2023 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT
LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE
Wright Outdoor Solutions (WOS) provides professional services for the care and enhancement of residential and commercial properties across Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri, including landscaping and maintenance, plant design and maintenance, lawn care, holiday lights and décor, snow and ice management, and mulch. Through our brand, Verdure Elements, we provide interior plantscaping, seasonal color rotation, and interior holiday décor services.
From tree care to interior plantscaping, our mission is to create beautiful environments – inside and out. We understand the responsibility we have as a company and as individuals to strive to protect and improve all ecosystems, and to make positive environmental, social and economic impacts in the communities we serve. A sustainable business is good business, not only for our employees but also for our clients, the public and our planet.
Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report is our way of showcasing how we’re delivering the highest level of professional, safe and environmentally conscious services and solutions to our industry and the communities we work and live in. As a 100% employee-owned company, our employees are at the forefront of every decision we make and it’s our employees who are behind the success of our business. For our customers
Jennifer Anderson
Vice President & General Manager
and partners, we are empowered to provide exceptional service and innovative solutions. At all levels of the company, customers work with an employee owner – individuals who are invested in the success of the company and the quality of service we deliver.
This report will highlight the progress we’ve made and will continue to make regarding:
- Safety
- Employee Well-being
- Environmental Sustainability
- Community Engagement
I invite you to read our third annual report to learn all that Wright Outdoor Solutions continues to do to be a leader in providing sustainable environmental solutions that align with our core values of safety, family, integrity excellence, and stewardship.
COMPANY OVERVIEW
HISTORY
Wright Outdoor Solutions (WOS) // Founded in 1928
Formed from the merger of two of the Des Moines metro’s oldest and most prominent land care companies, Heard Gardens and Wright Tree Care, Wright Outdoor Solutions has been caring for outdoor spaces since 1928. Heard Gardens, an award-winning landscaping company, had been designing and managing landscapes in the community since 1928, and Wright Tree Care, a respected residential tree care company, had been around since 1933. With the merger of the two companies in 2007, Central Iowa had one company to turn to for all of their landscaping and tree care needs.
Over time, Wright Outdoor Solutions expanded its service offerings to include lawn care, residential and commercial maintenance, holiday lights, land clearing, and mulch production.
In 2013, Wright Outdoor Solutions purchased a local Des Moines company called The Growing Concern to operate as a division. With this purchase, Wright Outdoor Solutions was able to take their services indoors as well, offering interior plantscaping, exterior maintenance, and interior holiday décor.
In 2019, Wright Outdoor Solutions expanded into the Omaha market through Omaha based brand Verdure Elements, offering interior plantscaping, seasonal color and holiday design services.
Verdure Elements // Founded in 1981
In 1981, a company called Branching Out was founded, providing interior commercial plantscaping services throughout the Omaha and Lincoln metro. The company continued to expand its service offerings, adding exterior seasonal color rotation and interior holiday décor services to its arsenal to better serve homeowners and business owners’ growing needs. In 2019, Branching Out was acquired by Wright Outdoor Solutions and reintroduced as Verdure Elements in the fall of 2019, and later expanded into the Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Des Moines and Kansas City markets.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Austin Kennedy, CEO
Austin Kennedy joined Wright Service Corp. as General Counsel in April 2013. Prior to joining Wright Service Corp., Austin was an attorney in private practice for seven years in Des Moines, Iowa, practicing in many areas involving employment law, immigration law and litigation. In 2019, Austin was promoted to General Counsel, Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President. In 2022, Austin was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Wright Service Corp. Austin graduated from Macalester College in 2000, where he received the Livingston-Patnode Award for his special contributions to the English Department. He then earned his law degree from Drake Law School in 2005. In 2015, Austin earned his Credential of Readiness from Harvard Business School’s HBX CORe program, which establishes competencies in business analytics, economics and accounting. In October of 2023, Austin stepped into the role of CEO of Wright Service Corp.
Jonathan Hicks, SVP & CFO
Jon Hicks joined Wright Service Corp. in 2008 as the Controller for Wright Outdoor Solutions. In 2010, he was promoted to Controller of Wright Tree Service (WTS) and in 2020, he was promoted again to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wright Service Corp. Jon graduated from Iowa State as a Certified Public Accountant with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Accounting degree in 2002. After graduating, Jon worked in various auditing and financial reporting roles within both public accounting and the private sector. Jon is a member of the Iowa Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Jon is also a member of the Risk and Insurance Management Society and the Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund Audit & Finance Committee. Jon is a large advocate of Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) structured companies. He enjoys the culture created with it that allows employees the freedom to implement change and to leave their personal mark on the company. Jon enjoys problem solving and having the opportunity to help guide the company at a strategic level.
MISSION, VISION, VALUES
Mission
To create beautiful environments.
Vision
- To be the industry leader throughout the Central Midwest region, investing in our expertise, modernization and capital.
- To provide the highest quality service and products to our customers.
