Responsible by Design

Corporate Responsibility

Responsible by Design

Corporate Responsibility

In 1953, our founder Gerry Rauenhorst created a better way of doing business in commercial real estate and established our values-based culture.

Today, our commitment to operating responsibly and being a good corporate citizen remains rooted in these principles. Our success depends on how well we serve our clients, the way we treat people, the steps we take to protect our planet and how we enhance our communities.

Responsible by Design

While we acknowledge the importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics, our efforts as a corporate citizen are more than scorecard measurements—we take a broader focus with actions that enhance the world around us. We're intentional and thoughtful in our actions and purposeful in our operations. We are Responsible by Design.

Our corporate responsibility efforts fall into three areas:

  • respecting the environment
  • caring for people and communities
  • operating with integrity
Responsible by Design

Respecting the Environment

We recognize the development, design and construction of commercial buildings can have an impact on the environment. We strive to be a good steward of the environment, protecting natural resources and reducing negative impact. We respect the environment through different practices on our projects, within our team team, in our offices and in our communities.

We demonstrate respect for the environment in many ways. On our projects, we use sustainable building design and construction practices. Highlights of this work include:

  • We have an experienced environmental risk management team with established proprietary environmental remediation strategies .
  • We look for infill or brownfield sites for our development efforts.
  • Our portfolio includes many projects that meet USGBC LEED, Green Globe, National Green Building Standard and Fitwel certification standards.
  • Even when not seeking certification, we take a sustainability approach to our projects, including redesign of site to control water runoff, recycling of construction waste and low-flow and energy star features.
  • We also employ LEAN construction and waste reduction practices.

We have sustainable accredited professionals and the GREENteam, an associate engagement group focused on stewardship through sustainability and wellness. Our associates participate in ongoing sustainability-focused education to continuously improve our projects. And in our offices, we employ recycling practices and energy-efficient business and building operations.

The Opus Foundation has also made grants to nonprofits that benefit the environment.

Caring for People & Communities

We're dedicated to advancing the well-being of our associates, clients, business partners and people in the communities where we live and work. We treat people fairly, and we strive to foster an environment and culture that is equitable and inclusive. And we are deeply committed to helping make our communities better places to live, work and raise families.

Here are a few ways we show care for people and communities:

Safety First

At Opus, the safety of our associates and our work environments is a top priority and an essential part of our culture. Safety First is the motto for our safety practices, and in keeping with that, safety as a core value is listed first. While safety is the responsibility of every associate, we also have an Operations and Safety Team and a Facilities Team who help support worker health and safety across all Opus offices and job sites. In support of jobsite safety, we maintain subcontractor standards and practices, a dedicated safety team and leadership and required OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour trainings.

Learn more about safety

Philanthropy

Giving back to the community is a pillar of our organization's history and at the core of our organization today.

We work to build community in the places where our associates live, work and raise families. We have a strong, long-standing commitment to lending time and expertise to enhance these communities. Our community stewardship work includes:

  • Founded in 2000, the Opus Foundation has awarded nearly $58.4 million to help build Opus communities. The Foundation is committed to improving conditions that disproportionately affect historically underinvested individuals and communities.
  • Annually, we host a United Way Campaign and a Founder's Day that engages associates in volunteer events to celebrate the founding of our organization..
  • Associates receive paid Community Time Off each year to support individual or group volunteerism as well as personal community engagement, such as participating in a community event or holiday.
  • Through the Opus 10% Giving Promise, we have pledged to give 10% of pretax earnings to support community building.
Learn more about our philanthropy

Diversity Equity Inclusion

Our mission is to exceed the expectations of our clients, partners and community stakeholders and empower their missions through the buildings we deliver. And that begins with our people. We're committed to building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive team with a wide range of experiences and talents and supporting a culture of belonging. Our DEI efforts make improvements in four key focus areas: recruitment and hiring, supplier diversity, policy equity and associate education and culture building.

DEI at Opus

Associate Support & Engagement

At Opus, we support our associates in a variety of ways, including:

Careers at Opus

Operating with Integrity

At Opus, we're intentional about operating responsibly and conducting our business with integrity. Since our founding, we have fostered a culture of building trust with clients and all stakeholders. Our associates strive to build strong relationships by exceeding expectations, building quality and delivering on commitments. Further, our Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team help ensure strong governance, appropriate management of risk and effective planning and policies.

Here are a few examples:

  • Our mission, vision and values—along with a rolling five-year strategic plan and Code of Conduct—help guide our actions.
  • We are governed by a Board of Directors that includes business and industry experts. It supports responsible practices in many areas, including financial controls and audits, conflicts of interest, enterprise risk, investment management, board and leadership team composition, succession planning and executive compensation.
  • We address facility security, cyber and system security, disaster recovery and business continuity through planning and protocols that are in place and reinforced through regular training.

Corporate Responsibility Annual Reports

Read our past annual reports to follow our efforts throughout the years.

2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015