CINCINNATI, OH — Pepper Construction’s Cincinnati office recently welcomed employees into their new location for the first time in Lockland, Ohio. Since establishing an office in Cincinnati more than 14 years ago, Pepper has grown its local team to 65 and counting. Some of the firm's recent and current work includes projects for St. Elizabeth Healthcare, UC Health, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Fairfield Commerce Park, Park 536, Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati, Fifth Third Bank, and Lockland Local Schools.

“At Pepper, we are deeply committed to the communities where we live, work, and play,” said Stan Pepper, Chairman and CEO of Pepper Construction Companies. “This historic renovation gives us an opportunity to give back to the community by revitalizing a resource that has been abandoned for decades. We think the project is a game changer for the industry and for our team. Renovation has been a big part of Pepper Construction for our entire history, and it is rewarding to put that expertise to work for our team.”

Nearly a year ago, Pepper began renovations to the former 110-year-old Stearns & Foster office building including a full exterior restoration, the addition of a vestibule to create the new main entry, and a 23,000-square-foot interior buildout. Historical elements were restored or replaced throughout, including exposed brick, wood floors, original windows, and plaster finishes. Modern accents, such as glass partitions and open-office furniture, were added to create a collaborative work environment for the firm’s growing team.

Leading their own renovation, Pepper Construction pursued Net Zero Energy, LEED Gold, and WELL Silver certifications on the historic structure. To achieve these goals, many high-performance strategies were used, several of which are outlined below:

• Adaptive reuse instead of building new
• Focused on lowering the Energy Usage Intensity (EUI) through numerous building and system upgrades
• Minimized the use of refrigerants through a modular heat recovery chiller and hot and chilled water fan coils
• Elimination of all onsite combustion through 100 percent electrification
• Minimizing outdoor air while improving indoor air quality through a sorbent filtration system
• Addition of geothermal wells utilizing the earth’s energy to heat and cool the building
• Installation of a solar array (both rooftop and canopy-mounted) capable of producing an estimated 250,000 kWh per year

The Pepper team continues to invest in the local community — leading school supply and winter gear drives in support of Lockland Local Schools with more community partnership opportunities in the works for the future.

“We are extremely thankful for the warm welcome we have received from the Lockland community,” said Jerry Noble, Senior Vice President and Regional Director for Pepper Construction's Cincinnati office. “I can’t wait to see what our team and the Village of Lockland can accomplish together in the decades to come.”