2023 Wright Service Corp. Corporate Social Responsibility Report by Wright Service Corp.

2023 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT EMPLOYEE

LETTER FROM OUR CEO

Wright Service Corp. (WSC) is a unique conglomerate of companies in the environmental services sector, with several sustainability initiatives taking place across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. As a company, we recognize the immense responsibility we have to our communities, the planet and future generations. Like any other company or organization, we continue to learn from our past and continue to make improvements for the betterment of our employees, clients and the communities we serve. Our commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not just a part of our business strategy; rather it is a core value that guides the decisions we make every day.

am overjoyed to share the launch of our 2023 CSR report. WSC’s global campus is dedicated to supporting the well-being of our employees, our environment, and our community while reflecting the passion of environmental stewardship in the services this family of companies provides. We worked diligently to continue progressing towards our sustainability goals, celebrating successes, and learning lessons through obstacles endured. As a company, we will continue to implement additional environmental, social and governance initiatives, make changes to our processes, and improve our systems until we are a leader in these practices within our industry.

As a 100% employee-owned company, we recognize that our greatest asset is our people. We are committed to fostering a culture of safety and well-being. We have been able to attract, retain and reward the highest quality talent in the industry because we value safety. We train and develop our employees to ensure safe practices on the job and at home.

This report showcases how we are delivering the highest level of professional, safe, and environmentally conscious services and solutions to the industry, public and the communities where we live and work. We are committed to our employees and enabling our family of companies to provide new and innovative services while adding mutual value to our stakeholders and clients.

This report will highlight the progress we have made and will continue to make regarding:

- Safety

- Employee Well-being

- Environmental Sustainability

- Community Engagement

I ask you to take the time to read all the things we have achieved this year and what we plan to work on in the years to come. Together, we can build a more sustainable, equitable and prosperous world for generations to come.

Austin Kennedy President and Chief Executive Officer

COMPANY OVERVIEW

The following pages highlight how we incorporate environmental sustainability into our project services and business operations using innovative processes, initiatives and technology.

HISTORY

Wright Service Corp. // Founded in 1983

A prominent leader in several environmental services industries and serves as the parent company. WSC has been employee-owned since 2002.

Wright Tree Service // Founded in 1933

Offering the entire package of vegetation management services, including integrated vegetation management, storm restoration, work planning and erosion control services to railroad and utility companies and their communities across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Wright Outdoor Solutions // Founded in 1928

Offering Central Iowa tree care, landscaping and maintenance, plant design and maintenance, lawn care, holiday lights and décor, snow and ice management, and mulch services. In 2019, Wright Outdoor Solutions expanded into the Omaha market through the acquisition of Omaha based company Verdure Elements, offering interior plantscaping, seasonal color and holiday design services.

Wright Tree Service of the West // Founded in 2008

Offering the entire package of vegetation management services, including integrated vegetation management, storm restoration, and work planning services to utility companies and their communities in the West Coast.

Wright Canada Holdings // Founded in 2017

A prominent leader in several environmental services industries providing integrated vegetation management, consulting and operations, and other outdoor services in Canada comprised of commonly seen brands Spectrum Resource Group, Wright Tree Service of Canada, ArborCare® and CNUC of Canada.

Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation // Founded in 2020

A nonprofit organization focused on fostering innovative solutions in renewable agriculture and vegetation management. The foundation funds projects that reduce carbon footprints and promote carbon positive practices.

Impact 7G // Founded in 2011

Acquired by Wright Service Corp. in December 2023. A full-service environmental consulting firm delivering accurate and timely information required for effective decision making in environmental compliance, water resources, natural and cultural resources, hazardous materials, telecommunications, and drilling markets nationwide.

Eocene Environmental Group // Founded in 2024

Eocene Environmental Group represents the joining of four companies who have helped clients across North America achieve their sustainability goals, navigate complex problems as they work to steward the environment, and protect the communities they serve for more than two decades.

Transcon Environmental // Founded in 1999

Transcon Environmental Group, now Eocene’s environmental division, partners with stakeholders across several industries to collect valuable data, build detailed reporting and support and guide decision-making and agency navigation.

CNUC // Founded in 1999

CN Utility Consulting, now Eocene’s forestry and utility division, provides dependable, safe and high-quality utility vegetation management (UVM) services and continues to focus on helping clients maintain compliance and keep their communities safe.

Sustainable Environmental Consultants // Founded in 2008

Sustainable Environmental Consultants, now Eocene’s sustainability division, provides innovative sustainability solutions for clients in data analysis and environmental quantification, sustainability risk management, and conservation engineering and environmental compliance.

Terra Spectrum Technologies // Founded in 2008

Terra Spectrum Technologies, now Eocene’s technology and innovation division, partners with clients in a variety of industries to help them navigate their data and technological needs using FieldNote, their geospatial data collection software.

THROUGH THE YEARS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Wright Service Corp. (WSC) Board of Directors is made up of three internal directors and five external directors as follows:

Scott Packard, Chairman of Wright Service Corp.

Austin Kennedy, President and CEO of Wright Service Corp.

Jonathan Hicks, SVP and CFO of Wright Service Corp.

Terry McGonegle, Retired CFO of Wright Service Corp., outside director

John Bruntz, outside director

George Milligan, outside director

Geri Huser, outside director, appointed December 2023

Sean McMurray, outside director, appointed August 2023

Dick Rue, outside director, retired December 2023

Nancy Wright, outside director, retired December 2023

Scott Packard

Scott Packard joined Wright Service Corp. in July 1998. Three years later, John R. Wright appointed Scott to President and COO. In October 2002, Scott took on the position of Chairman and CEO of Wright Service Corp. Scott began his career after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. Since then, he has held several executive positions prior to joining the executive leadership team at Wright Service Corp. He served on the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) Board of Directors

from 2003-2009 and as Chair in 2009. In September 2016, Scott became the first recipient of the Management Action Programs (MAP) Disciplined Leader Award. This award was conceived to recognize select leaders who have consistently exhibited the qualities of a disciplined leader. Scott is also a past chairman of Area 4 Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) and presently serves as Vice-Chair. He was recently named to the board of directors of Trees Forever. Scott retired as CEO in October 2023 but will remain on the WSC Board of Directors until 2026.

Austin Kennedy

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

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.

