THE BEACH COMPANY Est. 1945
THE BIG PICTURE
Making the world better, one thoughtful place at a time. 2022 Sustainability Report
2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WELCOME LETTER
3
ABOUT THE BEACH COMPANY
4
THE BIG PICTURE GOALS
6
CONSERVE
10
IMPACT
14
REVITALIZE
20
SUSTAIN
22
STEWARD
24
SUMMARY & CONTACT
26
3
WELCOME LETTER
Dear Coworkers, Investors, Stakeholders and Friends,
I am pleased to share The Beach Company’s inaugural Big Picture report highlighting our efforts toward conserving, impacting, revitalizing, and sustaining our impact on the environment and community. Our goals include reducing our environmental impact, improving employee and resident health and wellbeing, contributing to the communities in which we operate and maintaining a resilient business infrastructure – all values true to our core beliefs. While we have, for decades, aligned ourselves with these initiatives, this report stewards our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement as we strive to
become even more responsible in an expanding business.
The Beach Company is committed to demonstrating that business can and should be a force for good. Harnessing that force takes commitment, collaboration and a focus on serving others. Moving forward, our annual Big Picture report will provide updates on our initiatives, evaluations of key opportunities and areas for improvement.
As we grow in our business, we look forward to embracing innovation and continuing to educate ourselves as we follow our Company’s purpose, “Making the world better, one thoughtful place at a time.”
John Darby, President and CEO
4
ABOUT THE BEACH COMPANY
WE’RE GROWING
The Beach Company and its affiliated companies understand the power of both change and growth. With each business, we are dedicated to improvement and positively impacting the environment, team members, residents and communities. Through ongoing education, awareness, reflection and accountability, The Beach Company is committed to connecting world-wide sustainable development goals into our overall mission to achieve meaningful impacts in all communities where we do business. 77+ Years, since 1945 25+ Southeastern Cities
Total Number of Beach Co. Employees
350+ Total Number of Team Members 6.7 Average Years/Employee Tenure 10.4 Average Years/Executive Tenure
Average Years/ Executive Tenure Average Years/ EmployeeTenure 10.4
$1.5+B Assets Under Management
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Asheville, NC Atlanta, GA Austell, GA Cary, NC Charleston, SC Charlotte, NC Chattanooga, TN Columbia, SC Forest Acres, SC Greenville, SC Hillsborough, NC Huntsville, AL
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Isle of Palms, SC Johns Island, SC Mount Pleasant, SC Myrtle Beach, SC Nashville, TN North Charleston, SC Orlando, FL Pooler, GA Raleigh, NC
Richmond, VA Savannah, GA Summerville, SC West Ashley, SC Wilmington, NC
THE BIG PICTURE GOALS
6
IMPACT Contribute to the communities in which we operate
REVITALIZE Improve resident and employee health and wellbeing The Beach Company understands the importance of mental and physical well- being and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. We strive to create enriching environments with particular emphasis on health-conscious design and operations in both passive and active ways within our communites and workspaces.
CONSERVE Reduce our environmental impact
SUSTAIN Maintain a resilient business infrastructure
As we expand across the Southeast, we continue to
Construction and operation of buildings account for 39% of global energy-related emissions. Given The Beach Company’s core strength in real estate development, we are in a distinctive position to play a significant role in creating healthy environments for everyone.
To provide long-term shareholder value, The Beach Company must ensure it can achieve meaningful impacts in an ever-changing world. We continually assess and adapt our strategic plan and business practices to meet evolving requirements.
discover new opportunities to give back to the communities where we do business. Our goals are to support, serve and improve quality of life, health, housing, arts and education through nonprofit and economic development organizations.
BIG PICTURE COMMITTEE The Beach Company is proud to introduce our Big Picture Committee. This select group is comprised of representatives from all divisions and organizations of The Beach Company and includes top executives as co-chairs. The team is tasked with setting goals, identifying and executing new initiatives, developing policies and procedures and producing the annual Big Picture report. The group will meet quarterly to prioritize initiatives, report on progress for all areas of focus and lead The Beach Company in the pursuit of its goals, ensuring excellence in all pillars.
THE BIG PICTURE GOALS
NO POVERTY
ZERO HUNGER
GOOD HEALTH & WELL-BEING
QUALITY EDUCATION
ALIGNING WITH THE WORLD
The Beach Company recognizes and aligns our Big Picture initiatives with the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This globally recognized framework will help guide our approaches and communicate our goals in a shared language with a broad network of organizations who prioritize enhancing the world in which we live.
