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First GREEN Bank is one of the first banks in the United States which has an environmental and social mission. First Green Bank was founded in 2009 by a team of experienced and successful local bankers after being given the last bank charter in the state of Florida. Headquartered in [Dora], Florida, with branches currently also located in [[1]] and [Beach], Florida, First Green Bank is a customer-driven community bank providing personalized service, localized decision-making and extended banking hours while promoting a positive environmental and social example to its community. As “a local bank with a global mission,” First Green Bank adheres to a values-based business model which endeavors to do the right thing for: the environment, its people, its community, and its shareholders. In recognition of these continued efforts, First Green Bank was granted membership of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values in May of 2012.

First Green Bank has continued to be successful and grow as a bank since it was opened in 2009. Even in the difficult global and national economic climate of the time period during which it opened and has operated, First Green Bank attained profitability in a remarkably short period (a mere 19 months), with current assets over $194 million, and it has lent in excess of $141 million to local businesses and people in our communities. First Green Bank is also the only bank in Lake County, and one of a select few banks in all of Florida, to receive the coveted 5-star BauerFinancial rating from the nation’s leading independent financial institution rating service.

Some of the unique aspects of First Green Bank which contribute greatly to its continued success and positive impact on the community include:

· Discounted interest rates for commercial and residential projects that meet green building criteria of LEED certification

· Non-profit “First Green Foundation” provides assistance to community members for installation of solar panel systems in addition to providing assistance to community supported agriculture, which supports local start-up farming projects as well as projects that better manage our water resources, in turn helping to support many initiatives like the Slow Foods movement, Hunger Free Florida, and Farm to School programs.

· All advertisements have environmental message (“Green Factoids”)

· Bi-weekly public service announcements with environmental message in local paper

· Current buildings built or converted for energy efficiency

· Commitment to 100% [charging stations] at all locations – current locations installed

· Couriers are supplied with hybrid Toyota Prius vehicles

· Approximately 90% of all customers are on paperless statements

· Commitment to paperless office practices

· Thousands of hours of community service and involvement by staff

· Member of Sierra Club, U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Green Building Council

· On-going “Biggest Winner” competition which rewards staff for weight loss and healthy living

· Reimbursement of athletic competition entry fees for staff (such as for running events, etc.)

· All refreshment bar products are [[2]] and [trade].

Employees of First Green Bank are also encouraged and given scholarships to attain LEED Green Associate and [Professional] certification through the U.S. Green Building Council, and they are awarded $1,000 annual raises for successfully attaining such certification (First Green Bank Chairman and CEO Ken LaRoe, along with First Green Bank President Paul Rountree, and other management-level staff are LEED Accredited Professionals, and there are also several other employees currently working on their LEED Green Associate certifications). First Green Bank employees are also given many other unique benefits, such as:

· Cash incentive for hybrid vehicle purchase

· 0% financing on hybrid vehicles

· Complimentary use of hybrid employee loaner vehicle for any purpose, personal or business

· Complimentary on-site charging stations for employees’ electric vehicles

· Employer sponsored wellness benefits (such as an on-site personal trainer in our on-site gym, as well as reimbursements for off-site gym memberships)

· 100% medical, dental & vision premiums paid by employer

· 100% life insurance, AD&D, Short-term and Long-term disability premiums paid by employer

· 401k with 100% employer matching up to 6% (and “the business” doesn’t require a vesting period)

· Generous paid vacation and sick leave

· Bereavement policy

· Paid sabbatical for any social mission

· Tuition reimbursement

· Highest [Environmental Quality]

· Complimentary, healthy organic snacks and beverages

Such employee benefits, and more, have contributed to First Green Bank being named one of “Florida’s Best Companies to Work For 2010 ,” by [Trend Magazine], and one of the “Top 100 Companies for Working Families 2011," by the [Sentinel].

First Green Bank’s objective is that through education and influence it can help change attitudes. First Green Bank has led an impactful and successful charge to show people there is a better way to do business which is financially, environmentally, and socially responsible. Another integral way in which First Green Bank strives to accomplish this is through the construction or conversion of its buildings for energy efficiency. As noted by the U.S. Green Building Council: “Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.” (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=124).

[footprint] reduction is a critical component of the business model for First Green Bank. If the bank can do business in a way that reduces the amount of greenhouse gases produced by burning less fossil fuels for electricity and transportation, it not only saves operating costs, but it also has less environmental impact. First Green Bank encourages its customers to do likewise, and it supports those that do by also providing complimentary [vehicle charging stations] at all of its branch locations.

For the first office and headquarters of First Green Bank, an existing building in Eustis was purchased which previously served as a physical therapy facility, and the bank’s senior management had it retrofitted with many green features, such as: CoreFoam and Icynene insulation; locally-harvested flooring; [carpet], carpet squares, and tile; Marmoleum; natural earth plasters; [[3]]-free interior paint; [tubes]; low-wattage electronic ballast upgrades; automatic lights; [fluorescent light bulbs]; [Star] appliances; programmable thermostat; [toilets]; [urinals]; automatic faucets; Florida-friendly landscaping; and, pervious parking. Soon thereafter, First Green Bank opened a second branch office in Clermont, the building for which previously served as a restaurant, and senior management had it similarly retrofitted with green features.

