At Saunders, we exist not just to make money, but to make the world a better place. We need to matter. We no longer live in a world where there is a single bottom line. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expands the definition of the traditional bottom line—the money we make—to include people and the environment. Saunders is developing a CSR Report that takes this triple bottom line and weaves it together to form not only a stronger bottom line, but also a stronger organization and a better world.

As we envision the Saunders of the future, here’s what we see:

Economic

As an organization, we will always have a responsibility to be financially sound, prudent and ethical in our business practices in order to insure long-term sustainability. Into the future this will be done as we pursue entrepreneurial opportunities, maintain our focus upon being customer-centric, learn to adapt to our changing world—and as always, work hard.

Social

This is about people. We need to continue to challenge ourselves to do more, be more effective in how we help, and encourage others to do the same—both as a company and as individuals.

Environmental

Let’s face it: people in the construction industry aren’t known for their environmental sensitivity. At Saunders, many of our people have pursued LEED accreditation which has given us the ability to help our customers have less of a negative environmental impact. How we build has a direct impact upon the greater environment, and our awareness of this will continue to grow in the future.

Many organizations publish CSR reports on websites that show their annual progress toward CSR goals and explain in detail what is being done to promote sustainable business practices. By the year 2011, Saunders Construction will not only have CSR goals, but will also begin to post an annual report for all to see. We’re positioned to lead our industry in implementing CSR—especially in the area of greater environmental awareness. read full article [PDF]»