INDUSTRY, INNOVATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
REDUCED INEQUALITIES
AFFORDABLE & CLEAN ENERGY
DECENT WORK & ECONOMIC GROWTH
LIFE ON LAND
PEACE, JUSTICE & STRONG INSTITUTIONS
CLIMATE ACTION
LIFE BELOW WATER
GENDER EQUALITY
CLEAN WATER & SANITATION
SUSTAINABLE CITIES & COMMUNITIES
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION
THE BEACH COMPANY Est. 1945
PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
COMMITMENT
10
CONSERVE
REDUCING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Real estate construction and building operations account for approximately 39% of global CO 2 emissions. This creates an outsized role for us to protect our environment by reducing our emissions while still providing outstanding places for our residents and tenants to live and conduct business. There are many ways in which our business interacts with the environment and we strive to make these impacts positive.
CONSERVING ENERGY Measuring and tracking our
properties' energy, water, waste and GHG emissions is the critical first step in establishing our emission baseline. The Beach Company has created Energy Star profiles for five of its development properties in a consolidated, cloud-based system in order to track our progress. We will continue adding properties throughout 2023. EV CHARGING STATIONS To date, our portfolio includes 24 Electric Vehicle charging stations. We plan to include new EV chargers in every new development and increase capacity in current developments, where feasible. CONNECTIVITY We seek locations offering available bike lanes, road connectivity, nearby amenities and safe walking paths. We have storage for more than 200 bikes across our development portfolio and will increase this capacity in future developments.
PARTNERSHIPS
24
The Beach Company is excited to join Sustain SC at the intersection of commerce and conservation in South Carolina. Supporting this organization will help us connect and collaborate with like-minded corporations throughout our home state. We look forward to participating in the organization’s networking events, summits, and symposiums to help catalyze sustainability efforts in South Carolina.
This year we made great progress in establishing a baseline for our operational environmental footprint across our organization by partnering with Conservice ESG’s cloud-based platform. This platform allows us to track our energy, water and waste consumption in a singular dashboard.
200+
CASE STUDY: OUR FOCUS ON BIOCULTURAL REFUGIA The Beach Company is making farming a key feature of the Kiawah River development. Select farmers are provided farmland at no cost in exchange for agreeing to sustainable farming practices that maintain the health of the land and Kiawah River ecosystem. The farmers also participate in the Kiawah River CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program and sell their produce and products in local markets. Every member of the farm plays a role: the donkeys protect the goats; the pigs keep the farm clean and reduce risk from horn flies and other potentially harmful pests; the goats and cows help clear underbrush and nourish the soil in other areas. Meanwhile, bees from the adjacent Kiawah Farm apiary pollinate the cover crop, grasses, and flowers that help feed the goats, and the bees’ honey in turn sweetens the goat cheese. The science of ‘refugia’ is not trying to control nature but letting nature take its role when there’s a holistic, harmonious balance among diverse plant and animal species. Each makes the other stronger and healthier, and that balance includes the human neighbors, whose health and well-being is improved by eating fresh, local food.
Kiawah River, SC
12
CONSERVE
Gulf Stream Construction (GSC), an affiliate of The Beach Company, is a full-service general site contractor serving South Carolina and Coastal Georgia. With experienced engineers, construction managers and technical specialists managing all aspects of earth-moving and site construction, they ensure the utmost in quality, integrity and attention to detail. A significant division of GSC includes Gulf Stream Environmental (GSE) which performs service-driven solutions for environmental construction challenges and opportunities. PROTECTING OUR WATERWAYS
GSC MILESTONES
UNDERGROUND WATER STORAGE GSE installed over 350,000 cubic feet of underground storage in 2022 CONCRETE CRUSHING Recycled > 220,750 tons of concrete over the last 5 years for reuse as roads EQUIPMENT FUEL REDUCTION % reduced fuel consumption through GPS, emissions and innovation over 7 years: • Large Bull Dozers: 16% • Track Excavators: 15% • Articulated Off-Road Dump Trucks: 5% SOIL REUSE Utilized soil amendments and modification techniques to convert topsoil or otherwise unsuitable soils to usable fill material, reducing CO 2 emissions • > 13,000,000 ft 2 of improved land per year GULF STREAM FOCUS AREAS INCLUDE: • Simulator Training Program • Gulf Stream Environmental Business Line • Charitable Contributions • Employee Development • Disadvantaged Business Development • Health & Wellness • Resiliency • Labor Rates • Ethics
Gulf Stream performed all site work for The Jasper mixed-use building (background).
Gulf Stream has completed 3 of the 4 phases of the seawall renovation in downtown Charleston to protect the city from sea level rise.
BEACH 2022 CONSERVE AWARD Recognizing Excellence in Conservation
JEFF SNYDER Chief Environmental Officer, Kiawah River
From building bat boxes to creating a CSA (community- supported agriculture) program, The Beach Company works year-round to make positive impacts in the communities we live.
