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Sunset Development Company's Bishop Ranch Wins Best Workplace in America Award; Honor Presented By United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)

Posted on: Tuesday, 5 September 2006, 15:00 CDT

Sunset Development Company, an investment builder and developer of Bishop Ranch Business Park, announced today that Bishop Ranch Business Park tops the list of an elite group of 20 workplaces across America. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) bestowed their highest honor -- a "Best of the Best" Award -- on the Bishop Ranch Business Park at the Association for Commuter Transportation International Conference in Boston, Massachusetts last week. This is the first time US EPA, which sets the bar for outstanding programs with their National Standard of Excellence, has ever presented "Best of the Best" awards. US EPA also presented Bishop Ranch with their second Gold Award of Excellence for the second year in a row.

Bishop Ranch is in good company on the list, as other prestigious entities honored as US EPA "Best of the Best" include Stanford University for Best University, and The Boeing Company, of Seattle, Washington, for Best Fortune 500 Company.

Bishop Ranch was selected as a result of the Best Workplaces Race to Excellence, a 10-month competitive national challenge developed by US EPA to encourage, recognize, and highlight commuter benefit programs. All participants submitted an application and supporting materials describing activities and accomplishments from August 1, 2005 to June 1, 2006. Bishop Ranch met the challenge by reducing the number of employees that drive alone to work from 69% to 67%, increasing rail and transit use, and creatively and consistently promoting carpooling, vanpooling, transit and biking to a workforce of 30,000. A new Earth Day E-Waste Recycling & Commuter Fair event launched during the competition was so popular it will be repeated in mid-October.

Providing a high quality business environment with valuable commuter benefits energizes an employer's workforce. "This recognition couldn't come at a better time," says Marci McGuire, Bishop Ranch's program manager. "Employees are tired of high gas prices and facing increases for rent, food, many other basic necessities, and are eagerly taking advantage of our 56 free express buses to nearby rail and train stations, free taxi rides home, and other amenities and incentives. Employees need to know their consistent efforts to conserve fuel, reduce congestion, improve air quality and perhaps stave off global warming are recognized and appreciated by the EPA, their employers and the local community. Individual efforts really add up when thousands of people are doing it."

Bishop Ranch employees save millions of dollars annually on transit fares, taxi rides, and the cost of driving themselves to work. By creating a top-notch program that provides commuter benefits, equally and at-no-charge to all 550-tenant companies, Bishop Ranch has made it possible for the smallest tenants with only one or two employees to offer the same quality benefits as the largest resident Fortune 500 companies employing thousands. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District estimates that nearly 10,000 cars are removed from the adjacent roadways every day. Eliminating these solo trips each year conserves 6,187,500 gallons of fuel, saving commuters $18,562,500 and preventing 2,128,500 pounds of pollutants from being released into the air.

Bishop Ranch's comprehensive commuter program -- a Bay Area transportation leader for 23 years -- is often cited by Elizabeth Deakin, Director of the University of California Transportation Research Center in Berkeley, who praises the program saying, "They are probably the best in the country. The Bishop Ranch program is a national model."

Quality commuter programs multiply their value exponentially within a company and the community. Employees with flexible transportation choices are happier, less stressed and more productive for companies. HR departments are aided by lower absenteeism and turnover rates among employees who hesitate to give up valuable transportation perks. Strong transportation programs also aid recruitment. A national survey conducted in 2005 by GfKamerica found that 68% of commuters welcome the addition of commuter benefits by their employers. Many employers don't realize that workers perceive their workdays as beginning and ending in their driveway. "Commute time is considered part of the daily grind, and one reason why employees change jobs. Interestingly, many employers spend substantial time thinking about how to improve time spent on the job, but frequently overlook this aspect of employees' lives," says Patrice Thornton, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The surrounding community benefits from a vibrant business community through increased tax revenues to support city programs for residents, a growing demand for support services from local business owners, and a greater variety of local, high-paying jobs from which residents may choose. Residents also benefit from improved mobility and air quality. Bishop Ranch's express bus network is open to the public, so outbound San Ramon residents gain full access to the Bay Area by using the buses to travel to nearby BART stations in Dublin and Walnut Creek.

Bishop Ranch's free, non-profit transportation program was established in 1983 to serve 3 companies and a population of 1500 employees that has since grown to 550 companies with 30,000 employees residing in 45 buildings within the 585-acre Business Park. The Transportation Center is staffed by 2 full-time transportation professionals dedicated to helping employees find the best commute solution and incentives available for their unique circumstances.

About Bishop Ranch

Bishop Ranch Business Park (http://www.bishopranch.com/), a development by Sunset Development Company, is located on 585 acres adjacent to I-680 in the San Ramon Valley. Recognized by the prestigious Urban Land Institute for excellence in design and development, Bishop Ranch includes more than nine million square feet of office space in 14 complexes. It is home to over 550 companies and their more than 30,000 employees. The business park includes corporate office space for several Fortune 1,000 companies, as well as dining, shopping and hotel accommodations.

Source: Business Wire

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