Terry McGonegle

Terry McGonegle joined Wright Tree Service as the Controller in June 1994. When the ESOP was formed in 2002, Terry was promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Wright Service Corp. where he helped transition the company from a family-owned to an employee-owned and served as CFO until December of 2019 upon retirement. Terry started his career in public accounting and worked in the agricultural and construction industries before joining WTS. He has served on the audit committee for the TCIA, finance committees for both the Utility Arborist Association and the TREE Fund. Terry is also a past president of the Iowa-Nebraska Chapter of The ESOP Association.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

continued

Nancy Wright

Nancy Wright is a cum laude graduate of Drake University majoring in Business Communications. Following graduation, she had a long career in the group life and health business, starting with Principal Financial as an underwriter and later selling group life and health insurance to Iowa school districts through Holmes Murphy & Associates. Other positions include Marketing Director for a major group medical carrier and Account Manager for a national insurance brokerage. She was also active in the Iowa Health Underwriters as a board member for six years and president for two years. This involved working with state and national legislators regarding healthcare legislation. Nancy is currently retired.

Dick Rue

Dick is retired and served for 23 years as Senior Vice President & CFO and board member at ITA Group, Inc., a West Des Moines incentive marketing company. Dick has been a CPA since 1978 and was employed during his first five years after college in public accounting. He is a past member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Iowa Society of CPAs, Financial Executives International, where he was a past Iowa Chapter President and Board Member, and the ESOP Association. Dick’s experience includes serving on the UNI College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board, the President’s Advisory Board of Grand View University, the Board of Directors of Precision Pulley & Idler, six years as State Chairman of Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) for Iowa and two years as Chairman of the National ESGR Executive Advisory Subcommittee. Additionally, Dick is a former volunteer with the Iowa Gold Star Museum, United Way of Central Iowa and the Iowa Small Business Development Center.

John Bruntz

Currently retired, John Bruntz was the Chairman and CEO of The Boulder Company, an industrial product distributor with operations in four states and serving an eight-state market region. He held the position from 2014 to 2019. Prior, he was the CEO of The Wittern Group, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of automatic merchandising equipment and controlled access technology. He became the CEO in 1990 and began work for the company in 1985. He continues to serve on the company board of directors. John also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cementech, Inc., an ESOP company headquartered in Indianola, Iowa. Cementech is the market leader in the production of volumetric cement mixers. He is lead director of The Stelter Company, the country’s leading advisory firm for planned giving for colleges and universities, national non-profit organizations and major medical institutions. He is a licensed attorney who graduated from the University of Iowa, College of Law and has published articles in law journals in the areas of labor and employment law. He has been involved in numerous civic organizations including ChildServe, the YMCA of Greater Des Moines and the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

George Milligan

George Milligan is a 1978 graduate of Iowa State University, earning a B.S. in Economics with a minor in Industrial Administration (Business). From 1978 to 1985 he worked for Continental Grain Co. in various trading and management positions in four different locations. From 1985 to the present, he has worked at The Graham Group, Inc., and as its President since 1988. The Graham Group, Inc. is a diversified real estate development company and general contractor. He has been involved in many central Iowa charities and boards. He currently serves on the board of two public companies, United Fire

Group, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and West Bancorporation, Inc., of West Des Moines, Iowa. Both are Nasdaq traded companies.

Geri Huser

Geri Huser is Co-Owner of Ed Skinner P.C. law firms operating in Altoona and Mitchellville, Iowa. Geri was previously Chair of the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) from May 1, 2015 – April 30, 2023. She was appointed by Governor Branstad as both Chair of the IUB and administrator of the Agency and reappointed by Governor Kim Reynolds. Huser served as Chair of the three-person Board and was confirmed four times to two-year terms as the administrative head by the Iowa Senate. Geri earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Briar Cliff University and worked with the Polk County Social Services for 12 years. In 2004, she received her Juris Doctorate and Master of Public Administration from Drake University.

Sean McMurray

Sean has served as a Director of West Bank and the Company since 2013. He is the Chief Technology Officer – emeritus of Businessolver, Inc., a position he has held since 2017. Businessolver, Inc. is a human resources benefits administration technology company that he helped found in 1998. Sean was the Chief Executive Officer of AgSolver, Inc., a technology company, from May 2013 until October 2017. Sean founded DataVision Resources and served as the Chief Executive Officer for 15 years until DataVision Resources was acquired by Equifax, Inc. in 2011. He served as Senior Vice President at Equifax, Inc. until May 2013. Sean helped to build and design the business platforms for Businessolver, Inc. and AgSolver, Inc.

MISSION, VISION, VALUES

As a company, our mission, vision and values provide a focal point that aligns everyone within WSC and ensures we all work toward a common purpose. These tenets guide our decisions, increase productivity and help us allocate resources effectively.

A focus on environmental stewardship and sustainability forms the foundation of our mission, vision and values. There is power in purpose within our business. This drives action in everything we do as operating companies.

We believe that people are the key to our success. The journey toward our vision is long and will constantly challenge the status quo. We must keep our minds open and seek new knowledge in everything we do. While we realize these statements can be powerful, they can be meaningless when they are not backed up by action. That is why we have formed three workgroups to continue down the path we started a few years ago and lead us to future success. Our three strategies include:

1. Profitable Growth

‒ Expand Market Segments Geographically

‒ Profitably Grow Environmental Services

‒ Develop New Products & Services

‒ Enhance Bottom Line Profitability

2. Risk Management

‒ Enhance Contract Administration

‒ Manage Supply Chain Issues

‒ Navigate Climate Change

‒ Minimize Cyber Security Risks

3. Infrastructure Development

‒ Transform Technology

‒ Recruit & Retain Talent

‒ Improve Merger and Acquisition Integration

‒ Effectively Communicate

ABOUT THIS REPORT

WSC Sustainability Report / CSR Mission Statement

Wright Service Corp.’s (WSC) global campus is dedicated to supporting the well-being of our employees, our environment, and our community while reflecting the passion of environmental stewardship in the services our family of companies provides.

KPI Overview

WSC’s core Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be used to track the progress in key target areas for the WSC North American headquarters and will be used to gauge progress. These will help shape goals to drive continuous improvement.

As an employee-owned company, WSC and its family of companies knows that our greatest strengths come from our employees. With a people-focused culture, we are committed to being an equal opportunity employer, creating an inclusive work environment where our employees are heard, respected and valued, and empower our employees to achieve their personal and professional goals. The result will be sustainable success and satisfaction for our employees and customers.

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 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 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 cognizant 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 are 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, Canada and Puerto Rico. We take pride in building and developing relationships with our employees, clients and communities.

SAFETY

Our corporate office is highly trained to assist those in the field as it relates to our safety protocols. We also pride ourselves with a low incident rate for our industry and acknowledge employees that reflect our company standards.

Safety protocols and prevention are at the forefront of all our decisions. Emergency protocols are in place as well as evacuation plans that are posted throughout the WSC corporate office. These plans include a map of each area of the office with information on the location of AEDs, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, tornado shelters and assembly areas.

INCIDENT RATE

All Wright Service Corp. (WSC) companies track and report incidents. They are tracked by company 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.

Our 2023 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Incident Rate was 3.17 across our family of companies.

