UFG News
UFG’s American Building receives prestigious WELL Certification
UFG Insurance is proud to announce that its American Building in downtown Cedar Rapids has been awarded WELL Certification™ at the Platinum level — the highest possible — after a rigorous 18-month process.
The prestigious distinction for the company’s headquarters was received from the International WELL Building Institute pbc™ under WELL v2, the latest version of the WELL Building Standard™. The standard offers performance-based certification that marries best practices in design and construction with evidence-based scientific research that supports human health and well-being.“WELL Certification puts the people inside the building at the forefront of attention,” explained AVP, Director of UFG Workplace Environment Paige Butterfield, who also holds WELL Accredited Professional credentials. “Unlike other building certifications that focus exclusively on green factors, WELL joins corporate environmental responsibility and the human responsibility of caring for each other.”
Built in 1914 and renovated more than 100 years later to balance architectural history with modern efficiencies, the American Building earned WELL Certified Platinum based on 10 categories of building performance:
- Air.
- Community.
- Light.
- Materials.
- Mind.
- Movement.
- Nourishment.
- Sound.
- Thermal comfort.
- Water.
Arduous testing and scrupulous evaluation by a third party ensured performance requirements were met. UFG’s Net Zero Waste recycling effort, tests for air and water quality, design features and materials selection supporting light and sound comfort, and several other efforts played roles in attaining this certification.
“I’m proud of our innovative American Building and its health-enhancing features,” mentioned UFG President and CEO Kevin Leidwinger. “And I’m just as proud that it now carries the seal of WELL Certified Platinum as further confirmation of our corporate commitment to the physical and emotional well-being of UFG employees.”
“For a company like UFG, with founding principles rooted in treating people the right way and doing business the right way, achieving WELL Certified Platinum is especially poignant,” added Butterfield. “It’s a signal that our person-centered culture is as strong today as it was when we started doing business 78 years ago. People matter here.”
A WELL Certified Platinum seal will remind all those who enter the American Building that their well-being is top of mind. Full recertification will occur every three years.
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About UFG
Founded in 1946 as United Fire & Casualty Company, United Fire Group, Inc. (UFG, Nasdaq: UFCS), through its insurance company subsidiaries, is engaged in the business of writing property and casualty insurance. Through our subsidiaries, we are licensed as a property and casualty insurer in 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, and we are represented by approximately 1,000 independent agencies. A.M. Best Company assigns a rating of “A-” (Excellent) for members of the United Fire & Casualty Group. For more information about UFG visit ufginsurance.com.
About WELL
International WELL Building Institute pbc is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delos Living LLC. International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Portfolio Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Health-Equity, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute in the United States and other countries.
