Q&A
What concrete steps do your senior leaders take to create a great work environment for all employees? Group 70 is founded on the belief that each and every employee has a significant role in the future of our firm. With that as a guiding principal, our leadership has taken the following steps toward making Group 70 an exceptional place to work. Open door policy: There are no private offices; therefore no separation between principals and staff; we don’t subscribe to an office hierarchy and truly do treat each other like family. Consensus-driven decision-making: This practice can sometimes take longer, but often results in better decisions for our company, clients and community. Equality: When the company is doing well, everyone benefits, e.g., a recent mid-year bonus was provided to all employees from summer interns and new hires to senior leaders. Recognition: Special achievements are recognized with internal and public announcements, anniversary gifts and remembering that a simple “thank you” and “congratulations” are just as important.
Describe your company culture in five words. Family, Faith, Culture, Consensus, Creative
Does your company encourage community involvement? Community giving is in our DNA. A core value that Group 70 employees share is the desire to build better communities beyond the firm’s professional services. Collectively, Group 70 employees donated nearly 4,000 pro-bono hours in 2014 to local organizations. The majority of our team is actively involved in a variety of local nonprofit, cultural, business, industry, religious and academic organizations in addition to participating in the Group 70 Foundation, which has donated more than $500,000 to nonprofits. Many of our staff are also involved with teaching and mentoring programs with the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Architecture, and various architecture and engineering organizations.