Days Away/Restricted or Transferred Rate (DART) represents OSHA injuries or illness that results in days away from work, restricted duty, or transfer of duties. The more severe OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses are included in the DART rate which was 0.0 for WSC and 1.80 for WSC and its affiliates for the calendar year.

Incidents are often broken down into the following categories:

‒ Property Damage

‒ Auto Liability

‒ General Liability

‒ First Aid

‒ Lost Time

‒ Restricted Duty

‒ Medical

‒ Outage

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.

Aggregated Annual Rates

per Employee 0.03 1.80 3.17

Away/Restricted or Transferred Rate

TRAINING

Onboarding Curriculum

The WSC Legal Services and Risk Mitigation department created safety awareness training for members new to the WSC team. Delivered through Wright Service Corp. University, new employees learn to recognize potential hazards within the office and how to work safely. Additionally, new employees are introduced to the Emergency Action Plan which contains the steps to take to keep themselves and their co-workers safe in the event of an emergency.

On-site Response Team

The Legal Services and Risk Mitigation department organized an onsite response team at the WSC corporate office with the goal of having trained employees onsite in case of emergencies. The team includes nine employees from different departments and have designated areas they are assigned to within the building. They meet periodically, receive training, and are involved in the planning and performance of emergency drills.

In 2023, the onsite response team coordinated a tornado drill and a fire drill to provide education and enhance the preparedness of staff in the event of an emergency. Team members also completed several trainings this year, including fire extinguisher training, EMS ambulance preparedness, stop-the-bleed training and other emergency response courses. The team collaborated with local law enforcement and EMS to ensure coordinated responses in emergency situations.

An onsite response team member is:

• Prepared to take action during emergencies.

• Expected to be available at the office on a regular basis.

• Required to work with the Legal Services and Risk Mitigation department for evaluation and enhancement of the Emergency Action Plan.

• Expected to collaborate in trainings.

• Required to keep a CPR, first aid, and AED certification; with additional training to be provided at company expense.

SECURITY

Cyber Security

WSC’s Information Technology department is dedicated to cyber security and business continuity. Over the past five years, the Information Security team has been tasked with improving our security posture and executing 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 security information and event management (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 through our security awareness program. 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. After completing these trainings, employees are randomly 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 to the WSC’s Subsidiary Companies

‒ 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 vCISO Project and Extended through 2025

In 2024, WSC will continue to implement tools and training for increased company preparedness and due diligence against increasing cyber security risk.

Cyber Security by the Numbers

Total Hours Executed on All Monthly Trainings

67%

Completion Across All Training

Hours of Required Annual Cyber Security Training

3,363 *For all WSC and U.S. Subsidiaries

SAFETY GOALS

Security: Incorporate Transcon into Security Awareness Training (SAT) and testing programs through information security in 2023.

Training: Establish annual tracking of CPR, First Aid and AED training and certifications for the WSC headquarters in 2024.

Security: In 2024, monthly vCISO and executive meetings will be conducted to ensure company goals and controls are met while mitigating cyber security risks.

Security: In 2024, ensure WSC participation and improvement of 3% or 100 hours of additional security awareness training.

Security: Incorporate Impact7G into SAT and testing programs through information security.

Safety: Publish quarterly safety materials updates to ensure active and consistent safety communication.

EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING

Our small company beginnings still ring true with the company culture at the corporate office. A Culture Club, comprising of a Wellness Committee, Community Involvement Committee, Special Events Committee, Employee Ownership Committee and Charitable Giving Committee educate and/or host events for staff at our corporate office and Wright Outdoor Solutions (WOS), a local subsidiary. There are also instances where those events, if held in a virtual format, are open to all employees throughout North America.

OUR EMPLOYEES

WSC takes pride in its employees and their diverse backgrounds. A world map was placed in the corporate office café for each employee to put a push pin on their hometown. This helps us and our visitors recognize the global roots of our company. We have employees across North America, including 46 states, one territory and eight provinces in Canada.

PROVINCES IN CANADA

Employee Distribution

Employee distribution numbers are based on fiscal year 2023, meaning October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2023. As of September 30, 2023, WSC had 248 corporate office employees which is 9.73% increase from fiscal year 2022. During that time, 49 were new hires. In total across the family of companies, we had 6,049 employees.

Each subsidiary’s individual corporate social responsibility report will release company specific demographics, but we’ve provided headcount totals below. Employees were encouraged to self-report gender and race/ethnicity information using Workday, our human capital management software, by the Human Resources (HR) department through a campaign. These numbers represent those employed as of September 30, 2023. They do not include contingent employees who are recognized as employees contracted by outside vendors.

EMPLOYEE

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION WSC & ALL COMPANIES

WSC NEW HIRES & ALL COMPANIES NEW HIRES

EMPLOYEE DEMOGRAPHICS

VETERANS

Wright Service Corp. and its family of companies are honored to support our veterans through employment, volunteerism, and in-kind donations. Companywide, we are proud to have 93 veterans serving on our teams in 2023.

*Veteran status disclosure is voluntary and self-reported

CULTURE

The WSC Culture Club combines the forces of employee committees so we can support each other’s initiatives and unite in our goal to create a community-focused culture for the WSC and WOS employees. The Culture Club meets monthly and consists of up to two employee representatives from each of the below committees and a Culture Club chair. A representative from each committee, the chair and CEO meet on a quarterly basis to review each quarter’s budget and spend. Involvement in the Culture Club is all volunteer based. In 2023, Culture Club had a total of 42 active members. Committees include:

CHARITABLE GIVING

– The Charitable Giving committee is responsible for the oversight of WSC’s charitable giving, including determining yearly strategy and budget for charitable giving, considering and approving contribution requests, and tracking contributions throughout the year. The committee ensures that all WSC donations, sponsorships and company volunteer activities are coordinated and aligned with our values and business goals, foster long-term partnerships and are within our budget and resources.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

– The Community Involvement committee provides opportunities for employees at WSC to get involved in our local communities using their company-sponsored volunteer hours. They often collaborate with other committees to promote events and help coordinate volunteers. In 2023, the committee planned several events including delivering goodie bags to local senior living homes, regular adopt-a-road cleanups, Earth Day activities, Meals from the Heartland meal packing, the West Des Moines 4th of July Parade, and toy and food drives around the holidays. The committee also serves as a resource to share outside volunteer opportunities provided by our employees.

EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP

– The 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. We also launched a new SharePoint site where all employee ownership resources and pictures from various events are housed. Our committee developed a Central Iowa Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Networking committee where our 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.

Women In ESOP Event

In October 2023, WSC hosted the Central Iowa ESOP Networking Committee’s first-ever Women in ESOP Event where attendees had an opportunity to network with fellow employee owners in the area and attend a panel discussion. The panel included female business leaders working for various employee-owned companies in the area.

