Responsible by Design: Corporate Responsibility at Opus

In 1953, our founder Gerry Rauenhorst created a better way of doing business in the commercial real estate sector and established a culture of integrity, respect and stewardship. Today, at Opus, our commitment to operating responsibly and being a good corporate citizen remains rooted in these principles. Our success depends on how well we serve our clients, the way we treat people, the steps we take to protect our planet and how we enhance our communities.

A group of people sit around a conference table smiling in a casual workplace.

While we acknowledge the importance of ESG metrics, our efforts as a corporate citizen are more than scorecard measurements — we take a broader focus with actions that enhance the world around us. We are intentional and thoughtful in our actions and purposeful in our operations. We are Responsible by Design.

A graphic that shows the relationship between Opus's mission, vision and values and corporate responsibility and the focus areas of respecting the environment, caring for people and communities and operating with integrity.

We define our corporate responsibility efforts into three areas:

  • Respecting the environment
  • Caring for people and communities
  • Operating with integrity

A small graphic icon with illustrated buildings and a tree. Respecting the Environment

We recognize the development and construction of commercial buildings can have an impact on the environment. We strive to be a good steward of the environment, protecting natural resources and reducing negative impact. We respect the environment through different practices on our projects, our team, in our offices and in our communities. We do this primarily through our sustainable building design and construction practices and our environmental remediation investments. We also promote sustainability through actions within our office and jobsite workplaces.

A smiling woman in business casual attire pushes a bike outside of a commercial building.

Here are some examples of our work respecting the environment:

On our projects, we do the following:

  • We have an experienced environmental risk management team with established proprietary environmental remediation strategies.
  • We look for infill or brownfield sites for our development efforts.
  • Our portfolio includes many LEED, Green Globe and Fitwel certified projects.
  • Even when not seeking certification, we incorporate sustainability features and building practices on each project, including redesign of site to control water runoff, recycling of construction waste and low-flow and energy star features.
  • We also employ LEAN construction and waste reduction practices.

Within our team, we have more than 27 USGBC LEED accredited professionals and a GREENteam, an associate engagement group focused on stewardship through sustainability. Additionally, our associates participate in ongoing sustainability focused education to continuously improve our projects.

In our offices we have recycling practices and energy-efficient business and building operations.

The Opus Foundation has also made some grants to nonprofits that benefit the environment.

A small graphic icon with an illustrated house, people and a heart. Caring for People & Communities

We are dedicated to advancing the well-being of our associates, clients, business partners and people in the communities where we live and work. We treat people fairly, and we strive to foster an environment and culture that is equitable and inclusive. And we are deeply committed to helping make our communities better places to live, work and raise families.

Two men on ladders paint the exterior of a home.

Here are a few ways we show care for people and communities:

Safety First

At Opus, the safety of our associates and our work environments is a top priority and an essential part of our culture. Safety First is the motto for our safety practices, and in keeping with that, safety as a core value is listed first. While safety is the responsibility of every associate, we also have an Operations and Safety Team and Facilities Team that help support worker health and safety across all Opus offices and job sites. On the jobsites we have subcontractor standards and practices, a dedicated safety team and leadership and required OSHA 10-hour and 30-hour trainings. Learn More About Safety

Community Stewardship

Giving back to the community is a pillar of our organization's history and at the core of our organization today.

We work to build community in the places where Team Opus members live, work and raise families. We have a strong, long-standing commitment to lending time and expertise to enhance these communities and make them better places to live, work and raise a family. Our community stewardship work includes:

  • Founded in 2000, the Opus Foundation has awarded nearly $58.4 million to help build Opus communities and support efforts that make them better places to live, work and raise families. The Foundation is committed to improving conditions that disproportionately affect historically underinvested individuals and communities by resourcing key focus areas of early childhood education, youth development, workforce development, community revitalization and pressing and emerging needs. Learn More About the Opus Foundation
  • Annually, we host a United Way Campaign and a Founder's Day that celebrates the founding of our organization with volunteer events.
  • Associates receive Community Time Off to support individual or group stewardship or volunteerism as well as personal community engagement, such as participating in a community event or holiday.
  • With the Opus 10% Giving Promise, we have pledged to give 10% of pretax earnings to support community building.

Learn More About Our Giving

Diversity Equity Inclusion

Our mission is to exceed the expectations of our clients, partners, and community stakeholders and empower their missions through the buildings we deliver. And that begins with our people. We are committed to building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive team with a wide range of experiences and talents and supporting a culture of belonging.

Our DEI efforts are primarily focused on making improvements to our recruitment and hiring, supplier diversity, policy equity, and associate education and culture building. Learn More About Our DEI Work

Associate Support & Engagement

At Opus, we support our associates in a variety of ways, including:

Learn More Careers at Opus

A small graphic icon with an illustrated building and a badge with a check mark. Operating with Integrity

Opus is intentional about operating responsibly and conducting our business with integrity. Since our founding, we have fostered a culture of building trust with clients and all stakeholders. Our associates strive to build strong relationships by exceeding expectations, building quality and delivering on commitments. Further, our Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team help ensure strong governance, appropriate management of risk and effective planning and policies.

A man smiles and reaches forward to shake someone's hand in a casual office environment.

Here are a few examples of how we operate with integrity:

  • Our mission, vision and values — along with a rolling five-year strategic plan and Code of Conduct — help guide our actions.
  • We are governed by a Board of Directors that includes business and industry experts. It supports responsible practices in many areas, including financial controls and audits, conflicts of interest, enterprise risk, investment management, board and leadership team composition, succession planning and executive compensation.
  • We address facility security, cyber and system security, disaster recovery and business continuity through planning and protocols that are in place and reinforced through regular training.

Corporate Responsibility Annual Reports

Read our past annual reports to follow our efforts throughout the years

2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015