ATLANTA, GA – Skanska, a founding member and cornerstone supporter of the Lifecycle Building Center of Greater Atlanta (LBC), announces Jimmy Mitchell, its Atlanta-based Sustainability Manager, as Board Chair of the material reuse nonprofit. Mitchell, who helped establish LBC in 2011 and previously served as board chair from 2012-2015, brings his extensive sustainable construction expertise and commitment to this role.
“Jimmy’s stewardship, vision and expertise have helped to shape our approach to sustainable construction, not just in Atlanta but across our national building operations,” said Myrrh Caplan, Senior Vice President of Sustainability, Skanska USA Building. “His passion for circularity and reuse were instrumental in the successful construction of the first building in Georgia and the 28th in the world to earn the Living Building Challenge certification, the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech, and I know he will continue his vigor for sustainability in this community role.”
Mitchell’s return as LBC's board chair coincides with the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) announcement of LBC’s selection for the $150,000 Phase 2 - Re-X Before Recycling Prize. The prize is in collaboration with LBC’s various partners in its RebuildATL Coalition. The Re-X competition is designed to identify, prepare, and develop innovative ways to extend the lifetimes of products or parts via reusing, repairing, refurbishing, remanufacturing, or repurposing (“Re-X”) before pursuing recycling.
The Lifecycle Building Center team designed a way to repurpose the more than 3 million board feet of 2"-by-4" lumber used annually by Georgia’s film industry, a circularity concept led by Skanska and LBC in the construction of the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design at Georgia Tech, and with support from LBC’s longtime nonprofit partner, Georgia Works. In addition to its environmental benefits, the project is designed to also deliver significant economic benefits through workforce training, job creation, and lowering construction costs for affordable housing development, as well as creating new supply chains, and providing a model for scaling material reuse in the commercial sector.
“Having worked alongside Jimmy Mitchell for 15 years developing and growing LBC, I am beyond thrilled that our organization will once again benefit from his leadership, dedication, and infectious enthusiasm for reuse! Jimmy’s leadership on the DOE Re-X initiative is now building on Skanska’s groundbreaking work for the Kendeda Building project and will change countless lives as we demonstrate together how reusing construction materials leads to economic growth by creating high-demand, family-sustaining jobs and lowering the cost of affordable housing.”
Since 2011, LBC has saved nearly 13 million pounds of building materials from disposal and generated over $6.2M in community savings by providing thousands of customers with deeply discounted building materials and donating free materials to nonprofits across metro Atlanta, with 450+ in-kind material grants awarded to over 350+ nonprofits to date through its Nonprofit Material MATCH program. LBC also collaborates with community partners to provide workforce training in deconstruction through its Breaking Barriers program and free educational workshops in home performance and carpentry.
Mitchell began his career at Skanska as an intern before joining the company as an estimating engineer in 2005. A Georgia Tech graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology, Mitchell was recognized in 2021 as a Georgia Tech 40 Under 40 honoree and holds LEED BD+C, LFA, and TRUE Advisor credentials.