CULTURE

SPECIAL EVENTS

– The Special Events committee is responsible for planning and executing exciting and meaningful events for WSC employees. This committee works to promote inclusivity in the office through holiday celebrations such as, but not limited to, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and Pride Month, in addition to hosting the company summer picnic and end of fiscal year party. Their goal is to bring people together, fostering a sense of community and promoting the values of our organization.

WELLNESS

– The Wellness committee strives to look out for the mental and physical health and wellbeing of our employees through several initiatives and programs. The committee provides our employees with access to a wellness portal, educational videos, corporate sponsored events, a community garden and much more. To ensure that all our employees, including those who work remotely, can participate in the company’s wellness programs, and stay mentally and physically healthy, the committee provides content for those who work from home to utilize. All our Lunch and Learns are live streamed or recorded and sent out to those who could not attend in-person.

DEI Week

WSC hosted its first-ever Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Week at the corporate office in June 2023. Each day, planned by each committee, was dedicated to furthering our knowledge and understanding of what DEI means and looks likes.

‒ Monday - the City of West Des Moines’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director came in to speak to our employees.

‒ Tuesday - a survey was sent out for employees to nominate a DEI organization for WSC to donate to. Three organizations received a total of $5,000 supporting health, well-being, and education initiatives.

‒ Wednesday - we hosted a mini–Cultural Fair that included CultureALL ambassadors to provide employees with authentic, hands-on cultural experiences including a workshop on African American art and cultures, Hawaiian history and language, hula lessons, and henna.

‒ Thursday - employees took part in a cultural potluck, bringing in a dish from their own heritage, including (but not limited to) hyderabadi chicken dum biryani from India, hurmasice and oblatina from Bosnia and Herzegovina, kringla from Norway, dulce de leche empanadas from Mexico and steamed cakes from Cambodia.

‒ Friday - we encouraged people to volunteer with a DEI organization or look for opportunities to volunteer throughout the year.

Translation Program 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 can 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

2023

TRANSLATION COMMITTEE HIGHLIGHTS

Over 100,000 words translated:

In 2023, our Translation Committee achieved a significant milestone by successfully processing over 100,000 words across various departments and initiatives.

Improved vendor selection:

Recognizing the importance of reliable translation services, we re-evaluated our existing vendor. As a result, we entered a new partnership that better aligns with our quality standards and service needs. This strategic move will ensure that our translations are consistently accurate and dependable.

Launch of translations review subcommittee:

Acknowledging the importance of a streamlined translation review process, we have established a dedicated Translations Review Subcommittee. This subcommittee comprises experts from different departments who collaborate to optimize the translation review workflow. By doing so, we ensure that translations meet our quality standards.

In-house translation for orders below minimum:

To further improve efficiency, we have implemented an inhouse translation process for requests falling below our vendor’s minimum word count. This initiative not only reduces costs but also allows us to maintain quality control for smaller translation projects.

Ethical Standards

WSC’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.

EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

Employee Appreciation & Mission, Vision, Values Month

August is WSC’s Employee Appreciation and Mission, Vision, Value Month. All month long there are activities to celebrate our employee’s dedication and service, while focusing on the importance of our mission, vision, and values. Activities for this month-long celebration included an employee appreciation BBQ, employee front row parking incentives, a swag item, and peer recognition program.

Peer Recognition Program

Corporate office staff were able to recognize their peers and colleagues in August during Employee Appreciation and Mission, Vision, Values Month through the Peer Recognition Program, named Wright’s Game Changers. Those nominated demonstrate our core values of safety, family, integrity, excellence and stewardship. Nominated employees and those who submitted nominations were entered to win prizes. Nominators could submit more than one nomination, giving them a higher chance to win.

128 nominations were submitted, with participation from every department for both individuals nominating others and being nominated. The 10 randomly selected winners received a $50 Giftogram gift card.

79,690

The WSC LinkedIn published posts throughout the month of August to promote the mission, vision and values, and show our appreciation for employees.

Words Translated and Proofread in 2023

EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION

Employee Ownership Month

Since WSC is an employee-owned company through our ESOP, the company celebrates Employee Ownership Month each year. This is an opportunity to further educate our employees about being an employee owner and working for an ESOP company!

A judging panel consisting of management across companies ultimately selected Wright Tree Service (WTS) Division Manager, Nate Demby to be named 2023 Employee Owner of the Year.

In 2023, the Employee Ownership committee, hosted their ninth annual Employee Ownership Month. They had a number of activities and contests to participate in all month long. This included an appreciation breakfast, informational virtual broadcast, pumpkin carving contest, ESOPATHON fundraiser, trivia and a Where’s Wrighty photo contest.

Employee Owner of The Year

The WSC Employee Owner of the Year award serves as recognition for an employee within the WSC family of companies who is an outstanding citizen, exhibits the characteristics of an employee owner and the values of our company, and makes contributions in the best interest of the company.

The Employee Ownership Committee reviewed all the nominations and selected six nominees to move forward through the judging process.

One of Nate’s nominators wrote, “Nate shows ownership through his willingness to develop himself and others. He is frequently willing to try new things to improve his division and the organization as a whole. hear his name come up among various teams at WSC when people are looking for a trusted leader to assist with or champion changes. He is also trusted and respected by his team members. I had the opportunity to ride along with one of his General Forepersons’ who expressed his opinion of Nate by saying ‘If you can’t get along with Nate, that’s a you problem.’” Nate’s nominator continued to add, “Nate’s division was the top contributing group to the WTS employee recognition program, which is reflective of his leadership. His team members shared kind words and encouragement for others in and outside of their division. This shows that his appreciative attitude is having an exponential impact.”

EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT

UNIVERSITY Learning Management System

Wright Service Corp. 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. 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 IRA

‒ Accessing the company clothing and apparel store

LinkedIn Learning by the Numbers Hours

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.

Onboarding and Orientation

The Training and Development department leads an orientation session for all new employees in the corporate office. The education includes learning about each company within our family, including the history, company structure, various policies, WSCU, benefits, resources and more. All new employees receive four hours of orientation and online training to introduce them to the company, before moving to department-specific training.

New employees are welcomed with some WSC branded swag that includes a coaster, mug, notebook and pen.

Resources available to new employees via our SharePoint site include:

FOR MANAGERS:

‒ Hiring Manager Resources Folder

‒ Office Tour Talking Points – information on department locations, history of items in the office, general use and more

‒ Email Templates – one to send additional information to their new hire prior to their first day and another to send to the office staff as a welcome

‒ Onboarding Checklist Template – a guide for the manager in planning out the first few days for their new hire

FOR NEW EMPLOYEES:

‒ New Hire Guide – history, overview of companies, management and department structure, culture, employee development, sustainability initiatives, benefits, links to additional resources and industry terminology

‒ Company Directory – general contact information

‒ Benefits Flyer – high-level overview of benefit offerings

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 can provide department workshops to teams who request it.

EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT

Individual Development

The Training and Development department offers the WSC family of companies 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, two were from Wright Service Corp.

participation (by assigning a percentage of attendees per company), and strength of nomination. Those who were not selected for the workshop in a previous year can be nominated in the future.

The workshop focuses around three main themes: connect, educate, and empower. Each theme incorporated learning opportunities, exchange of ideas, and application of new skills. Women leave the workshop with tools to continue developing themselves personally and professionally.

Women of Wright

The Women of Wright program began in 2021 to increase hiring and retaining a diverse workforce by empowering, developing, and supporting employees at all levels to reach their fullest potential and equip them with the tools to excel as leaders in our industry.

The program consists of a two-day workshop at the corporate office in West Des Moines, Iowa. Women in our family of companies are nominated by leaders or colleagues to participate. The committee selects participants after thoroughly reviewing nominations based on criterion including training opportunities, overall family of company

WELLNESS

WSC 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

WSC offers 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. WSC pays a portion of these insurance fees to provide competitive premium rates for employee’s insurance packages.

In 2023, 2,318 employees in the U.S. and Puerto Rico were enrolled in health insurance with the company, 199 of those were WSC employees. 47% of WSC employees were enrolled in the employee only plan in 2023, and 53% were enrolled in the family plan.

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

WSC and 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 well-being, community involvement, and more can be found on Navigate. WSC also partners with Mercy and offers employees an annual biometric health screening 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 WSC’s health insurance program.

Healthy Options

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, seven 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

The corporate office micro mart offers food and beverages at the convenience of the workplace provided by Company Kitchen. In collaboration with Company Kitchen and our Wellness Committee, price tags are labeled with a red, yellow, or green circle to help easily identify healthy options. This program includes criteria supported by the latest nutrition research in line with both government and expert nonprofit guidelines.

The Wellness committee continues their education efforts to inform employees of their purchasing decisions and its various impacts on their

health and well-being. The goal is to provide additional green “healthier” options and see those selections increase over time. 6% of purchases fell within the green category for 2023.

Getting Active

Adjacent to the corporate office is a meandering 0.28-mile concrete walking trail that is incorporated in a 3-acre area dedicated to native habitat. See more in the biodiversity section.

The corporate office includes locker rooms with two showers each to allow employees to shower after cycling into work, a lunch run or any general workout. Each locker room includes 12 lockers to store personal belongings.

A bike rack is available to give employees that cycle into work a place to securely park their bicycles.

LONGEVITY

Every March, we celebrate our employees who reached milestones (5, 10, 15, and so forth) in their years of service within our family of companies. 534 employees reached milestones and were acknowledged totaling 4,455 years of service. Two WSC employees retired in 2023, with a combined 55 years of service.

YEARS OF SERVICE - WSC ONLY

Retirees

2 55 EMPLOYEES RETIRED IN 2022 YEARS OF SERVICE FOR THE 2 RETIREES

Employee Ownership

YEARS OF SERVICE – WSC AND U.S. SUBSIDIARIES

WSC has been a proud, employee-owned company, since 2002 and 100% employee-owned since 2006. Through shared ownership, WSC’s 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.

The ESOP enables employees to directly affect profitability and value and see the results. 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.

With new employees constantly joining the company, many new to an ESOP company, and others entering the plan, the Employee Ownership committee provides ESOP educational training. They encourage divisions to host annual training conducted by committee members. Employee Ownership committee members continue to support the ESOP community through donations to the Employee Ownership Foundation and the development of a Central Iowa networking group. Committee members continue to participate in the Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of The ESOP Association including attending events and conferences. WSC remains on the list as one of the largest employee-owned companies in the U.S., according to the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO) coming in at 23.

Retirement

WSC offers a comprehensive 401(k) retirement savings plan with the same eligibility requirements and entry dates as the ESOP.

WSC 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.

401(K) CONTRIBUTIONS - WSC ONLY

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. Numbers

*Numbers can change daily.

EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING GOALS

Diversity & Inclusion: Host a diversity, equity and inclusion week at the corporate office through Culture Club.

Education & Development: Increase engagement in online learning by continuing to offer courses chosen through survey feedback, employee recommendations and leader input. Continue to package courses into manageable sizes through programming like “Learn in Less” and “Five-Minute Fridays.”

Education & Development: Gather data that will inform a sustainable leadership development strategy that supports the growth of our family of companies.

Education & Development: Roll-out Project One Source Program via the Workday Platform for efficient integration of company data storage and processing, employee records management and improvement of employee procedures which will include the reduction of paper.

Diversity & Inclusion: Analyze employee gender and race/ ethnicity information to establish benchmarks and goals for annual diversity growth.

Education & Development: Increase online training by 10% in WSCU.

Education & Development: Develop a formalized onboarding process and similar resources to roll out to subsidiary companies, one company/group at a time depending on size.

Employee Well-being: Continue to provide employees with more benefits education through regular newsletters, plan enrollment resources and new hire summaries.

Wellness: Wellness Committee to see an increase in the green options offered in the micro mart compared to the red in 2024.

Wellness: Conduct a survey in 2024 sponsored by the Wellness committee to better inform wellness offerings and impacts.

Wellness: Increase participation in the wellness incentives program to more than 20% of headquarters employees.

Safety Employee Well-being Environmental Sustainability Community

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

ENERGY

Our corporate office has several energy efficient systems in place, supporting Wright Service Corp.’s (WSC) commitment to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

The HVAC system is set up with an occupancy schedule to minimize HVAC demand when unoccupied.

The grounds at the corporate office are nearly 100% LED. Most of the interior lighting is controlled by lighting schedules and occupancy sensors to minimize usage after hours. Exterior lighting is controlled by daylight sensors to ensure optimized usage throughout the changing seasons and weather.

We have four EV charging stations, conveniently located in our parking lot, allowing four vehicles to be charged simultaneously during business hours.

WSC’s electricity provider, MidAmerican Energy Company, has a 100% renewable energy vision. Their goal is to be net zero by 2050. In 2019, they produced 61.3% of annual energy needs with renewable energy and increased to 83.6% in 2020, and then 88.5% in 2021. MidAmerican has also reduced their CO2 emission by 58% since 2005. WSC is able to decrease our energy footprint due to MidAmerican’s vision.

In addition, the Information Technology department takes steps to reduce energy consumption with the devices they select for office and field staff use. IT plans to generate a reference guide for employees to educate themselves on extending battery life for devices. The corporate office has three Canon copiers and five Lexmark printers. The Canon copiers are ENERGY STAR® certified. The default settings are established for energy efficiency and manufactured for low energy use.

