Building on 70 Years of Stewardship: Our Legacy of Philanthropy & Sustainability

Our work to achieve our mission is guided each and every day by six core values. We are committed to these values – they inform our actions and serve as a measure of our success. To us, how we do our work is just as important as what we deliver and achieve through our work.

One of those core values is stewardship.

We define stewardship broadly, incorporating philanthropy and sustainability. To us, stewardship is acting responsibly with our resources and in our communities to help people improve the places where they live, work and play.

Stewardship was woven into the fabric of our organization from the very beginning. With an enduring belief that business has a responsibility to strengthen society, Gerry and Henrietta Rauenhorst ensured giving back was a cornerstone of their construction business. As that business evolved into The Opus Group of today, stewardship has remained at the core of our organization.

“I'm really quite in awe that after all Mom and Dad achieved, they have such a deep sense of compassion for those in need. They exemplify the phrase 'To whom much has been given, much will be expected in return,'" Gerry and Hanky's son Michael said when interviewed for A Better Way, a book about Gerry and Hanky's life and the first 50 years of the organization. “Our parents taught us that while business matters are important, helping others was also a part of life and that personal service was the core of that."

In many ways we continue to build on the philanthropic nature of our founders, including:

• our annual United Way Campaign
• celebrating Founder's Day with company-wide volunteer activities
• continuing the Gerry Rauenhorst Building Community Award
• the Opus 10% Giving Promise
• the continuing work of the Opus Foundation
• Opus Volunteer Council engaging associates with a passion for philanthropy
• volunteering as a go-to team building event
• and much more

Our sustainability work aims to positively impact our communities and make them better today and for future generations.

With LEED accredited professionals in every discipline, we take an integrated, thoughtful approach where green strategies are ingrained in the entire decision-making process. In addition to our accredited professionals, we have the GREENteam, an associate engagement group focused on stewardship through sustainability, that includes cross-functional representation and focuses on our work, our associates and our offices.

While we consider sustainability on every project, we do have 61 USGBC LEED certified projects, including:

• 29 LEED Gold projects at 9.1 million square feet
• 22 LEED Silver projects at 4.2 million square feet

Recent highlights of our work include:

• two Green Globes on each of the first two buildings at Tollway Corporate Center
• LEED and Fitwel on 19Nineteen Mile High Apartments
• LEED Silver for Tommie North Residence Hall
• and more in the works

Check out our recent Corporate Responsibility Annual Report to see more about our work.

This month we will celebrate and recognize both aspects of stewardship. Stay tuned for more updates!