In November of 2011, First Green Bank’s new state-of-the-art, 11,800 square-foot headquarters building in Mount Dora, Florida, was completed, and the Eustis office relocated there. Environmental Dynamics, Inc. out of New Mexico, a nationally renowned sustainable architecture firm, was hired to design the new headquarters building. First Green Bank’s new headquarters is built and registered to exceed the [[4]] Platinum standards set by the [Green Building Council] for energy efficiency, environmental sensitivity and the safety, security and comfort of its customers, workers and the community. In fact, it is one of the most environmentally-sustainable and energy-efficient bank buildings in the southeastern United States, and it is only the second privately-owned commercial building in the state of Florida built to LEED Platinum-level standards and.^[1] Emphasizing energy-efficiency and water conservation while utilizing recycled and healthy building materials, both the interior and exterior of the building were meticulously planned to minimize environmental impact during construction as well as over the long term. The goal was to fuse form and function in the design of the headquarters, and a great deal of time and thought went into achieving that synergy.

Visually reminiscent of [Lloyd Wright]’s mature, organic style, the new headquarters building of First Green Bank possesses a roof with a unique butterfly design pitched so that water runs to the center and flows through a spout into an 75,000-gallon subterranean [Vault]. That collected rainwater provides 100 percent of the water used to irrigate the landscaping, which was sustainably designed to utilize plants native to the Florida ecosystem. An additional 80,000 gallons of [[5]] condensate water per year is captured to a subterranean storage cistern, and used to flush toilets and irrigate interior vegetation systems such as a 320 sq. ft., two-story tall “living wall,” which assists in circulating clean, oxygenated air and reducing CO2 thereby providing exceptional indoor air quality. The multitude of windows gracing the structure optimize the use of natural sunlight and provide over 90 percent of those working inside with external views, while the efficient fluorescent and [[6]] fixtures provide interior lighting using 62 percent less electricity than a standard lighting scheme. A large array of sixty [panels] on the roof also contributes greatly to the energy-efficiency of the building. The headquarters building uses approximately 56 percent less energy than a traditionally designed building of the same size, and it is 79 percent more water-efficient. Overall efficiency gains of this size will result in a measurable reduction in operating expenses over time. And, combined with a multitude of other important “green” features of the building which help it to be as efficient and sustainable as possible, the senior management of the bank also highlights the research which has shown that such buildings also generally contribute to an increase in productivity of the occupants for a variety of.^[2]

First Green Bank opened a third branch office in [Beach], in February 2012, in a pre-existing building that had also been a bank. Consistent with First Green Bank’s mission and business philosophy, the Ormond Beach building is similarly being retrofitted with a number of “green” features. As First Green Bank continues to be successful and grow, and it expands with more branches throughout the surrounding areas – which senior management plans to do in the very near future – all buildings will similarly be retrofitted with many green features.

For all of its important efforts, First Green Bank was named the “2011 Business of the Year” by the United States Green Building Council’s Central Florida Chapter. Earlier in 2011, First Green Bank Chairman and CEO Ken LaRoe was also personally honored by the Lake County Board of County Commissioners with a certificate of appreciation for the many dedicated hours of service he volunteered to Lake County and its citizens on the Lake County Public Land Acquisition Advisory Council from 2006-2011^[3].

First Green Bank’s CEO, Ken LaRoe, hopes to help turn Central Florida ‘green’ one customer at a time. Mr. LaRoe, who is a native of [[7]], Florida, capped a successful career by selling Florida Choice Bank in 2006, and planned to retire when he and his wife set out on a lengthy, soul-searching journey across the U.S. in a mini motor home. Along the way he began reading a book his brother had given him: “Let My People Go Surfing,” by [Chouinard ], founder of [[8]], the highly successful outdoor clothing and equipment company. Chouinard’s philosophical approach to business greatly influenced Mr. LaRoe. Mr. LaRoe became convinced that business can be holistic: in addition to making a profit, business can have a positive impact on society. Chouinard developed a business model which integrated his principles and professional acumen, and he has been able to experience enduring success without the degree of ethical compromise that often counters the contributions business leadership is capable of making to our environment and culture.

When Mr. LaRoe returned from his cross-country journey, he decided to put his newfound philosophy to work. Mr. LaRoe has been a committed environmentalist all of his life. He strongly believes that efficient, wise use of resources — [[9]] — is a fundamental virtue and an economic necessity, and he also believes that his environmental principles mesh perfectly with his conservative business principles. He returned to Eustis with a new passion: How to put his principles to the test in the banking business. He began talking with some of his colleagues and friends and they all enthusiastically decided to create a business that would be both profitable and focus on doing the right thing, believing that those two concepts aren’t mutually exclusive.

In the years since it has opened, First Green Bank has led an impactful and successful charge to show people there is a better way to do business which is financially, environmentally, and socially responsible.

Additional Awards and Honors

America's Greenest Banks

Safest Banks in America

Outside Magazine’s Top 100 Best Places to Work 2012

Sustainable Florida Best Practice Awards – Finalist in two categories (winners to be announced September 13)