Social Responsibility
With a culture immersed in 42.7 inches of rain per year and an employee consumption of 116 cups of coffee a day, we stay green and fully caffeinated in Portland, Oregon. We might get soaked, but nothing dampens our passion about springing into action for the community.
Community involvement
All work and no play…you’ve heard that one before. We’ve found there’s truth to the rhyme. That’s why achieving balance is one of our core values. Balance extends to our families. In an organization that includes 85 children and 45 grandchildren, it’s natural that we would select children-oriented programs while balancing needs that emerge for disaster relief and fighting hunger. Some of the philanthropies we support include:
Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
Morrison Child & Family Center
American Cancer Society
Northwest Medical Teams
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Children’s Holiday Drawing Contest
Kids draw the most amazing things. To raise money for Doernbechedrawings G&B employees’ r Children’s Hospital, G&B donated $50 for each of the children submitted. The theme: “My wish for all children around the world this holiday season.” Carlin Phillips, age 6, won the contest. |
Green initiatives
Portland was green back when green was just a color. So it’s no surprise that Grand & Benedicts started environmental practices early. Over the years, our environmental initiatives have expanded from the way we operate internally to the way we deliver services and make our products.
Our first green practice started in 1996 with the showers in our locker room. To reduce energy usage, we installed solar-powered warm water heaters. Since then, we developed a Green Committee to research and identify environmentally sensitive product alternatives and green choices for customers and employees. For example, to save on paper and trees, we switched to paperless billing. To entice employees to commute to work via alternative transportation, we offer cash incentives, subsidized mass transit passes, indoor bike storage and employee carpool maps.
Realizing that our customers have their own green initiatives, we extend our efforts to them. To provide our customers with environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic bags, we offer biodegradable bags through our catalog. When we build fixture programs, we promote sustainability by using reduced-VOC emission engineered wood products from Australia. Overseas, we use steel with a high recycled content and powder coating as an alternative to airborne solvent paint finishes to minimizing the impact of heavy industrial manufacturing on air and water quality. We are also researching formaldehyde-free MDF plywood and other products for future applications. For our Store Closing team, the essence of what they do is green. When stores close, our Store Closing team reuses and recycles everything cleared out of a store, instead of sending materials and used fixtures to landfills.
Protecting the environment is an ongoing effort. As a proud member of the National Recycling Coalition, an organization committed to maximizing recycling, we strive to develop more ways to keep our operation clean.
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Alternative Commuting
A diehard bike commuter, James Hawthorne rides his ‘70s Schwinn to work rain or shine and frequently wins the G&B Bike Commuter of the Month award.
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Global Working Conditions
We care about our overseas manufacturing partners and their employees. We’re all on the same team. Some of us have been working together for over 20 years. We are proud that our products are manufactured by global fixture partners that extend clean and safe working conditions to their employees.
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Staying Active
On a visit to China, Estimator Eric Nickens takes a fast break with the quality control team.
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