Freese and Nichols endeavors to be responsible stewards of our communities and the environment through our comprehensive approaches to the life cycle of planning, design, implementation, monitoring and assessment projects. We strive to satisfy present needs of society and our communities while preserving the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Capturing Our Commitment to Communities

A deep commitment to our communities has been a significant part of Freese and Nichols’ work and culture since our earliest days. From John Hawley’s early work in 1894, bringing clean water to Fort Worth, our founders laid the foundation for protecting public health and supporting city growth.

That spirit of protecting and building up the people and places where we live, work and play has expanded to include how we give and volunteer, how we make business decisions, and how our projects contribute to the economic vitality, environmental sustainability and longevity of our communities.

As our company has grown, our efforts in these areas have, too, which is part of why this report was first developed a few years ago. Titled ‘On Balance,’ it is intended to capture highlights and examples of how we balance the needs of our constituent groups, stakeholders and communities and find ways to “Serve Always” in everything we do.

We hope this report helps illustrate our unwavering focus and continual improvements related to sustainability, connection, and support for all the communities we are privileged to be a part of.

The Framework

Our Board of Directors oversees our Corporate Social Responsibility work using a CSR framework that enables us to achieve a balanced approach to community stewardship with regular review of our metrics, client and employee feedback, and study of environmental and social needs over time. The Board receives annual updates from the Corporate Social Responsibility Steering Committee on our progress, and this framework serves as a basis for our report which includes three sections: Environmental, Social and Economic, and Accountability and Capacity.

This annual report reflects our dedication to tracking and improving all aspects of our influence as a business on the environment, our communities, and our profession.

Responsibility for the Environment

Our commitment to environmental sustainability and resiliency guides our office practices, but the nature of our work as an infrastructure firm allows that commitment to extend to supporting our clients to help further their environmental stewardship goals, and planning, designing and implementing infrastructure projects with the conservation of earth’s resources in mind.

VIEW THE ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

Responsibility for People and Communities

Since our firm began in 1894, we have been dedicated to creating livable and enjoyable communities by way of practical and innovative infrastructure solutions. We continue to have unique opportunities to influence community-based economic development and enhance health, safety and wellness in the areas we serve and within our own business practices. In everything we do, from our hiring and outreach to employee resource groups to project partnerships, we work to grow a diverse and inclusive working environment for a better today and tomorrow.

VIEW THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC REPORT

Responsibility to Our Team

With a focus on building our team’s abilities to make strategic, sustainable, socially responsible decisions, we improve ourselves, our support for clients, and our positive influence on our communities. We continually find ways to equip our staff with technical and management tools to allow for growth as a well-rounded organization. Our Board of Directors is focused on sustaining Freese and Nichols as a key provider of challenging and rewarding career opportunities for our employees, meaningful and impactful projects for our clients, and reliable growth for our communities.

VIEW THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND CAPACITY REPORT

About this Report

With plans to update it annually, the On Balance report reflects our dedication to tracking and improving all aspects of our influence as a business on the environment, our communities, and our profession.