For the last 25 years, Jeff Snyder has witnessed Kiawah River grow from farmland and private wildlife refuge to a sea islands neighborhood. His main goal is to preserve the integrity of the land while simultaneously supporting the future of Kiawah River for the families who will co-exist here. Jeff has a contagious devotion for the land and enjoys teaching others how to harvest their own vegetables, plant seeds, and support our local farms. We thank Jeff for his decades of service and for protecting and enhancing the unique Kiawah River landscape.
14
IMPACT
CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE
COMPANY VOLUNTEER HIGHLIGHTS
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY 19 team members 66 hours worked on building a home in North Charleston LOWCOUNTRY FOOD BANK 20 team members 60 hours worked to package potatoes for delivery
As we expand across the Southeast, we continue to discover new opportunities to give back to the communities where we conduct business. Through nonprofit and economic development organizations, employee-driven company funding and supporting the arts, our goals are to support, serve and improve quality of life, health, education and housing.
FALL FOOD DRIVE 335 pounds of turkey donated through monetary contribution
FEATURED COMMUNITY PARTNERS
15
PARTNERING WITH THE COMMUNITY
Without the support and big heARTS of our friends at The Beach Company, innovative treatments like art and music therapy for patients and families in the hospital wouldn’t be possible.” Katie Hinson Sullivan LCAT, ATR-BC - MUSC Arts in Healing Manager
Thanks to The Beach Company, hundreds of deserving children throughout our region have some extra in their corner. Because of the generous investments of companies like The Beach Company, we are on track to increase our service by 50% this year as we strive to support 300 ‘matches’ between high potential youth and caring adult mentors. Thank you, Beach Company!” Merridith Crowe President & CEO Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry
The American Red Cross is able to deliver hope, health and service to our communities hand in hand with crucial help of The Beach Company. We, as well as the people impacted, could never express our gratitude enough.” Kara Byrd Regional Philanthropy Officer American Red Cross South Carolina Region
”
”
The Children’s Museum of the Upstate is grateful for The Beach Company’s partnership to support our mission to provide early childhood education and cultural experiences to young learners in the Upstate and beyond.”
”
”
Bethany Kern Director of Development, Children’s Museum of the Upstate
16
IMPACT
EMANUEL NINE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION On June 17, 2015, five clergy and four church members were murdered during Bible study by a white supremacist at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC. After the 2015 tragedy, which occurred just blocks from The Beach Company’s corporate office, the company reached out to church leaders offering their support, which led to the creation of a permanent memorial. This served as the catalyst for the creation of the Mother Emanuel Memorial Foundation and the foundation’s Board of Directors with John Darby, The Beach Company’s President and CEO, serving as co-chair of the Foundation. The Emanuel Nine Memorial will honor the lives and faith of the victims with a sacred space on the grounds of the church. A design committee of church members, Charleston Community leaders and representatives from The Beach Company selected Michael Arad as designer and architect for the project. Arad previously designed the National September 11 Memorial at Ground Zero in NYC. In the seven years since the tragedy, Darby and team members at The Beach Company have dedicated countless hours and resources, both personally and on behalf of the company, to create a memorial that speaks to the journey of forgiveness, justice and triumph of love over hate. In 2022, The Beach Company and shareholders pledged $1 million to the memorial. “With the racial divide and violence in our country, the memorial offers a place for peace, prayer and unity for everyone,” said Darby. “The memorial design team put forth a tremendous effort to ensure the design of the memorial would honor the survivors, the nine souls who are no longer with us, the church and the City of Charleston.
Kerry Hays Reactions XXVIII, 2020 60 x 60 in | Acrylic and graphite on canvas
Visit the Jasper website to see the entire collection
GIVING A VOICE TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGH ARTS The Beach Company believes that one of the most impactful ways to communicate is through art – it has the power to reveal different perspectives, educate us about societal experiences and break down cultural barriers. Within The Jasper building in Charleston, SC, home to the company's headquarters, resides a vast collection of contemporary art from local artists. From Joe Walter’s sculpture in the main lobby and Arianne King Comer’s batik to Cheryl Goldsleger’s encaustic sculptures and Bill Buggel’s concrete pieces, there are more than 50 pieces that represent the diversity of South Carolina.
Emanuel Nine Memorial, Charleston, SC
18
IMPACT
CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE
5% Arts & Culture
11% Community Development
43% Human Services
16% Education
25%
Health
EMPLOYEE-SUPERVISED CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE In addition to The Beach Company's corporate giving, the company has a Charitable Contributions Committee run by team members dedicated to making an impact in their community. Through an application process, presentation of prospective organizations, and voting, the Committee has donated to more than 50 organizations over the past five years. The four core areas of focus for the Committee are youth and education, art and culture, corporate citizenship and community philanthropy.