According to the EPA, if all imaging equipment in the United States was ENERGY STAR certified, we could save more than $32 million in electricity costs and prevent 596 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions every year – equal to the emissions from more than 57,000 vehicles.

Source: Canon

WSC HQ Total Annual Gas Consumption

WATER WASTE

Both headquarter buildings have an independent water softener system paired with a reverse osmosis system to filter out 99% of contaminants from our drinking water and ice. Each building also has independent hot water recirculation systems that provide continuous hot water to all sinks. All restroom sinks have touchless low flow faucets to minimize water usage.

WSC has taken many steps to reduce, reuse, and recycle at the corporate office to minimize our waste footprint. Additionally, to encourage our employees to be part of our successful sustainability goals, we have several different waste collection and recycling bins located throughout our office. With these different forms of interactions, our aim is to help employees to think beyond the bin.

Reduce

Reducing the use of disposable plastic water bottles has been approached in different ways at the corporate office.

‒ Employees are encouraged to use reusable water bottles at water bottle filling stations.

‒ No disposable plastic water bottles are available for purchase in our micro mart.

‒ Boxed water is offered during large meetings and events.

There is one Bevi water dispenser and three water bottle filling stations located throughout our office. In 2023, a total of 39,705 disposable plastic bottles were saved.

To reduce our footprint, the office continues to utilize compostable coffee pods contributing to our compost program to reduce paper and plastic waste. Kauai Coffee is our coffee supplier for the pod machines. Kauai Coffee, located in Hawaii, is the United States’ largest coffee grower and are dedicated to social and environmental sustainability.

The café area also has a large whole bean grinding coffee machine. WSC selected a local coffee supplier, Blk & Bold, the first Black-owned nationally distributed coffee brand that also achieved B Corp status. BLK & Bold pledge 5% of its profits to initiatives aligned to sustaining youth programming, enhancing workforce development, and eradicating youth homelessness.

Reuse

In pursuit of our reduction of plastic and paper waste initiatives, the office has reusable silverware, plates and bowls in the café and pantries. When possible, during catered meetings and events, compostable cups, plates, and silverware are used.

In addition to the drinking fountains, we offer a Bevi machine in the micro mart that not only dispenses water but offers up to four flavors of still and sparkling water options.

WSC has also provided branded reusable cups and mugs to corporate offices employees over the years to reduce the amount of plastic waste from water bottles or coffee cups. New hires are given a reusable cup on day one as part of the onboarding/orientation initiative.

ELECTRONICS

The IT department purchases and redeploys electronic devices that are in good working order to reduce the amount of electronic waste they produce over each device’s lifetime while also savings on device costs. 212 devices were redeployed in 2023.

COMPOSTING

At the headquarters, a 3-stream waste collection system is utilized to encourage employees to sort their waste into either landfill, recycle, or compost. These everyday decisions cause employees to think beyond the bin, reclaiming value from waste to reduce their individual footprints together with the company, a joint effort for WSC to be successful in our sustainability goals.

A local Iowa company, GreenRU, repurposes our organic waste to create nutrient rich soil compost materials and keep a portion of our waste out of the landfill reducing our environmental footprint. Our Training and Development department created a brief interactive game called Stop. Think. Sort. to optionally play on WSCU after watching an educational workshop led by GreenRU to inform employees about the company and our compost program.

Recycle

E-waste is a growing global concern. WSC has partnered with PCs for People and CC3 for our company’s e-recycling as well as hosting an employee personal e-recycling day. In 2023, WSC worked with PCs for People to e-recycle 4,584 pounds of company e-waste from our corporate office with an additional 799 from our employee e-recycle day. With our e-recycling partnerships in 2023, we were able to keep a combined total of 5,383 pounds of e-waste out of the landfill. Since 2018, WSC has diverted 11,619 pounds of e-waste from the landfill.

We continue to recycle batteries and office supplies through TerraCycle. Employees can drop off these items in one of the two recycling bins located in each side of the building.

2023 TerraCycle Recycling

73 pounds of office supplies

12,000 lbs 27,160 lbs 11,520 lbs

Total: 50,680 lbs of organic waste was diverted (Up 14% from 2022) of non-organic waste and trash was sent to a landfill of material was recycled (Up 9% from 2022)

pounds of batteries

Through our secure shredding partnership with The Shredder, we have printed materials securely shredded and then recycled. Several locked bins are located through the office for employees to dispose of sensitive printed materials. This information is not captured in our waste assessment.

BIODIVERSITY

Biophilia

At WSC, vegetation is part of our DNA. We know there is value in surrounding ourselves with plants, even in our offices. Plants improve air quality, absorb pollutants, reduce airport dust, and absorb background noise, creating a positive environment for our employees and guests. Wright Outdoor Solutions (WOS) supplies the corporate office with plants placed throughout the office: in the lobby, offices, workstations, common areas, café and other areas throughout the office. They also provide landscaping work and a different seasonal arrangement for our front desk in the lobby each week.

Employee Community Garden

The Community Garden is overseen by the Wellness committee and offers 34 plots that are assigned to employees who sign-up for garden space. At the start of each season the committee sends a sign-up sheet out to all WSC employees and then assigns garden beds to all individuals who have shown an interest. Each garden bed has an irrigation system to assist with watering and a shed is available for employees to use to house tools and materials. A compost bin is located just outside the garden shed door to dispose of wasted produce and plants. At the end of the season the committee does a garden clean up and provides a larger compost bin just outside the garden gates for gardeners to use to get their plots clean and ready for winter.

Landscaping

At the corporate office, 70 trees were planted of 29 different species with an estimation to have the potential to sequester 66.2 tons of carbon a year. (Source: A medium growth coniferous or deciduous tree, planted in an urban setting and allowed to grow for 10 years, sequesters 23.2 and 38 lbs of carbon respectively Greenhouse Gases Equivalencies CalculatorCalculations and References | US EPA)

A total of 857 trees, conifers, shrubs, perennials & grasses were planted during the WSC renovation in 2021.

Trees: 70 planted, 29 species

Conifers: 33 planted, 15 species

Shrubs: 162 planted, 26 species

Perennials: 392 planted, 22 species

Grasses: 200 planted, 7 species

BIODIVERSITY

LANDSCAPE DESIGN OBJECTIVES:

‒ Provide native trees and plants that will fit into the natural theme of the design and that will provide a natural food source and cover for migratory songbirds.

‒ Provide a deer resistant (tolerant) tree and plant palette.

‒ Ensure that we do not have a monoculture of trees/plants. As pests and diseases emerge in the future, it is important that we choose a wide variety of plants. This prevents massive loss of specific plants if a new pest should appear in our area.

‒ Seasonal interest – select trees and plants that will offer interest through all seasons: spring flowers, summer shade with different leaf sizes and textures, fall color and winter interest with interesting bark or overall plant structure.