- To provide attractive value appreciation to our employee owners.
- To provide team members a home that enables them to achieve their personal and professional goals.
SAFETY
It is everyone’s responsibility –we each own it.
FAMILY
Our foundation is based on teamwork and inclusion.
INTEGRITY
We abide by the highest ethical standards.
EXCELLENCE
We exceed client expectations through resourcefulness and innovation.
STEWARDSHIP
We are dedicated to environmental sustainability.
ABOUT THIS REPORT
Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Overview
Wright Outdoor Solutions’ (WOS) core KPIs will be used to track the progress in key target areas and to gauge progress in the coming years. These will help shape goals to drive continuous improvement.
OVERVIEW OF COMPANY INITIATIVES
Safety
Safety is our number one value. Our employees are trained on a consistent basis to ensure best safe practices are in place and to identify and mitigate any potential risks or jobsite hazards. Internal protocols are routinely reviewed and updated by our risk and safety departments with the latest trainings and procedures to ensure our employees arrive home safely each and every night. Our employees follow the Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper motto, striving to maintain a zero-harm workplace.
Employee Well-being
Our employees create a rich work environment. Our family culture is one of the things that makes us unique and attractive to the next generation of the workforce. This includes a safe, enjoyable, diverse environment that offers opportunities for personal and professional growth across our family of companies. Our extensive training and development program fosters learning and leadership for employees at all levels through programs, Wright Service Corp. University, and many others. We believe in fostering employee culture and community through our Culture Club committee initiatives. We also offer an extensive benefits package, going beyond industry standards to meet the needs of our employees. As a 100% employee-owned company, we take pride in keeping our employees’ well-being top-of-mind.
Environmental Sustainability
As an environmental services company, we strive to protect and preserve the ecosystems where we live and work. In 2022, we began the process of cataloging and quantifying key impact areas to support the development of greenhouse gas accounting. This includes an overview of electricity, fuel, waste and water. We are also committed to pursuing efficiency within our fleet. Geotab and Lytx software track driver safety and fuel and maintenance metrics, supporting improved resource use. Our work also allows us to support the sustainability strategies of our clients, providing top of the line management while remaining cognoscente of environmental impact.
Community Engagement
Our family of companies actively sponsors activities that benefit our employees and add value to the communities where we live and work. Through monetary and in-kind donations such as labor and education, we’re able to support various causes and organizations that align with our values. Over the years, as our company has grown, so has our community outreach. Current giving programs span across the United States. We take pride in building and developing relationships with our employees, clients and communities.
SAFETY
Safety is our number one value. Our employees are trained on a consistent basis to ensure best safe practices are in place and to identify and mitigate any potential risks or jobsite hazards. Internal protocols are routinely reviewed and updated by our risk and safety departments with the latest trainings and procedures to ensure our employees arrive home safely each and every night. Our employees follow the Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper motto, striving to maintain a zero-harm workplace.
WORKER SAFETY
All of our incidents are tracked and reported. They are tracked with goals and milestones established for reduction. These incidents and near misses are reviewed during training sessions to raise awareness and identify preventative actions to continually improve health and safety initiatives.
Days Away, Restricted or Transferred Rate (DART) represents Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) injuries or illness that results in days away from work, restricted duty, or transfer of duties. This is because only the more severe OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses are included in the DART rate which was 2.67 for the calendar year.
Incidents are often broken down into the following categories:
In response to growing industry recognition of the limitations of the OSHA-required metrics such as Incident Rate and DART Rate, the Risk Compliance team has begun tracking incidents based on the ASTM E2920 standard. This standard serves to identify incidents with more significant outcomes, allowing focus and resources to be directed more strategically.
2023 Annual Rates: Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART Rate) Claims per Employee 0.02 2.67
SAFETY TRAININGS
As new employees join the team, there is an extensive safety training program during the onboarding process. In addition, every week there is additional training on various topics as part of our tailgate program to refresh the team to keep safety top of mind.
We aim to offer training and certifications that help better all our employees in the field:
- 3OT sets the groundwork for how to safely measure and apply chemicals, outline what appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is needed for a project, how to clean up post application, and so much more. Chemical applicators must hold an up-to-date 3OT certification before commercially applying any chemical.
10 employees have Application Licenses
(3OT [ornamental & turf], 3T [turf], 3G [greenhouse], 2 [forest], 5 [aquatic], 6 [ROW])
- 75% of our plant operations managers
- 100% or our plant health care team
- 33% of our sales team
- 33% of our arbor crew leaders and an additional groundworker
- International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is a certification for arborists and tree care professionals. They work to educate people on the benefits of trees (economic, environmental, and societal) and how to properly administer care for the best longevity of these plants. Their focus is on continual research to keep improving practices, public awareness, and promoting safety within the arbor field.
