CEDAR FALLS - The greenest building in the Cedar Valley had some people green with envy during a grand opening Friday.

Area business leaders and policymakers gathered for the grand opening of the new PFGBest headquarters near the Beaver Hills Country Club.

The $18 million project used eco-friendly materials and techniques. More than 40,000 feet of geothermal pipes heat and cool the building. Sensors dim the lights when enough natural light is pouring through the windows. Recycled materials and nontoxic materials are used wherever possible.

"This is impressive," said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Grassley and state lawmakers Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, and Rep. Bob Kressig, D-Cedar Falls, took a tour of the facility with PFGBest chairman and CEO Russ Wasendorf Sr.

Grassley said the facility's design is innovative, reflecting the recent success of the company itself.

"This is a company that's on the top of things," he said. "This building is evidence of that."

Wasendorf hopes the building will meet government Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards to become the first building in Iowa to garner gold-level certification. Wastewater from the building is processed by a specially-designed wetland and other waste products will be composted.

Even construction of the building itself met strict environmental standards. Trees that stood on the lot before construction are still standing.

"It almost seems like this building has been here a long time," Kressig said.

Wasendorf has said he wants the office to be impressive enough to entice employees from the former headquarters in Chicago to relocate to the Cedar Valley.

He isn't requiring any employees to relocate.

Instead, he lets the building, with on-site child care and workout facilities and a cafeteria with a daily menu designed by Allen Sternweiler, former head chef of a four-star Chicago restaurant, sell itself.

"I wanted something employees can be proud of," Wasendorf said.

Cedar Falls Mayor Jon Crews said the relocation was a boon for the area. Wasendorf, an Iowa native, started the company in Cedar Falls and has grown it to become a leader in world financing, online trading and the largest nonbank currency trader in the world.

The communication technology that Wasendorf used to build the business is what has brought it home to Cedar Falls.

He can hold meetings face to face with any of the Peregrine offices in 25 countries around the world via video conferencing from his Cedar Falls "war room."

Despite all the innovations, the building itself carries a smaller appraisal than it's price tag would warrant. Some of the technologies it employs are called "untested" and therefore hurt the building's value.

"There's a lot of people in the background fighting those of us who want to do what's right," Wasendorf said.