The electrical savings from Brill’s green efforts (more than 2.2 million kilowatt hours) is equivalent to the average annual electricity use of 187 homes, according to industry estimates.

"This is a great honor for our company," said Plant Manager Greg Menke. "Our Brill team put in a great deal of work to make this happen. I’m very proud of the achievement.

The initiatives at the plant included an upgraded chilled water system that reduced energy consumption by 15 percent and an upgraded conveyor/
palletizing system that cut energy needed for compressed air by more than 35 percent.

"The changes we made not only made sense for the environment, but they also made business sense," said Ric Moore, vice president, operations.

"We are always looking for ways to be an efficient producer of high-quality products. Knowing we are helping to conserve resources is just icing on the cake."

The award, made of recycled glass, will be presented at a 2008 industry event.

H.C. Brill Co. is one of the largest bakery suppliers in America through its Brill, Henry and Henry and Karp’s brands. Brill is owned by Netherlands-based CSM.