‒ Block or enhance views – block unappealing views and enhance beautiful views through tree and plant placement.

‒ Provide sustainable pollinator habitat and food source for honeybees, butterflies and other wildlife.

Arboretum

On the northwest side of the WSC corporate office is a 3-acre pollinator habitat and an accompanying employee walking trail. WSC partnered with the Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund (BBHF) Seed a Legacy program to designate the area for a native pollinator habitat. The BBHF works with landowners, conservations, scientist and beekeepers to design and build healthy and sustainable pollinator habitats. The BBHF’s project on campus grounds establishes a high-quality habitat that allows honeybee and monarch butterfly populations to thrive.

To kick off the habitat creation process, a cover crop seeding of oats was utilized to protect the soil surface and suppress weeds. In November 2021, the corporate office staff hand-seeded the area for frost seeding with a 2022 spring germination. Two separate seed mixes were planted: one a low native prairie mix dedicated to bee pollinator species and the other a tall native prairie mix for butterfly pollinator species. By planting two separate mixtures, WSC provides diverse, lush, and dense forage, which can also be used as a prescribed fire break. The monarch mix contains slower growing wildflowers that will provide nectar resources for monarchs and other pollinators, and a place for monarchs to lay eggs.

GROWING PROCESS

Spring 2023 was the second full growing season. Native plants hit heights over three feet for the first time, and blooms from early establishers began to appear. Mowing and spot treatment, provided by Wright Outdoor Solutions, helped to suppress weeds, and contribute to pollinator mix success.

In 2024, we can expect a higher number of plants to bloom. The seed mixtures are custom designed to include species that bloom at different times and have various colors and flower shapes.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY GOALS

Resource Use: Begin a GHG inventory (following the GHG Protocol and Corporate standard). 2022 will serve as the base year.

Waste: IT department to work with printer maintenance service contractor on ink cartridge recycling options.

Waste: Maintain 5% or lower food product waste from the café.

Recycle: IT department to implement program to begin tracking redeployment of cellphones.

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, Canada and Puerto Rico. We take pride in building and developing relationships with our employees, clients and communities.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Wright Service Corp. (WSC) recognizes the important role that charitable, non-profit organizations play in the communities where we live and work. To align with our values and mission, we strive to provide financial contributions and volunteer support to causes/ organizations that support public safety, sustainable communities and environments, champion education and innovation within the vegetation management industry and our communities and support the health and well-being of families.

A charitable giving policy was established in 2020 to outline qualifications that must be met for all giving efforts. In 2022, a new Culture Club committee was created to take the funding and decision making to the employees with oversight from the WSC President and CEO, and Marketing and Communications department. This threeperson volunteer committee is comprised of women from three different departments, with a breadth of experience and passion for giving back to our communities. To align with the WSC mission and core values, the company’s charitable giving focuses in six areas:

‒ Health and well-being

‒ Innovation and education

‒ Sustainable environments and communities

‒ Industry (labor/agriculture/arboriculture)

‒ Disaster recovery

‒ Veteran support

Although WSC contributes monetarily to organizations and causes, brand recognition often goes toward subsidiary Wright Outdoor Solutions in the markets they serve in Iowa.

Beyond monetary donations, each WSC full-time employee has eight hours of paid time per year to use toward volunteering for a companysponsored event, or a charity or non-profit of their choice. Participation in these company-organized activities is usually coordinated by either the Charitable Giving committee or the Community Involvement committee. 2023 activities and events included:

‒ 11th annual sponsorship and participation in the Meals from the Heartland Annual Hunger Fight

‒ Hosted our 6th annual American Red Cross Community Blood Drive

‒ Festival of Trees and Lights

‒ Can Play’s Courage on the Court

‒ Food Drive

‒ Toys for Tots

‒ Adopt-a-Family

‒ Roadside Cleanups

‒ Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Outing

‒ West Des Moines Independence Day Parade

‒ ChildServe Golf FORE! The Kids

‒ Friends of Des Moines Parks FORE! Our Parks Bike Ride and Golf Outing

$84,189

2,160 in financial contributions for the 2023 fiscal year

459 bulk meals packaged during the Annual Hunger Fight

CONTRIBUTIONS

8 volunteers split between two days during the Annual Hunger Fight packaged a total of 2,160 bulk meals!

Courage on the Court through Can Play

2023 DMU Glanton Gala

Delivering goodie bags on St. Patrick’s Day to local retirement community

Packaging Valentine’s Day goodie bags for residents and staff at Walnut Ridge, a retirement community in Clive

6th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Charity Golf Classic

FORE! Our Parks 2023 18+ Miles Bike Ride

2023 West Des Moines Independence Day Parade

2023 Food Drive Collection. 180 items collected at the WSC office!

Adopt-a-Road Cleanup along Raccoon River Drive

American Red Cross Blood Drive. 33 units donated!

15th Annual Ronald McDonald House Charities Sporting Clays Event

WRIGHT FOUNDATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION

The Wright Foundation for Sustainability and Innovation (WFSI) exists to foster innovative sustainability initiatives that make a positive impact on our planet. WFSI wants to find solutions to the complex challenges facing our world today. The Foundation’s vision is to facilitate positive action toward sustainable and innovative solutions in agricultural and environmental sectors that reduce carbon footprints and minimize risk for our communities.

In 2023, WFSI announced the grantees for its third grant cycle, focused on improving the tree canopy and best regenerative agricultural management practice adoption. WFSI awarded a total of $200,000 to four organizations including: Friends of Des Moines Parks, One Tree Planted, The Nature Conservancy and Land Stewardship Project. Since the Foundation’s inception in Fall 2020, $525,000 has been awarded to seven organizations that further WFSI’s mission through their projects and initiatives.

Friends of Des Moines Parks (Des Moines, Iowa)

was awarded $50,000 to plant 128 trees and 5,000 vegetative plugs along the future Carlisle trail. This project will help replace urban tree canopy lost during the 2020 derecho and reduce the urban heat island effect along the trail. The 5,000 vegetative plugs will create a pollinator habitat and support threatened insect species.

One Tree Planted (Shelburne, Vermont) was awarded $50,000 to support the United States Urban Forestry Action Fund. This fund will run 27 urban planting projects across 24 cities in 16 states to address environmental justice, reduce urban heat island effect, and help communities achieve tree equity. These trees will be planted in

urban and suburban communities that have low tree canopy cover and are home to a high population of underserved communities.

Land Stewardship Project (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

was awarded $50,000 to support its ongoing healthy soil program. As LSP works to support farmers in implementing regenerative practices, the grant will help them build a farmer-to-farmer support network and advance public policy.

