New headquarters in Richardson reflects commitment to sustainable workplace

PLANO, TX — Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc., today announced that it will move its corporate headquarters to 2600 North Central Expressway in Richardson, TX, in October 2012.

Located at U.S. 75 and Glenville Drive, southeast of the President George Bush Turnpike, the Tower 2600 building offers Safety-Kleen employees a shorter commute and easy access to major thoroughfares, packaged in a modern, more efficient and environmentally-friendly building.

"We're an environmental services company," said Safety-Kleen President and CEO Robert Craycraft, "and this new building reflects our professional commitment to being 'green' in everything we do. From customer service, to our Branches, to our headquarters, we're looking to be as energy-efficient and environmentally responsible as we can be."

Safety-Kleen Vice President and General Counsel Mark Phariss, who led the extensive search for the new headquarters, noted that approximately 73 percent of the 300 Safety-Kleen employees who will occupy the new space will now live within 30 minutes of the office, as opposed to less than 66 percent at the old location in Plano. In addition, the building is also located on the DART light-rail commuter line, and has easy access to Richardson's Spring Creek Nature Area and its hiking and bicycle trails.

Phariss also said the owner of the new building, Champion Partners, is seeking to have it LEED and Energy Star certified. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an international green building certification system that recognizes projects that are designed for better environmental and health performance. Energy Star is the U.S. Department of Energy's system for certifying energy efficient appliances and systems.

"This move also aligns us more closely with the environmental goals of our customers," CEO Craycraft said. "Many of our customers have sustainability programs and either work in or own LEED-certified offices and buildings, and we believe they prefer to do business with companies that share their values – so this is not only the right thing to do, it is also smart business."

Safety-Kleen employees will begin to move into the 82,500 square feet of leased space in September 2012, with full occupancy planned for October 2012.

"We are pleased to welcome Safety-Kleen to Richardson, a move that builds on our strong economic base and our culture of business innovation," said Richardson Mayor Bob Townsend. "Just as Safety-Kleen demonstrates leadership on environmental issues, the City of Richardson is proud to be a leader in sustainability, from our long-standing focus on multi-modal forms of transportation such as light rail, to our 'Tree the Town' initiative, numerous parks and green spaces, and our commitment to construction of LEED-certified municipal buildings."

"With the addition of Safety-Kleen, Richardson continues to lead the way in the growing 'clean technology' sector, reflecting increased corporate and consumer awareness of the importance of environmental responsibility," said Richardson Economic Development Partnership President and CEO Bill Sproull. "We are also proud to have real estate developers and property owners in Richardson who have made a commitment to environmental leadership, and to have outstanding office facilities such as Tower 2600 that are well-positioned to attract the headquarters of prominent global companies."

Safety-Kleen worked with real estate brokers Peery Wood and John Poston at Lincoln Property Company in their search for a new headquarters location.

About Safety-Kleen

Safety-Kleen is a leading North American used oil recycling and re-refining, parts cleaning and environmental solutions company, with approximately 4,300 employees serving more than 270,000 customer locations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Safety-Kleen provides a broad set of environmentally-responsible products and services that keep North American businesses in balance with the environment. For more information, please visit www.safety-kleen.com or call (800) 669-5740.