Living Our Values, Delivering Value for You

Commitment to our mission and values is key to our ability to deliver exceptional value to you. We are guided each and every day by our core values; they inform our actions and also serve as a measure of our success. How we do our work is just as important as what we deliver and achieve through our work.

“In addition to defining who you are, values can differentiate an organization," said Tim Murnane, president & CEO of Opus. “They set the tone for everything. Whether you are developing, designing and constructing buildings or selling ice cream, at the very core, leadership needs to step out, stand for something and say, 'this is how we do things, and it's important to us.'" This is an expectation of leadership at Opus.

In order to positively impact day-to-day operations, values need to become the shared roadmap and compass for how teams operate with clients, partners and each other. Continue reading to understand how we live our values and download our white paper to learn how we've operationalized those values.

Safety

Safety is intentionally listed as our first value; keeping our associates, subcontractors, partners, the general public and end users safe at all times is a top priority.

“We want safety to be absolutely front and center in everything we do because we care about everyone," Tim said. “The health, wellbeing and livelihood of everyone who works with us are critical. This is why safety is an official value at Opus, which includes staffing up to support it and investing in resources. If you ask anyone engaged in our project management or construction, they will tell you safety is elevated to the highest level priority at Opus. It permeates everything we do."

Learn more about Safety First.

Respect and Integrity

Treating all people in a fair and equitable manner is at the center of how we operate and is reflected in the value of respect. Associates work collaboratively together to be good business partners to clients and to each other. The value of integrity means following through on commitments and doing what we say we'll do. It's about being transparent, honest and humble.

“Respect and integrity go hand-in-hand," Tim said. “At the end of the day, it's pretty hard to argue with the fact people want to be treated with respect. Without integrity, you don't have a business or brand."

Stewardship

The value of Stewardship and acting responsibly with company and community resources has been core to our organization since its founding more than 60 years ago. Our founder Gerry Rauenhorst believed business has a responsibility to strengthen society, and he made sure we did just that. The belief endures today through both the Opus Foundation®; the GHR Foundation, the Rauenhorst family foundation; and day-to-day volunteer efforts of our associates.

Since its inception in 2000, the Opus Foundation has awarded more than $34M in grants, approximately $3M a year, to projects and programs that build communities and make them better places to live, work and raise families.

In each of our markets, local Action Teams make recommendations as to what organizations the Opus Foundation should support. Involving associates in the decision-making and providing opportunities for them to volunteer has caused stewardship to “take on a life of its own," Tim said. “Associates get really fired up. It's exciting because it gives them a sense of personal empowerment, affecting lives and truly living one of our core values."

“We are fortunate to be able to build great projects in communities across the country, but we want to do more than just put up exceptional buildings – we want to help the communities and people living there," Tim said. “Continuing the legacy of our founder, we prioritize giving generously back to the community."

Learn more about Building Community.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

At the heart of our work and expertise is innovation, so naturally, it's a core value. Associates are driven to bring creative solutions to clients, business practices, and the industry as a whole. Continuous improvement is enveloped in innovation – always striving to find better ways and better results.

At the same time, the value of entrepreneurship encourages associates to be agile, creative and strategic. We empower them to take responsibility, make good decisions and be accountable for their work.

“Implicit with innovation is the entrepreneurial spirit," Tim said. “This company has always thrived on innovation, which is really exciting for someone like me who likes to take calculated risks and be on the leading edge."

Learn more about our approach to innovation.

Download our white paper to learn how we've operationalized values throughout our organization.

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