Denver, CO – Group14 Engineering, a Public Benefit Corporation, was recently recognized for achieving Benefit Corporation (B Corp) status, JUST certification, and was named one of the top ten medium-sized, Denver-based firms to work for by the Denver Business Journal in May of 2016.
Group14 becoming a JUST organization aligns with the firm’s commitment to sustainability showcasing their ongoing dedication to employee and community well-being and transparency around socially responsible practices. Group14 also pursued a B Corp designation to reflect the company’s mission “to inspire better buildings where people thrive” and as a means to attract and retain the next generation of leaders.
Group14 Principal and Commissioning Team Leader Matt Cooper comments, “Having always been a purpose-driven business, becoming a Certified B Corporation was initially a desire to quantify our past and current modes of operation. Through accomplishing this goal, we were introduced to concepts and tools that have expanded our social enterprise in ways we hadn’t imagined.”
B Corps include a dynamic group of for-profit companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab that have met rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. As opposed to traditional corporations, B Corps must look beyond the standard accounting of profit margins to consider the impact of their decisions on society and the environment.
As seen in the models of Google, Huffington Post, and Starbucks, companies that embrace a broader spectrum of profitability redefine success to include engagement and retention of employees. Goldman Sachs Sustain List report found that millennials, now nearly 50 percent of the global workforce, “have specific needs at work that are dramatically different from previous generations. High among these [is] a desire to align personal and corporate values. To attract and retain this group, we believe that companies need to provide rewards beyond financial gain.”
One way companies accomplish this is by achieving a B Corp status that fulfills millennials’ need to work for a firm that they can be passionate about. Employee retention rates among certified B Corps, which number over 1,600 worldwide and include prominent companies like Patagonia, Kickstarter, and Seventh Generation, are very high. Becoming a B Corp is a powerful way to attract and engage talent around a company’s purpose to redefine success in business beyond profits toward a greater good.
Lauren McNeil, a Group14 employee comments, “For staff, the certifications demonstrate an ongoing commitment to our work-life balance, equity, and company culture as a whole.”
Millennials make up 61% of Group14’s current staff. High employee satisfaction and low turnover allows for consistent customer service and close personal relationships between Group14’s team members and their clients, which has translated into a high percentage of repeat business.
This year the firm went beyond “inspiring better buildings” and focused on “inspiring better business.” Group14’s scorecards for the B Corp and JUST certifications can be viewed on the corresponding websites. https://www.bcorporation.net/ http://justorganizations.com/
Images courtesy of Group14 Engineering
