Letter from our CEO
I am more than honored to present Brown and Caldwell’s inaugural Balance and Belonging (B&B) Annual Report. Our first report tracks significant milestones in our effort to recruit diverse talent and celebrate our 1,700 uniquely different employees and the passion they hold for fostering a Balance and Belonging mindset not only within Brown and Caldwell but throughout our industry.
Since its inception, Brown and Caldwell’s purpose is to make a positive impact on our people, our clients, our communities, and the environment.
Our commitment to inclusive behavior as a firm drives extraordinary performance outcomes and enables our reputation to be the Company of Choice for our employees and clients alike.
As a 73-year old company, we have an obligation to look in the mirror, examine ourselves, and determine what we can do to improve and foster positive change. Several years ago, we re-evaluated the effectiveness of our talent strategy, identifying the steps necessary to differentiate how we attract, develop, and retain a diverse workforce and foster an inclusive culture. Our talent is what sets us apart and fuels our innovation to create solutions that resonate with our clients.
We are focused on creating a healthy organization that aligns closely with our purpose and values, and also reflects the diversity and uniqueness of the communities where we live and work. Advancing diversity and inclusion is the right thing to do. To truly enact change, we must start with who we are as a firm and the interactions and culture within our workplace. If we are at our best within BC, we create a strong foundation that allows our company to have a greater impact on our clients and within our communities, contributing to positive societal change.
This is more than just ‘checking the box’ for compliance. As we continue to diversify our workforce and foster a culture of belonging, we expect Brown and Caldwell’s innovation and sustainable solutions to become even more dynamic and impactful. Our 10 Commitments are the key elements of our Balance and Belonging strategy and are foundational to our growth as a healthy, socially responsible organization and industry leader. They will continue to evolve as new initiatives and ideas are identified to support our progress. As we finetune our efforts and activities, the data and metrics we use to track our progress will evolve.
I am proud of the strides we have made in the past several years, but strengthening our workforce diversity and inclusive culture is a relentless effort. The same rigor that we use to safeguard water, maintain infrastructure, and restore habitats to keep communities thriving we desire to apply to our own organization’s structure and health. This is a journey that will continue to evolve and grow each year.
We are listening, learning, and working together to make a positive impact. We have a responsibility as a company to model the right behaviors and be better as a collective community. We are going to be transparent with our progress, and I invite all Brown and Caldwell employee-owners, partners, and clients to engage and join our commitment for change.
Richard M. D’Amato II
Chairman & CEO
Brown and Caldwell