Fidelity earns BOMA recognition

PHOTO COURTESY PETER VANDERWARKER
WINNING RESULTS: The Fidelity building on Salem Street in Smithfield, winner of the BOMA award in the corporate-building category.
PHOTO COURTESY PETER VANDERWARKER WINNING RESULTS: The Fidelity building on Salem Street in Smithfield, winner of the BOMA award in the corporate-building category.

Fidelity Investments’ award for The Outstanding Building of the Year from The Building Owners and Managers Association in Boston is a first for a Rhode Island building since the competition began in 1985, said association spokeswoman Kayla Burmeister.
“This is a big win for the commercial real estate industry in Rhode Island,” said Burmeister. “These are the Oscars for the industry.”
Fidelity Investments’ award in the corporate-building category was one of 14 presented by BOMA on Nov. 15. BOMA Boston has members from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine.
Fidelity Investments’ winning building at 900 Salem Street is the third and newest one on the Smithfield site.
In addition to the marble floors and wave structure of the ceiling in the main entrance, the 577,000-square-foot, five-story Class A office building has outdoor landscaping with natural stone formations, white birch trees and indigenous flowering plants, characteristics that added to the high ranking in the competition, according to BOMA.
Because the recognition focuses on building management and includes impact on the community, employee participation in environmental preservation and the certification by the Wildlife Habitat Council in 2006 added strength to the ranking, Burmeister said.
“That was a highlight of their entry. Being certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council is a unique thing for a corporate building to do,” Burmeister said.
LEED Silver certification is also a plus, she said.
“This is a tremendous honor. We designed the building to be efficient, attractive and a great place to work,” said John Muggeridge, vice president of public affairs for Fidelity Investments in Rhode Island.
“Over the last 15 years we have gone from zero employees in Rhode Island to 3,500 employees in Rhode Island,” Muggeridge said. The company added 500 jobs at the Rhode Island campus during 2012, he said.
Fidelity Investments’ Smithfield location also has three corporate headquarters, Muggeridge said.
Pyramis Global Advisors, a Fidelity Investments company with assets under management totaling more than $190 billion, according to company information, is headquartered on the Smithfield campus. Fidelity Personal Investing and Fidelity Financial Advisor Solutions are also based on the campus.
Employees are enthusiastically involved in the environmental emphasis of the campus and there’s an informal group of employees active in what’s called Wildlife at Work, Muggeridge said.
They volunteer to maintain walking trails and take part in community projects to educate the public about habitat conservation.
“We have bluebird boxes all over the campus and they’re monitored by employees,” Muggeridge said. “The wildlife certification came to pass because of employees being interested.”
The campus has bicycle racks in the parking garage, two basketball courts, two sand volleyball courts and 10 miles of walking trails.
A cafeteria in the building recognized in the competition serves 1,300 people a day and a fitness center open 24/7 are other amenities that added points in the BOMA competition.
Community service by employees was another plus.
“The biggest thrust we have is in education. We do a lot with Roger Williams Middle School,” Muggeridge said. “More than 400 of our employees took part in doing painting, landscaping and other improvements at the school.”
Volunteers from the Smithfield campus have donated 5,000 hours of community service and serve on boards of more than 50 nonprofits.
BOMA also gave points for attention to employee transportation. A city bus route was established to help employees who rely on public transportation and there’s a Rideshare Board to assist with carpooling.
According to BOMA, a recycling program implemented by the property management team added to the strength of Fidelity Investment’s Rhode Island campus’ excellence in operations and management of commercial real estate.
While the award’s impact on the bottom line is not quickly measurable, Muggeridge said it is a confirmation of Fidelity Investments’ corporate values and culture.
“We designed the building to make a long-term investment in Rhode Island,” Muggeridge said. The company opened its Smithfield offices in 1998. •

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