7 employees hold ISA Certifications
- 100% of our arbor sales team
- 57% of our arbor crew leaders
- Arbor operations manager
- Accredited Snow Contractors Association (ASCA) outlines industry standards and educates snow removal professionals on the Approved National Standards Institute (ANSI) for snow removal. These standards set the groundwork for safety procedures to reduce the risk to ourselves and others, how to correctly document on job sites, and provide training on how best to streamline our snow operation.
2 employees are ASCA trained
- 1 snow supervisor
- 1 snow lead
- Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI) and National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA) provide tools and education to landscapers. They outline the best practices for bidding and installing walls (NCMA) and patios (ICPI). Employees that complete these trainings have a better
understanding of how to properly install a hardscape base, best practices for laying pavers & wall block, how to address drainage in a new install, and much more.
1 employee is ICPI fully certified
- Landscape operations manager
2 employees are ICPI course certified
- 100% of our design team
- 20% of our landscape crew members
1 employee is NCMA fully certified
- Landscape operations manager
3 employees are NCMA course certified
- 100% of our design team
- 40% of our landscape crew
2 employees are Certified Backflow Tester
- Landscape operations manager
- Crew lead
- OSHA provides outreach and training programs about common safety and health hazards on the job. The courses offer basic and more advanced training.
- 1 employee is OSHA 30 certified
SAFETY TRAININGS
Safety Day
In May, an entire day was dedicated to hazard awareness, risk mitigation and safety training. Through group discussion and hands-on exercises, all Wright Outdoor Solutions (WOS) employees increased their knowledge of safe work practices and accident prevention. The day included equipment inspection, maintenance and use, ergonomics, fire prevention, hazard communication and included exercises in spill response and fire extinguisher use.
Our culture is driven by safety and it’s weaved into every aspect of our day-to-day operations. Company-wide Safety Days take our training to the next level by providing employees opportunities for cross training in safety procedures across company departments.
15+ Topics Covered During 2023 Safety Day
Tailgate Training
Weekly training sessions known as tailgates are held on various topics to refresh the team, to keep safety top of mind across the landscape, seasonal service, and arbor care teams. The tailgates increase awareness of potential hazards and solutions to mitigate these hazards. During tailgates, the crews sometimes partake in what they have coined ‘Tuesday Stretch.’ During this time, employees like to stretch and warm up to prepare for the job at hand.
First Aid/CPR/AED
In 2023, 15 employees from various departments including Arbor, Mechanics, Seasonal Services and Office Staff obtained or renewed First Aid, CPR and AED certification.
TCIA ACCREDITATION
WOS was accredited by the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) once again in 2023 and has held this accreditation status since 2006. The TCIA accreditation evaluates ethical business practices, compliance with industry standards for safety and performance, and providing quality service.
CYBER SECURITY
WSC’s Information Technology (IT) Department is dedicated to cyber security and business continuity. In 2019, an Information Security team was created to improve our security posture and execute yearly strategic security roadmaps, updated annually; by doing so, this maintains and strengthens our company’s ability to protect company and client data. The team conducts an annual comprehensive security assessment in tandem with monthly vulnerability scans and remediates identified issues. Our SIEM platform, AlienVault, monitored 24/7/365 by ProCircular, is utilized to help improve our detection and prevention of attacks on our company’s equipment year-round.
On a monthly cadence, employees undergo training to spot ‘phishing’ scams and other malicious emails or attacks. These fraudulent requests are sophisticated and can use known company contacts to lure others into sending funds to illegitimate recipients or compromise confidential data and information. On a monthly basis, employees are tested internally and if the employee fails, they are required to go through additional training and, in some cases, meet with human resources and IT for performance improvement. As scams are ever-changing, training and tips are provided to arm our employees with the knowledge to be a digital Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper and ensure we protect our family of companies and their employees.
Highlights
- Conducted a tabletop exercise to prepare for any security emergency
- Conducted annual full environment penetration testing to ensure continued improvement
- Rolled out BitWarden password manager
- Weekly trivia during cyber security awareness month in October
- Brought our vulnerability scans on all systems and endpoints in-house with our Rapid7 tool
- Made improvements to our security posture with our vCISCO project and extended through 2025
In 2024, we will continue to implement tools and training for increased company preparedness and due diligence against increasing cyber security risk.
SAFETY GOALS
Safety: Continue to offer specialized safety training programs to employees
Safety: Provide company-wide wildfire and equipment fire education and training.
Safety: Provide monthly ‘Safety Spotlights,’ increasing the recognition of hazards and safe work practices.
Security: Ensure company participation and improvement by 5% or 200 hours of additional security awareness training.
Safety: Publish quarterly safety materials updates to ensure active and consistent safety communication.
Safety: Host company-wide safety day to enhance employee understanding of critical safety procedures relating to personal protective equipment, equipment protocols, and fire training.
EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING
Our employees create a rich work environment. Our family culture is one of the things that makes us unique and attractive to the next generation of the workforce. This includes a safe, enjoyable, diverse environment that offers opportunities for personal and professional growth across our family of companies. Our extensive training and development program fosters learning and leadership for employees at all levels through programs, Wright Service Corp. University (WSCU), and many others. We believe in fostering employee culture and community through our Culture Club committee initiatives. We also offer an extensive benefits package, going beyond industry standards to meet the needs of our employees. As a 100% employee-owned company, we take pride in keeping our employees’ well-being top-of-mind.
GENERATIONAL DISTRIBUTION
ETHNICITY
Wright Outdoor Solutions’ (WOS) parent company, Wright Service Corp. (WSC), and its affiliates are honored to support our veterans through employment, volunteerism, and in-kind donations. We are proud to have 96 veterans* serving on our teams in 2023. Of those, three are employees of WOS, with an additional four employees who are military reserves or still active in the military.
* Veteran status disclosure is voluntary and self-reported.
CULTURE
TRANSLATION COMMITTEE
The Translation Committee is dedicated to minimizing language barriers to promote effective communication within our organization. By procuring professional translations via our trusted vendor, our core mission is to ensure that language serves as a bridge rather than a barrier by facilitating knowledge sharing, collaboration, and mutual understanding among individuals with diverse linguistic backgrounds. We can provide Spanish and French-Canadian translations, and many more. Employees are able to request translations through our shared services department liaison for items such as and not limited to:
- Internal communications
- Recruitment advertisements
- Procedures/training materials
- HR materials
- Public-facing or external use documents
- E-learning content
- Video and closed captioning/subtitles
- Websites
In 2023, our Translation Committee achieved a significant milestone by successfully processed over 100,000 words across various departments and initiatives.
ETHICAL STANDARDS
WOS’s employee handbook outlines several employment policies, procedures and practices. This contains equal opportunity employment policies, a code of conduct policy, business ethics statement, a harassment policy and a protection against retaliation policy. Management and human resources staff have an open-door policy as well as programming that allows employees to report incidents and provide suggestions to improve the workplace.
TRAINING & EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
Learning Management System
UNIVERSITY
WSCU is a learning platform that documents and tracks our employees’ online training. WSCU creates the ability to reach every employee in the company who has a company email for training and continued education. More than 25,000 LinkedIn Learning courses are available to eligible employees via WSCU. Courses are available in over 10 languages. Some sample elective training topics include management, leadership, customer service, productivity, Microsoft training and much more. In addition, new employees are assigned training in WSCU that includes:
- Harassment and discrimination
- ESOP
- True Colors
- Customer service
- System training
- Retirement savings, and enrolling in a 401(k) or Roth
- Accessing the company clothing and apparel store
TRAINING & EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
Lunch and Learns
Lunch and learns are offered bi-monthly through the Training and Development department. The topics provide employees with business knowledge within our family of companies (finance, strategic planning, etc.) and interpersonal skills that improve operational performance.
True Colors
True Colors® is a personality assessment used to boost interdepartmental and team dynamics/understanding. Each employee completes a survey with new employee onboarding and is given a portfolio with potential strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for communicating with people of different personalities. This improves employee self-awareness and conflict resolution. Three employees at WSC are certified True Colors practitioners and are able to provide workshops to teams who request it.
Individual Development
The Training and Development department offers numerous individual development options. These can include team workshops, individual coaching, and mentoring depending on the need.
LEAD Program
The Leadership, Education and Development (LEAD) Program provides opportunities that enable leaders to develop high-performing teams and grow themselves toward the next level of leadership.
The LEAD Program content focuses on increasing leadership competency in the following areas:
- Leading Self
- Leading Others
- Leading Change
- Business Knowledge
- Business Results
The program is held at the Wright Service Corp. office in West Des Moines, Iowa. A few of the highlights include:
- Participating in a professional association
- Shadowing a person in a different role in the WSC family of companies
- Participating in the LEAD Mentor Program
- Participating in online learning opportunities
- Presenting a capstone project
In November of 2023, 25 participants graduated from the LEAD program. Of the participants, one was from WOS.
Career Development
Since 2021, WOS has participated in the Iowa Jobs Training Program which allowed the company to expand individual development programming to a new level with increased funding. 37 employees were trained in subjects ranging from permeable concrete pavers to orchid cultivation. Employees expanded their knowledge through formal trainings, certifications, and conferences.
Increased expertise in our employees has enabled WOS to prioritize internal promotion. It is not uncommon for crew members to transition into leadership roles. Internal promotion has enhanced company loyalty, improved employee morale, and motivated employees to prioritize individual development.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Indoor/Outdoor Working Hours
WOS has many opportunities for employees to have a mix of both indoor and outdoor working hours, appealing to those seeking a non-conventional work environment. According to a study in science journal Nature, individuals that spend at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing (Nature, 2019).