The Nature Conservancy (Des Moines, Iowa)

was awarded $50,000 to support a sustainable grazing innovation project. This pilot program will test virtual livestock fencing to expand sustainable grazing as a renewable agriculture strategy in Iowa. Virtual fencing technology – where livestock is controlled via GPS collars—is a new, dynamic approach to herd management.

MEMBERSHIPS

WSC is proud to be a member of and to support the following local and national organizations.

‒ Iowa Sustainable Business Forum – connects Iowa businesses to continuously improve practices that positively impact people, planet and profits.

‒ West Des Moines Chamber – a network of community and business leaders in West Des Moines.

‒ Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of The ESOP Association – more than 130 ESOP companies and professional service providers with a mission to help ESOP companies excel by providing their members with educational and networking opportunities.

‒ Iowa-Illinois Safety Council – advocates and assists employers and communities with safe and healthy practices, and environmental stewardship.

‒ Des Moines Performing Arts – part of a dedicated group of community and business leaders that value Des Moines Performing Arts and their tradition of providing world-class entertainment, education, and cultural activities.

‒ Hoyt Sherman – provides quality programming year-round. The membership helps keep entertainers including live music, comedy, spoken word, big band and more returning to the historic theater.

REPUTATION

The National Center for Employee Ownership updates an Employee Ownership 100 list each year – recognizing the nation’s largest companies that are at least 50% owned by an ESOP or other broadbased employee ownership plan. WSC is the 23rd largest employeeowned company in the United States.

LARGEST EMPLOYEEOWNED COMPANY IN THE UNITED STATES

Social Media

WSC 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 its brand and maintain communications with current and prospective employees, customers, business partners, vendors and suppliers, and the public. WSC is focused on ensuring that its use of social network platforms serve its need to maintain its brand identity, integrity, and reputation while minimizing risks to the company, its customers, and employees. Employees who post to social media should be mindful that their online activities do not violate our social media policy.

WSC uses LinkedIn to share updates about our family of companies to employees, clients and the community. By the end of 2023, 2,492 people followed the company page, a 46.8% increase from 2022. Throughout the year, the WSC LinkedIn page posted 86 times and garnered 102,576 impressions, 23,351 engagements, 19,564 post link clicks, and averaged a 22.8% engagement rate.

Social by the Numbers (compared to 2022)

PEOPLE FOLLOWED THE WSC LINKEDIN PAGE BY THE END OF 2023 RD

2,492

Industry Leadership

Employees in our family of companies author and submit articles to industry publications throughout the year, such as the Utility Arborist Association’s Utility Arborist Newsline. WSC has an internal editorial committee who brainstorm topics and determine subject matter experts to write articles.

In addition, many employees are active members of industry and professional organizations. We encourage our employees to get involved in the industries and communities we serve, and it is also a requirement for our LEAD Program participants. These groups will be highlighted in individual company reports.

WSC’s Director of Contract Management serves on the board of the Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of The ESOP Association. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jon Hicks serves on the Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund Audit and Finance Committee.

Vendors

WSC has implemented policies such as a Supplier Code of Conduct and Supplier Diversity Policy that our suppliers or service providers are required to follow. 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.

Corporate Communications

We continue to utilize the 13 TV screens throughout the building. The Culture Club and departments have the opportunity to create their own screens for approval to inform employees of company or department news, events, reminders and important dates in history. These have also included progress on the compost and recycling program, Employee Assistance Program information, and days or months of recognition with educational information like Black History Month, Women’s History Month and more. It is an additional way to communicate with employees beyond email communications.

YOUTH INTERACTION

Bring Your Kids to Work Day

The Wellness committee organizes the annual Bring Your Kids to Work Day event at the corporate office.

In 2023, 12 Departments within the office hosted 75+ kids in one of our largest and most successful Bring Your Kids to Work Day event!

John Wright Memorial Contest

In 2023, we held our 18th annual John Wright Memorial Contest. The contest honors the memory of both John L. and John R. Wright. It is designed to further the understanding of the importance of trees and sustainability among the children and grandchildren of Wright Service Corp. employees. There are four divisions with first, second and third place prizes for each. In total, $2,575 was awarded and distributed amongst the winners in each division.

$2,575

DIVISION 1: THEA RYAN CHILD OF BRAD RYAN, WRIGHT CANADA HOLDINGS FLEET SUPERVISOR

AWARDED

THE WINNERS OF THE JOHN WRIGHT MEMORIAL CONTEST

YOUTH INTERACTION

DIVISION 2: ELLALOU LOISELLE CHILD OF STEVEN LOISELLE, WRIGHT TREE SERVICE DIVISION 55 GENERAL FOREPERSON

DIVISION 4: HAILEY CLARK CHILD OF JAKE CLARK, EOCENE LEAD CUF

Waukee Community School District – School to Work Program

The School-to-Work (STW) program is an internship program for seniors that want to explore a potential career path while growing their professional development. Students work exclusively at one specific employer that correlates with their career aspirations. The program allows for students to experience working in a professional environment while gaining knowledge on their profession of interest.

In 2023, the Marketing and Communications department brought on a senior from Waukee Northwest High School. Our intern had the opportunity to work under the Senior Digital Marketing and Social Media Specialist. He was able to explore a variety of topics in the digital marketing realm.

John Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund

DIVISION 3: BRYNN BURLINGAME CHILD OF RYAN BURLINGAME, WRIGHT OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS ACCOUNT MANAGER

The John Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2008 to create a substantial scholarship fund to help college students interested in commercial arboriculture achieve high academic goals and support the arboriculture industry. The scholarship is administered by the TREE Fund, awarded $5,000 to a student annually.

Job Fairs

WSC participates in job fairs in the communities we serve throughout North America where our recruiting team is able to increase exposure of our family of companies to the next generation of leaders. In the future, the recruiting team plans to partner with high schools throughout North America to engage and educate students on career paths in environmental services.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GOALS

Reputation: Create a Wright Service Corp. Sustainability website to showcase our Corporate Social Responsibility journey.

Vendors: Implement Supplier Code of Conduct and Supplier Diversity Policy.

Contributions: Increase total number of company-sponsored volunteer hours utilized by employees.

Youth Interactions: Create a program to track career fairs attended.

Youth Interactions: Increase exposure to our family of companies through events such as career expos and presentations at schools.

Vendors: WSC will track and report diverse spend on vendors and partners for our headquarters to better understand community impact areas and opportunities for investment.

CLOSING

The Wright Service Corp. (WSC) family of companies 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 all. We invest in the communities we serve through innovation, integrity and teamwork. As a company, 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 WSC subsidiary, in partnership with WSC. This report is intended to showcase the sustainability journey of Wright Service Corp., dedicated to recognizing their responsibility toward their mission, vision and values for their employee owners, partners, clients, and the public. This Corporate Social Responsibility Report will be further expanded upon in the coming years to comply with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards.