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C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G
Making lives better Choice One’s founders sought to provide employees with stable, enjoyable workplace with individual responsibilities and opportunities.
By Liisa Andreassen Correspondent
expect responsiveness, who are looking for a firm that makes their jobs easier, and who are counting on a firm to offer the peace of mind that a project is going to be taken care of,” Borchers says. Over the past few years, Choice One has created ini- tiatives that are geared to meeting its mission. For example, it has implemented Choice One Learning Academy (COLA), based on employee feedback to help all employees learn more about their work and that of others. “We teach and attend classes designed around soft- ware, communication, and constructability,” she says. Choice One has also created and fostered a cul- ture that allows all employees to feel comfortable as leaders and contributors. Here are just two ways that they do this: ❚ ❚ In place of traditional performance reviews are now “Enjoyment Checkups.” They take place twice a year and measure adherence and commitment to core values and work on developing leadership plans that confirm that the employee’s performance and respon- sibilities align with the strategic plan priority issues. For 2015-2017, priorities include: “Get More Work,” “Get More Work Done,” and “Enhance Culture.” ❚ ❚ The “Choice One Great Game” is a type of open-book management. The goal is to improve business results and the lives of the people who drive those results. The strategy behind it is to create a “company of busi-
K aye Borchers, client relations/funding special- ist at Choice One Engineering Corporation (Sidney, OH), a 33-person civil engineering firm, says that the firm’s mission is “to provide a fulfilling life for a lifetime by making lives better with an enjoyable experience.” “Because of our culture, our clients often tell us that they enjoy working with us, and so not only are we providing a quality place to work, but we are improving the lives of our clients with happy, productive employees responding to our needs.” Founded by Tony Schroeder, Tom Coverstone, Jeff Puthoff, Sharon Maurice, and Brian Barhorst, Choice One was created in 1994 to: ❚ ❚ provide a stable place to work ❚ ❚ enjoy work ❚ ❚ provide responsibility and opportunity to its employees DRINK THE COLA “We also connect with people who
See CHOICE ONE , page 10
THE COMPLETE LIST OF ZWEIG GROUP’S 2015 BEST FIRMS TO WORK FOR
11. Barr Engineering Company 12. West Yost Associates 13. Criado & Associates 14. Calibre Engineering 15. J.L. Patterson & Associates
16. R.A. Smith National 17. Wolverton & Associates 18. McAdams 19. Simpson Gumpertz & Heger 20. Slater Hanifan Group
21. McMahon Associates 22. SCJ Alliance 23. LJA Engineering 24. Thomas & Hutton Engineering 25. AE2S
26. BKF Engineers 27. EMCS 28. Gunda Corporation 29. Geotechnical & Environmental Services
THE ZWEIG LETTER AUGUST 10, 2015, ISSUE 1115
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