DISTRIBUTION OF INDOOR VS OUTDOOR TIME
Benefits
WOS provides both full-time and part-time positions with a benefits package that far exceeds the industry standard. Employees receive comprehensive benefits such as health insurance, wellness incentive programs, life insurance, disability, vacation and sick time, bereavement, identity theft protection, traditional pre-tax and Roth 401(k) retirement plan options, and employees are part of profit sharing through an ESOP.
Health Insurance
We offer medical with prescription coverage, dental and vision insurance to all eligible non-union employees. Plans are offered either as individual or family. Family plans are not limited to number of dependents. We pay a portion of these insurance fees to provide competitive premium rates for employee’s insurance packages.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a professional and confidential, short-term counseling service available to the employee and their immediate family. This is a company paid benefit and offered to the employee at no cost. Immediate telephone access to a counselor is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Resources include up to three sessions for in-person appointments per separate issue per year, legal services, financial consultation, and eldercare resources.
Those in need can visit a doctor on their smartphone, tablet or computer from virtually anywhere and offered at no cost. Doctor on Demand offers no cost, virtual doctor visits with board-certified doctors who can treat most common medical conditions and prescribe medication.
Wellness Program
WOS employees are automatically enrolled into Navigate, a wellness portal application, implemented by Mercy, a Des Moines hospital. The Navigate portal is where employees can earn rewards for completing activities throughout the year individually or through group activities. Navigate offers many tools for our employees to utilize to help them live well. Individual challenges, event participation, and educational sessions on topics like nutrition and eating well, reducing stress, sleep, exercise, financial wellbeing, community involvement, and more can be found on Navigate. Annual biometric health screenings are offered to employees at the start of the year. In the fall, a flu shot clinic is available for all employees and adult family members who are enrolled in the company’s health insurance program.
LONGEVITY
Three of our employees hit milestones this year with 5, 15, and 20 years of service.
ESOP
EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP
WOS has been a proud employee-owned company since 2002. Through shared ownership, the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) helps promote a positive, unique organizational culture and supports company success. The ESOP is also designed to assist our employees with their retirement and provide them with a financial stake in the company. For our customers and partners, we are empowered to provide exceptional service and innovative solutions. At all levels of the company, you’ll be working with an employee owner – individuals who are invested in the success of the company and the quality of service we deliver.
The ESOP enables employees to directly affect profitability and value and see the results. Employees have pride in the company and a vested interest in making sure the value of their account grows. The ESOP has also allowed the company to protect jobs and support the communities we work in.
Only non-union employees who are at least 18 years of age, worked for the company for one year totaling at least 1,000 hours are eligible to enter the plan. Employees are automatically enrolled in the ESOP after meeting the qualifications on April 1 or October 1, following their 1-year anniversary date with the company. This is an employer-funded plan that is at no cost to the employees.
EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP COMMITTEE
The Employee Ownership Committee’s mission is to contribute to the success of our family of companies by advancing and strengthening our culture of ownership through education and communication. Members often present to divisions throughout the company, the benefits of being an employee-owned company and hold Employee Ownership Month festivities. Subcommittees include the historian, education/communication, ownership/contests, and the Deferred Share Unit (DSU) committee to focus efforts and expand membership to more field staff. A new SharePoint site was launched where all employee ownership resources and pictures from various events are housed. The committee developed a Central Iowa ESOP Networking committee where the objective is to plan local events with other employee-owned companies where we can have fun, network, learn from each other and develop meaningful relationships. Committee members continue to participate in the Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of The ESOP Association events and conferences, and national conferences.
FY2022 years of service of those eligible for the ESOP. Based on the active employee count as of 9/30/2022.
401K CONTRIBUTIONS
WOS offers a comprehensive 401(k) retirement savings plan with the same eligibility requirements and entry dates as the ESOP.
WOS has a Safe Harbor Match Program to the 401(K) offering, matching 100% of the first 3%, plus an additional 50% of the next 2% employees would contribute to their retirement savings. The matching funds are placed in the ESOP account. Meaning, employees should contribute at least 5% annually to receive the full company match. These company-matched contributions are 100% vested.
The Automatic Enrollment Program is an automatic 3% pre-tax 401(k) enrollment process for all eligible employees which increases contributions from salary pay by 1% each year until 10% is reached with an opt-out available. This was enacted to ensure employees were taking steps for their financial security in the future.
401K CONTRIBUTIONS
EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING GOALS
Diversity & Inclusion: Increase reporting capabilities on workforce demographics in 2023 with Workday.
Diversity & Inclusion: Analyze employee gender and race/ ethnicity information to establish benchmarks and goals for diversity growth.
Employee Well-being: Continue to provide our employees with more benefits education through regular newsletters, plan enrollment resources and new hire summaries.
Employee Well-being: Promote indoor/outdoor working hours and both personal and professional training and growth opportunities available through employment at WOS.
Diversity & Inclusion: Evaluate options to improve communication to all team members without email communication capacity.
As an environmental services company, we strive to protect and preserve the ecosystems where we live and work. In 2022, we began the process of cataloguing and quantifying key impact areas to support the development of greenhouse gas accounting. This includes an overview of electricity, fuel, waste and water. We are also committed to pursuing efficiency within our fleet. Geotab and Lytx software track driver safety and fuel and maintenance metrics, supporting improved resource use. Our work also allows us to support the sustainability strategies of our clients, providing top of line management while remaining cognoscente of environmental impact. Safety Employee Well-being Environmental Sustainability
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
SUSTAINABLE SERVICES
Tree Care/Vegetation Management
Healthy trees promote healthy ecosystems. Trees offer essential benefits to our planet including air purification, oxygen production, erosion control, natural cleaning of surface and ground water, temperature control in urban areas, and more. Trees are home to numerous insects and animals that improve biodiversity in our ecosystems. By providing proper care and maintenance to trees; disease, damage, and removal can be prevented.
Our team of International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborists are proud to play a part in protecting and caring for trees in our community through the following services:
- Cabling – As a supplemental support, hardware connecting parts of the tree to one another is installed in the upper third of the canopy. The connected limbs are stronger together and help support the tree against environmental stressors.
- Bracing – Often done in conjunction with cabling, bracing is an additional support measure used to reinforce trees with a weak union near the central leader, or trunk. Metal rods are strategically drilled into the tree near the weak union to relieve tension and build strength and stability.
- Pruning – Selective removal of branches to promote proper growth and remove diseased and pest infested branches.
- Tree Sprays/Trunk Injections – Used to treat a variety of tree diseases and nutrient deficiencies.
- Hazardous Tree Removal – Over time, trees can become affected by age, environment and weather conditions. It is always important to recognize and take proper corrective action for trees that have become high risk. Risks can include things like loose bark, cankers, fungal bodies, decay, root issues, limb or trunk cracks, weak branch connections, and more.
Biophilic Design Through Landscaping & Interior Plantscaping
The practice of incorporating plants and other natural materials into built environments, both indoor and outdoor, is known as biophilic design. Our team of landscape and plant designers not only place focus on beauty when selecting plants for home and property owners, but also sustainability and biodiversity.
When selecting plants for outdoor environments, native plant species and pollinator friendly species are at the forefront of consideration. Through use of native plants, home and property owners can reduce the use of resources such as water and energy as well as chemical fertilizers and pesticides which can damage our natural ecosystem. Pollinators are essential to our ecosystem as they fertilize plants, causing them to produce seeds, fruit and new life.
Our interior plantscaping team brings plants indoors. Wright Outdoor Solutions (WOS) offers personalized interior plant design through moss and living wall installations, interior plantscaping, seasonal fresh floral displays, interior holiday plant arrangements and more.
Plants Provided To Our Clients
19,570 annual plants
9,477 – Spring & Summer Annuals
Including: pansies, petunias, impatiens, coleus, lobelia, verbena, geranium, salvia, vinca vine
3,420 – Fall Annuals
Including: mums, kale, cabbage, purple fountain grass, ornamental peppers
6,043 – House/Tropicals
Including: pothos, dracaena, bromeliad, sansevieria, ficus, jasmine, hibiscus
Responsible Resource Use
WATER
WOS strives to continuously improve water efficiency at our facilities. Additionally, we provide our clients with services to help them improve their impact on the water ecosystem. Some of these service offerings include drip irrigation, xeriscaping and rain gardens.
PAPER
630 – Winter Poinsettias
4,178 of trees, shrubs and perennials
3,620 – Perennials
1,780 – Shrubs
648 – Trees
WOS has become 100% electronic with timecards, reducing the need for paper processing. The work-order system used for everyday project management is also 100% electronic. An effort is made for the majority of proposals and invoices to be electronic.
WASTE
WOS, and its parent company Wright Service Corp. (WSC), is committed to reducing our environmental footprint when possible. A key component of our sustainability programming includes WSC’s IT Department. The IT Department works to prioritize redeployment of technology over purchasing additional devices. Once the electronics are no longer functioning, WSC works with an e-cycler to properly recycle and dispose of the various components of the electronics. In 2023, WOS contributed 323 of the 5,383 pounds of e-waste WSC recycled with our partner PCs for People.
WOOD WASTE
Producing and using mulch allows WOS to give trees a second life. We use a horizontal grinder and coloring machine to make quality lawn ready mulch products thus reusing and repurposing this organic waste material. This sustainable option to woodwaste keeps organic matter out of our landfills and offers many environmental benefits which may include:
- Erosion Control
- Absorption and Filtration of Stormwater
- Nutrient Pollution Reduction
- Carbon Emission Reduction
- Carbon Sequestration and Replenishment back to the Soil
- Improved Soil Health
- Habitat Restoration and more.
ENERGY
Building Energy Use
Electric and natural gas usage at the two WOS facilities, including in West Des Moines and Grimes, Iowa, is currently being tracked and incorporated into annual Greenhouse Gas Accounting assessments. In 2023, WOS utilized 18,6085 of kWh and 3,360 of therms. WOS continues to be cautious of energy usage across facilities.
Gas to Electric Efforts
As electric equipment becomes more available and effective, WOS has worked to integrate these lower emission alternatives into their equipment fleet. Electric equipment alleviates the dependency on gasoline and diesel while providing a safer worker environment for WOS’s workforce. This year, WOS has integrated one electric saw, one electric weedeater, two electric hedge pruners, and one set of augers into their equipment fleet. Employees have found them quieter and easier to use.
WOS kWh/year | All
Fleet & Equipment
As a company, we have had the opportunity to be front and center to several exciting things with Geotab. With the support and guidance of our Geotab reseller, Gridline, we were the first company in the world to see and experience, pilot and deploy a Geotab/Lytx integration that allows the Lytx user interface to be visible and interactive within Geotab.
As a company, we were selected as a participant for the Geotab Signature Advisory Group. This group meets quarterly to “take a peek under the hood” of Geotab roadmap initiatives and strategies, with opportunities to contribute and collaborate with their product and service developers, other business partners, Geotab leadership as well as other Geotab clients around the world.
The Mobility Program team is responsible for these relationships. As a team they collaborate with users to conceptualize capabilities, gather report requests, and complete troubleshooting. They quarterback conversations with subject matter experts for system enhancements, product and service recommendations, along with ensuring daily tasks and usual business within those systems can be completed unimpeded.
The WOS fleet is comprised of bucket trucks, chip trucks and chippers as well as specialized equipment including wood recyclers, tracked lifts, and specialized crane mounted grapple saws.
Fleet & Equipment
Geotab together with WEX allows for the tracking of fuel efficiency. WEX is a fuel card that helps companies save costs with automatic fuel expense tracking, employee spending controls, purchase alerts, and exclusive discounts. Some fuel is provided via bulk fueling or is client fueled which is not included in annual reporting at this time. Bulk fuel, when available, is an efficient way to prepare the fleet without spending excess labor time and resources to travel to the nearest fueling station.
Of the 91 vehicles equipped with Geotab technology, the fleet traveled 618,144 miles in 2023. Unproductive idle time is currently being tracked along with miles per gallon efficiency.
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
Fuel Use: Evaluate Geotab and Gridline reporting to improve efficiency through reduction of unproductive idle time.
Resource Use: Begin a GHG inventory (following the GHG Protocol and Corporate Standard), 2022 will serve as the base year.
GHG Accounting: Conduct scope 3 screening and develop processes for related data collection by emissions category.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Our family of companies actively sponsors activities that benefit our employees and add value to the communities where we live and work. Through monetary and in-kind donations such as labor and education, we’re able to support various causes and organizations that align with our values. Over the years, as our company has grown, so has our community outreach. Current giving programs span across the United States. We take pride in building and developing relationships with our employees, clients and communities.
VOLUNTEER EFFORTS & CONTRIBUTIONS
Volunteer Efforts
Wright Outdoor Solutions (WOS) recognizes the important role that charitable and non-profit organizations play in our local communities. In the past seven years, WOS has devoted volunteer time, financial contributions and in-kind resources to several organizations. WOS encourages employees to lend their voluntary support by offering eight hours of paid volunteer time per calendar year, per employee. Organizations and company-sponsored events employees volunteered for in FY2023 include but are not limited to:
- American Red Cross: Blood Drive
- BOMA Iowa: Golf Outing
- City of West Des Moines: Independence Day Parade
- Friends of Des Moines Parks: FORE! Our Parks Golf Outing
- Meals from the Heartland: Annual Hunger Fight
- Arbor Springs: St. Patrick’s Day Goody Bags
- West Des Moines Human Services: 23 Pantry Items Donated
Volunteer Hours
Larger Partnerships
$54,880
in financial contributions were provided to 29 organizations for the 2023 fiscal year between WOS and WSC including in-kind contributions
BLANK CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FESTIVAL OF TREES AND LIGHTS ($11,200)
For the thirteenth year in a row, WOS sponsored the Blank Children’s Hospital Festival of Trees & Lights. The event, held at the Iowa Events Center, is the largest fundraiser for the hospital’s programming and is a central Iowa tradition to kick off the holiday season. As a sponsor, WOS decorated a holiday vignette to be on display at the event, complete with a tree, fireplace display, garland and wreath. In addition, WOS offered a lighting gift certificate to the silent auction and employees volunteered their time delivering decorated trees to recipients.
Donation Amount: $11,200
Curated vignette with accustom designed tree, garland and wreath as credit toward event trees.
Volunteer Efforts:
Four employees volunteered for a combined total of 18 hours to deliver trees to recipients post event. 68
VOLUNTEER EFFORTS
& CONTRIBUTIONS
Donations
In addition, we partner with organizations by making financial contributions or in-kind donations including:
• Iowa Arboretum & Gardens ($2,400)
• Des Moines Water Works Park ($2,075)
- Donor Dinner Centerpiece Arrangements and Plant Rental Donation, and Ice Thorns Winter Installation
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation ($1,500)
WSC Funded
WOS works in partnership with Wright Service Corp.’s (WSC) Charitable Giving Committee to support organizations in the markets we serve. In FY2023, $37,705, was donated including to the following organizations:
- American Cancer Society
- Blank Children’s Hospital
- Can Play
- ChildServe
- Des Moines Refugee Support
- Friends of Des Moines Parks
- Glanton Fund
- Habitat for Humanity
- Norwalk Community Baseball
- Ronald McDonald House Charities
- Special Olympics
- Variety
- West Des Moines Human Services
- West Des Moines Library Friends Foundation
REPUTATION
Awards
WOS earned the award for West Des Moines Chamber’s Best of the West award for Best Lawn Care/Landscaper, an award voted on by the community. We have an amazing team and we’ve enjoyed serving this greater Des Moines community since 1928.
Social Media
WOS recognizes that social networking platforms can be powerful digital communication tools for sharing ideas and exchanging information. We are committed to using social media to promote our brand and maintain communications with current and prospective employees, customers, business partners, vendors and suppliers, and the general public. WOS is focused on ensuring that our use of social network platforms serve our need to maintain our brand identity, integrity and reputation while minimizing risks to the company, our customers and employees.
Vendors
Policies such as the Supplier Code of Conduct and Supplier Diversity Policy that our suppliers or service providers are in the process of being finalized. We seek out those that share our vision and follow a similar mission to reach our goals. We strive to work with local providers in our community. We understand that those we choose to work with will uphold our reputation in the community and with our current and future clients.
Company Memberships & Certifications
Many WOS employees are active members of industry and professional organizations. We encourage our employees to get involved in the industries and communities we serve.
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- Better Business Bureau
- Building Owners and Managers Association
- Iowa Nursery & Landscape Association
- National Association of Landscape Professionals
- Tree Care Industry Association
- Waukee Chamber of Commerce
- West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce
Conferences/Events
- BOMA International Conference Kansas City Career Fair
- DMACC Agriculture & Horticulture Career Fair
- DMACC Agribusiness Career Fair
- IowaWorks Veteran Career Fair
- IowaWorks CDL Career Fair
- IowaWorks Recruiting Fair
- DMACC Horticulture Advisory Board
Online Compliments
WOS utilizes a third-party online review platform to gain insights into customer satisfaction. The net promoter score (NPS) is a calculation based on a customer’s likeliness to recommend your company’s services to a friend or colleague.
8.6
FY2022 NET PROMOTER SCORE
8.4
FY2023 NET PROMOTER SCORE
Great work. Excellent attention to detail. Never have to worry about our landscaping with Wright Outdoor Solutions maintenance program.”
Professional efficient tree removal. Tree was cut, removed and cleaned up in 4 hours!”
Very happy with the work that was done.”
Excellent job especially with their creative adaptations to trim tree in a very tight/awkward spot.”
We have used Wright several times – so incredibly efficient and smart workers. Enjoy talking to them about our trees and they clean it all up beautifully.”
The person who was on site listened to what we wanted, completed our work requests, and did excellent work.”
Staff was professional and helpful throughout the process. I didn’t have any experience with the product that I was ordering (mulch) and the associate talked me through the application and helped me to select a product that fit my needs and fit (right amount) perfectly. The delivery driver called to confirm drop location and put it right where I asked (even though I wasn’t there personally). Job well done, to everyone. Definitely will continue to do business.”
Every job has gone as expected. Thank you to the various crews.”
Amy was great to work with. The group of guys that came out were awesome.”
Dennis does an incredible job of being responsive and providing assistance.”
It was a great experience easy to work with and no issues.”
Respectful, cleaned up great. Answered all questions during quote process.”
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GOALS
Youth Interaction: Create program to track career fairs attended.
Reputation: Increase NPS.
Vendors: Implement Vendor Code of Conduct and Supplier Diversity Policy.
Vendors: WOS will track and report diverse spend on vendors and partners for our headquarters to better understand community impact areas and opportunities for investment.
CLOSING
Wright Outdoor Solutions and our employees strive to live out our values and will continue to improve our sustainable practices to ensure a safe and bright future for our employee-owners. We’re committed to a better world for all, by investing in the communities we serve through innovation, integrity and teamwork. We want to ensure that the decisions we make today make a positive impact on our employees, clients, community and the environment.
APPENDIX
An evaluation by EcoPractices®, a sustainability risk management tool from Eocene Environmental Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Wright Service Corp. (WSC), in partnership with WSC. This report is intended to showcase the sustainability journey of Wright Outdoor Solutions, dedicated to recognizing their responsibility toward their mission, vision and values for their employee owners, partners, clients, and the public.
