Hagemeyer North America, with support from three of its key supplier partners, donated more than $12,000 worth of products and services in an energy-efficient lighting redesign project for the South Carolina Historical Society in Charleston, S.C.

“Our company has been headquartered in Charleston since 1865 so you could say that we've been long-time neighbors with the Historical Society,” says Dave Gabriel, Hagemeyer North America CEO. “At Hagemeyer we strive to be a more responsible, eco-friendly business and we take our sustainability commitment very seriously. That commitment includes supporting businesses in their sustainability endeavors. So, we were happy to aid and facilitate the Historical Society's desire to create a more sustainable environment at their facility.”

The South Carolina Historical Society is housed in the historic Robert Mills Fireproof Building located at 100 Meeting St. in Charleston. Native South Carolinian Robert Mills was the first professionally trained architect born in America. He was a federal architect under President Andrew Jackson and designer of many important buildings in Washington, D.C., including the Washington Monument. Mills designed the three-story Fireproof Building in 1822 as a state office building with secure storage for local public records; it was the first fireproof structure in the nation built specifically to protect documents. Although major renovations to the interior and exterior of the structure were completed in 2002, the lighting throughout had not been updated for decades.

“After Hagemeyer's lighting audit of the entire building, we were very pleased that their recommendations met all of our needs,” said Richard Hutson, SCHS board manager. “Then, we were excited and grateful to learn that the products and services were going to be donated by Hagemeyer and three of their suppliers.”

Melanie Hardy, Hagemeyer North America's manager of sustainable solutions, along with Product Manager Thomas McCants and Account Representative Dan Hardy, worked on the SC Historical Society project and solicited the support of three strategic vendor partners. Philips Lighting, Philips Advance and Veolia donated the lighting audit, lighting products and recycling services free of charge.

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