Rick Dover is the general manager of Family Pride Corporation, a family owned and operated company located in Knoxville, Tenn. Rick Dover and Family Pride Corporation have been in the building restoration business since 1994. Rick Dover advocates the use of environment-friendly building methods.

ZRYLW: Rick Dover is here to talk with us about the construction business and the environment. Thank you, Rick, for joining us today.

Rick Dover: My pleasure.

ZRYLW: Your expertise is in restoration and rehabilitation rather than new construction, correct?

Rick Dover: Yes. I enjoy seeing old buildings and communities come back to life. Plus we feel it is more environmentally friendly than building new.

ZRYLW: But can’t new construction be just as environmental friendly?

Rick Dover: It can be almost as ecologically friendly. But I aspire to the notion that the greenest building is the one that doesn’t get built. New construction usually damages building sites. For that reason I think that, at least for me, less is more. I prefer to not build.

ZRYLW: Wouldn’t new construction be more profitable for you?

Rick Dover: I haven’t found that to be the case. With renovation, the biggest expense is labor, which is better for the community while still being profitable for Family Pride Corporation.

ZRYLW: How do you figure it’s better for the community? In your opinion, Rick Dover, Wouldn’t new construction have the same results?

Rick Dover: Restoration creates jobs using local contractors and fewer raw materials that are purchased locally, which help both the community and the environment. The construction cost is less, the property owner’s cost is less, and we can do the project cheaper, but our profit margin is pretty much unchanged.

ZRYLW: You seem to concentrate on urban sites for your restoration projects. Is there a reason for that?

Rick Dover: Family Pride Corporation’s objective is to restore buildings for senior housing and for residential and commercial use. The need for those types of buildings is typically in an urban setting. Plus, if we contribute to urban sprawl, we’ve defeated the purpose of the environmental friendly ideology that we support.

ZRYLW: Can you briefly explain the purpose of environmentally friendly construction?

Rick Dover: There are a number of motives for restoring and building green, including economic, social and environmental benefits. But perhaps the main purpose is sustainability.

ZRYLW: How do you make green building work?

Rick Dover: Green building combines an extensive assortment of practices, techniques and skills to reduce the impact of buildings on human health and the environment. Family Pride Corporation takes advantage of renewable resources and techniques that have the lowest impact on the environment. We harness and reuse energy by restoring existing buildings, then we add features such as solar power, reflective roofs and high-efficiency heat and air systems to make our buildings the greenest and most environmentally sustainable projects possible.

ZRYLW: It’s admirable that Family Pride Corporation uses sustainability initiatives in all its projects.

Rick Dover: We all must do what it takes to achieve and maintain our planet’s eco balance. At Family Pride Corporation we strive to do that while meeting the needs of current generations and without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Rick Dover and Family Pride Corporation restore buildings for senior housing and for residential and commercial use. Rick Dover advocates using environmentally friendly building methods. Rick Dover knows that improving communities by restoring existing properties is not only the best way to revitalize a neighborhood and add jobs, but it also benefits the ecosystem. For more information about Rick Dover and Family Pride Corporation, visit familypridecorp.com.