Chicago’s McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, has become the first convention facility to achieve a Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) Green Building + Sustainability Certification with Honors from ISSA, The Association for Cleaning and Facility Solutions.
“This achievement would not have been possible without our strong collaboration with the Aramark team,” said Cullyn Doerfler, Senior Sustainability Manager at McCormick Place, in a press release. “This certification reflects our campus-wide commitment to sustainability, from implementing green cleaning practices and environmentally responsible products to prioritizing the health, safety, and well-being of both frontline staff and campus visitors.”
Aramark Facilities Management has provided cleaning, snow removal, and meeting and conference room set-up services at McCormick Place for more than 25 years. Approximately 600 Aramark Facilities Management team members work at the center throughout the year.
“We work closely in partnership with our clients at McCormick Place to ensure guests and visitors have the best experiences and we are always focused on maintaining an environmentally responsible campus here,” said Daniel Martinez, District Manager, Aramark Facilities Management. “Our training programs, rigorous safety protocols, and meticulous chemical and equipment tracking reflect industry-leading best practices.”
Examples include proprietary, data-driven auditing software called IQC (Intelligent Quality Control) used to validate cleaning programs and continuously make improvements. In addition, the team employs Aramark Green Briefs to help educate all team members on environmentally responsible procedures.
To achieve the CIMS Green Building + Sustainability Certification, accreditors evaluated how the team at McCormick Place embeds environmental stewardship, operational sustainability, and continuous improvement into their daily practices.
Along with meeting the CIMS‑Green Building criteria, McCormick Place also demonstrated strong performance across the five pillars of the CIMS standard: Quality Systems, Service Delivery, Human Resources, Health and Safety, and Management Commitment.
The CIMS Sustainability Certification is independently audited, giving visitors, exhibitors, event organizers, and other stakeholders confidence that McCormick Place’s sustainable cleaning and facility management practices are supported by verified systems and documented performance results.
“As the first facility team to achieve this certification, McCormick Place is proud to help set the standard for what responsible, accountable, and sustainable cleaning practices look like at scale,” said Larita Clark, Chief Executive Officer, Metropolitan Pier Exposition Authority (MPEA), the municipal corporation that operates McCormick Place.
Sign Up for News Alerts
