Archives for February 2013

QA Graphics Creates Hospitality Dashboard for Heart of America Group

February 27, 2013

Contact:
Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director
515.965.3403
serdman (at) www.qagraphics.com

February 27, 2013

QA Graphics, Iowa-based interactive design company, has created a hospitality dashboard for Heart of America Group’s Hilton Garden Inn®/Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse® located at Olathe, Kansas. The hospitality dashboard is an interactive display used to educate guests on the new hotel’s sustainable features and serve as a central resource for information.

Heart of America Group is one of the Midwest’s premier design, construction, and management companies with a 33 year history of developing award-winning properties. Located in ten metropolitan areas across six Midwestern states, their portfolio consists of 32 owned and operated restaurants and hotels, 150,000 square feet of office space, and 1.4 million square feet of retail and hospitality. They constructed the new Hilton Garden Inn following the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards. The project is anticipating earning LEED silver, with the hospitality dashboard expected to help earn an Innovation in Design credit for educating visitors on the hotel’s sustainable building features.

“Not only do we receive LEED points in educating the customer, but we wanted to have something in our lobby that stands out and was interactive as a lot of the green elements do not visibly stand out to the customer,” said Damen Trebilcock, Senior Vice President of Heart of America Group. “Customers love it and appreciate the steps we took as owners in regards to the environment.”

QA Graphics Provides Energy Dashboard for Farmington Hills City Hall

February 22, 2013

The City of Farmington Hills, in Michigan, is using QA Graphics’ Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard® to educate staff and the public on the City Hall’s sustainable initiatives.

Farmington Hills’ City Hall went through a major revitalization project, constructing a new building in 2008. The building earned the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. To inform the community on these sustainable efforts, Farmington Hills looked to QA Graphics to develop an Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard. The dashboard is an interactive application used to highlight the building’s performance and educate about sustainable features. The solution has been in place for over a year now. Displayed on a touchscreen in the main corridor, it serves as a central communication resource to demonstrate the City Hall’s commitment to sustainability.

“The solution looks great and is very user-friendly,” said Nate Geinzer, Assistant to the City Manager, The City of Farmington Hills. “QA Graphics did a great job with the visual content. The interactive demonstrations are the most used feature on the dashboard, showing how the geothermal and solar panel systems work.”

QA Graphics Helps Longwood University Educate the Public about Biomass Heating Plant

February 15, 2013

Contact:
Sarah Erdman, Marketing Director
515.965.3403
serdman (at) www.qagraphics.com

February 15, 2013

Longwood University, located in Farmville, Virginia, looked to QA Graphics to create a 3D animated video to educate students and the public about the campus’ biomass heating plant and demonstrate the university’s commitment to sustainability.

Longwood is the only public institution of higher education in Virginia and one of only two state agencies that burns biomass for heating fuel. The university has practiced sustainability by heating with biomass fuel (sawdust) for nearly 30 years. In 2011 Longwood opened a new biomass heating plant, which provides almost 100 percent of the campus’ heat and hot water.

To educate others on the campus’ sustainable efforts, Longwood University’s Energy Manager, Kevin Miller, sought out QA Graphics to develop an animated video that would visually demonstrate how the fuel-efficient plant operates. Longwood had worked with QA Graphics previously, purchasing their BAS graphics module for the university’s Tridium system. Having been impressed by the quality of the BAS graphics, and having a good working relationship with the sales staff, they also looked to QA Graphics for help with this video as the company has over six years of experience helping organizations create awareness about sustainable initiatives through solutions like animated videos and their Energy Efficiency Education Dashboard®.

QSR One Source 2012 Vendor Guide

February 10, 2013

QSR Magazine’s year-round vendor guide, One Source, was published this month. The guide helps restaurants connect with key vendors ad see profiles of new innovations that can improve business. Check out QA Graphics in the Advertising and Marketing services category.

See the online guide.