the move to South Carolina, and he has already hired two new employees, including a new plant manager. Hill said Verdi would hire up to three additional employees immediately, with future plans to hire six to eight more people to staff building crews and accommodate growth.

Green building is a whole-building systems approach to design and construction that employs building techniques that minimize damaging environmental consequences and reduce the energy consumption of buildings while contributing to the health and productivity of building occupants.

“Green” is often a misused term in the building industry, according to Hill. Verdi specializes in a green approach because of its profound effect on the economy and natural environment. Hill recognizes the effect of pollution and sprawl on health and productivity that can be countered by good common sense, whether you call it Green Building or not.

“I am confident that access to new markets will help the company compete in this state and beyond with its innovative green building products,” said Commerce Secretary Bob Faith. “The company’s decision to
move from North Carolina to South Carolina is a testimony to our state’s competitive, pro-business climate.”

Verdi will also provide training in green building techniques and offers online teaching through the company’s web site (www.theverdicompany.com).