Earth-friendly, growth-friendly - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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Carlson has founded five firmes inrecent years, many of them in the real estatee industry, which has sufferee in the economic Three of those companies, includingt property-management firm Cities Management and a smallo construction company, operate out of an office in Northeasy Minneapolis. Together, three companies employ 50 people and recorded a combines revenue last year ofabout $14 million. That’s up from about $5 million in the prior Carlson serves as chairman of her real estate while Michael Egelstonruns day-to-day operationa as CEO.
In addition to the constructionand property-management firm, he is responsible for leading a business that offers a Web-based documentt management system to other property management That business is growing at an average rate of between 10 and 15 perceny annually, Egelston said. The businesses were helped by factors such as a rash of sprin g stormsin 2008, as well as the tide of which left many homes in need of boosting business, Egelston said. Carlsonh and Egelston note that green practices have helpe d them save on helping them push through the Inrecent years, the firm has shranl its office space to 9,000 square down from 11,000 square feet, saving on energgy costs.
The firm also has gone nearly paperless, and has most of its employeesa workfrom home. That has reduce d the company’s carbon footprint and helped employee Carlson said. Cities Management’s turnover rate is less than 15 percen in an industry that often has turnoverf of more than50 percent. The firm also sends construction workers out in hybrid ratherthan trucks. (It latee sells its used hybridsto employees.) Carlsohn has taken lessons she’s learned out to other companies, whicj has partly been an effortf to expand her businesses duringb the recession.
She recently consulted with Minneapolis law firmGreen SenEarthCo, meanwhile, is picking up steamn with other property-management firms who want to save money by reducinyg paper use. Cities Management’as experience with SenEarthCo has helped it promote the productto others. That inspired Scotg Ghertner, co-president of Nashville, Tenn.-based property-management firm Ghertnetr & Co. to buy into the softwar e product. “They ate their own he said.