|
Think green
As we celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day this week, it's only natural that the April issue of NewsSplash has gone green. CH2M HILL OMI is committed to being an exemplary corporate citizen, and we demonstrate that through environmentally sustainable and socially responsible activities. This month, read about how our employee-owners live our corporate values in serving our clients, our company, our industry and the communities in which we live and work - both in their daily jobs and on their own time.
Our company
Celebrating the environment at the NLC Green Cities Conference
 CH2M HILL was a major sponsor of the National League of Cities' first-ever Green Cities Conference & Expo this week in Portland, Ore., which has been recognized since 2005 as the nation’s most sustainable city by SustainLane Media. More than 700 city officials from around the U.S. focused on preparing for climate change, reducing carbon emissions, saving costs and developing green jobs. CH2M HILL was the exclusive sponsor of Eco-Fest – a festival featuring local musicians, not-for-profits, food purveyors and artisans – at Portland's historic Crystal Ballroom. Company experts served on panels about climate change and water technologies, while others demonstrated the company's solar mapping technology in our new green display. Debuting at this conference, the booth features renewable, recyclable and sustainable materials such as bamboo, tire rubber and sunflower seed husks; LED lighting to reduce energy usage by 90 percent; and lightweight fabrication to reduce the carbon footprint associated with shipping. By returning a postcard to the booth, Margee Cannon of Aurora, Colo., won a gift certificate from the Arbor Day Foundation to purchase trees for her city. The company will make a donation to the foundation on behalf of the nearly 60 conference attendees who brought their cards to Portland.
CH2M HILL named among Fortune 500, world's most ethical companies
 What makes a company sustainable? For CH2M HILL, the answer includes financial strength and enduring values. The company has been named to the Fortune 500 for the first time, coming in at No. 436 based on 2008 revenue and ranking No. 9 among the engineering and construction companies on this year's list. Each year, Fortune magazine publishes this list of the 500 largest companies that report revenue publically to a government agency. CH2M HILL also has been named among the 2009 World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute, a leading international think-tank dedicated to business ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability. The company made the list in part for going beyond legal minimums, introducing innovative ideas to benefit the public and consistently raising the bar for ethical leadership. CH2M HILL joins 99 companies on the list, selected from companies in more than 100 countries and 35 industries.
Our partners
Rio Rancho earns three Quality New Mexico awards
Congratulations to the city of Rio Rancho, N.M., which received three Piñon Recognition Awards from Quality New Mexico at the organization's conference earlier this month. The awards recognize the city's commitment to program excellence and quality improvement for its building, recreation and planning, and utility divisions. CH2M HILL OMI has operated and maintained the city's water and wastewater utilities since June 2002. Piñon awards are modeled after Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award standards. CH2M HILL OMI earned the Baldrige Award in 2000 and Roadrunner Recognition from Quality New Mexico for our management of the city of Farmington’s water and wastewater systems in 2006.
Our communities
Staff pitches in to clean up Atlanta-area park, Denver-area stream
 Earth Week is a time when our people demonstrate that long-term partnerships go beyond the day-to-day work we do for our clients. For example, employees from Milton and throughout metro Atlanta are joining a city-wide effort to clean up Birmingham Park, a 202-acre undeveloped parkland in Milton on April 25. More than 200 volunteers will help clean up and repair a community building, clear fences from prior farming use, clear fallen trees and limbs for chipping, mow and clear pastures, repair a road and clean a dump site. The day's activities are part of Keep America Beautiful's Great American Clean-up™ and the Day of Service. Meanwhile in Colorado, employees from Centennial and our corporate office in nearby Englewood will be spending their Saturday cleaning up a portion of Willow Creek in honor of Earth Day. CH2M HILL OMI has provided complete municipal services in Milton since it became a city in 2006 and began providing public works services in Centennial last year.
Our industry
Awards for Municipal Excellence entry deadline approaching
Cities and towns across the U.S. are wrapping up their entries for NLC's Awards for Municipal Excellence competition, which honor quality-of-life improvements. Among the past winners are 25 innovative programs recognized for their efforts to preserve environmental resources. CH2M HILL is in its 20th year of sponsoring the program in recognition of co-founder James C. Howland. Jim's Little Yellow Book is a homespun distillation of honest corporate philosophy and human kindness for employees and clients alike. Jim passed away last year at his home in Corvallis, Ore., a community he enriched during the course of his life. The personal legacy Jim established through his work, hobbies, interests and public citizenship speaks to the charm and character of the man for whom the awards were created. The deadline for award submissions is May 1, so get your nomination packet today.
Our people
Employee puts passion for sustainability to work
A six-month college study abroad in the once environmentally troubled Netherlands was all it took for Lindsay Kieselbach Ritter to discover her passion for sustainability. Today, the Netherlands is a model for sustainability, and Lindsay is leading CH2M HILL OMI's internal sustainability team and serving on CH2M HILL's enterprise-wide team. Her focus is to further the company's culture of sustainability by improving our own business practices while offering sustainable solutions to our clients. Lindsay holds a specialized bachelor's degree in political science with an emphasis in sustainable development. She put her unique blend of expertise to good use during the startup of the new city of Johns Creek, Ga., where as facilities coordinator she developed a space-planning approach that used local vendors, post-consumer materials and low-VOC paint and assured furnishings, detailing and audio-visual design are environmentally friendly. The result: a green city hall with a lower price tag than a conventional approach.
|
|
|
|
President’s perspective
The jasmine on our front fence is in bloom, a sure sign of spring in New Orleans. It always blooms around Earth Day and stays around through Jazz Fest, filling our nights with fragrant blossoms. Even in the heart of the city, we can always find signs of nature's impact on our lives. At CH2M HILL, we don’t have to look far to see the impact of our work on improving our environment. Our associates work every day to preserve public health, the environment and quality of life in the communities we serve.
As we mark Earth Day and Arbor Day, let's take time out to remind ourselves about the essential nature of our work. We attended the National League of Cities’ first-ever Green Cities conference in Portland, Ore., this week, a fitting place to celebrate Earth Day. At the conference, we shared information and insights with our clients and partners, particularly at the intersection of sustainability and economic development. We are excited about the company-wide sustainability initiative we’ve recently launched, and we look forward to sharing new ideas with you as we implement a "triple bottom line" approach (addressing economic, environmental and social concerns) to managing our business and providing service to our clients.
Happy Earth Week from all of us at CH2M HILL.
Respectfully,
Elisa M. Speranza
President
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
Conferences are a great way for us to connect with clients, share our technical expertise and support our industry. When your plans call for you to attend a conference, make sure to look us up. Here are some of the upcoming hot spots where you can meet CH2M HILL: |
|
|
| |
|
|
Clients in government and industry rely on the people of CH2M HILL to provide a range of custom-tailored operations and maintenance solutions. The company's services include water and wastewater system optimization; contract O&M of water, wastewater and other utilities; and complete municipal operations, including administration, public works and community development – all backed by a commitment to safety, quality, innovation and customer service. Founded by CH2M HILL in 1980, the Denver-based company serves clients in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Middle East.
Headquartered near Denver,Colorado, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in full-service engineering, procurement, construction, and operations for public and private clients. With more than $6.4 billion in revenue and more than 25,000 employees worldwide, CH2M HILL delivers innovative, practical, sustainable solutions—helping clients develop and manage infrastructure and facilities that improve efficiency, safety, and quality of life. The firm has long been recognized as a most-admired company and leading employer, including being named by FORTUNE magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For (2009) and one of America’s Most Admired Companies (2008). CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management, and design firm as ranked by Engineering News-Record (2008).
|
|
|
|
|