Canvas Lofts, Greenville, SC
19
BEACH 2022 IMPACT AWARD Recognizing Excellence in Giving Back
CASE STUDY: A POWERFUL COMMUNITY STATEMENT
An eight-story mixed-use redevelopment project known as Canvas Lofts in Greenville, SC, is the site of a significant piece of public art featuring Pearlie Harris who helped integrate Greenville County Schools in 1970. The Beach Company engaged artist Guido van Helton, who created the mural’s theme of racial diversity and education.Read more about the state's largest mural on Canvas Lofts, and Pearlie Harris in Architectural Digest , A Powerful Mural Marks the Desegregation of South Carolina Schools, by Elizabeth Stamp.
KEVIN 0’NEIL Vice President, Development
The "Ride to End ALZ" is a 255-mile, 400-person group bike ride across South Carolina which raised more than $850,000 in 2022 in a push to end Alzheimer’s. Kevin O'Neill, an avid cyclist and team member of 15 years, has been involved in the "Ride to End ALZ" since 2014. In 2022, Kevin was joined by his son, Brent, to cycle across the state supporting the organization.Together they raised almost $10,000. “This is the best supported ride I’ve been a part of,” says Kevin. “The meals, people, and, importantly, rest stops are all top notch.” The cause hits close to home for Kevin, whose parents were both impacted by Alzheimer’s. He has two goals moving forward - to help the "Ride to End ALZ" raise $1,000,000 next year and to ride in Colorado's sister event, a day- long, 100-mile trek – a century ride. The Beach Company and its team members look forward to continuing to support Kevin in his endeavors. Keep riding, Kevin!
20
REVITALIZE
IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
The Beach Company understands the importance of mental and physical well-being and maintaining a healthy work-life foundation. We strive to encourage these ideals and foster environments of inclusivity in both passive and active ways within our communities and our workspaces.
The Jasper
The Jasper Apartments in Charleston, SC, received The Beach Company’s first Fitwel certification. Fitwel takes into account a building’s design, policies and operational practices to certify health and wellness optimization. We are proud to receive our first certification and plan to use the health, wellness, and safety standards as design- and operation-based best practices for future projects.
+
80 %
40 %
25 %
BIKE RENTALS AT THE JASPER
80% of team members have played a sport or walked a mile around Colonial Lake during their lunch break
40% of team members have used Jasper’s Gym
25% of team members have participated in a Beach Company sponsored fitness class
21
INCREASING AWARENESS OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY Executive and management staff at The Beach Company recently completed DEI training with an intercultural consultancy to maximize each individual’s understanding and openness to different cultures. By increasing intercultural competence, we can better relate to our counterparts both internally and externally. The intercultural training included an Intercultural Development survey with individual profile results and one-on-one advisement to identify cultural weaknesses and develop practices to enhance communication and performance. All team members are to participate in this program next year. SITE SAFETY: 0.85 MODIFICATION RATING We employ a full-time Environmental, Health and Safety Director with two associates to execute and manage our construction site safety program. As a result of our training, awareness and preventative measures, we currently have a modification rating of 0.85. An experience modification rating under a 1.00 factor is a positive experience and translates to being rewarded for having little to no claims with a credit modifier. A modification rating over a 1.00 factor is above the industry norm for claims, based on state class codes.
BEACH 2022 REVITALIZE AWARD Recognizing Excellence in Health and Well-Being
MARINA ROSENSTROM Property Management Accountant
Marina Rosenstrom, a seven-year employee in our accounting department, has been on a personal endeavor to improve her physical health. She began by changing her habits and participating in the E2M (Eager to Motivate) program. With drive and motivation, she has experienced excellent results. Other team members took note of her achievement and transformation and eagerly sought her advice and details about the program. Within a short time, others in her department began making the same life choices, including healthy eating and exercising in the company’s onsite state- of-the-art gym. With peer-to-peer support this group has achieved many of their goals and continue to prosper with Marina’s leadership.
WALKABILITY
The residents and team members of our development portfolio enjoy outstanding walkability due to our strategic locations. Source: www.walkscore.com
Average Walk Score
Very Walkable or Better
69 %
71 %
22
SUSTA I N
MAINTAINING A RESILIENT BUSINESS STRUCTURE In order to thrive as an organization for more than 77 years, The Beach Company has had to adapt our policies and strategies at various times throughout our operation. In order to prepare for future business challenges, we have built a rigorous set of checks- and-balances to help us maintain a family company culture with corporation-level resilience.
PRIVATE OWNERSHIP The Beach Company is a family-owned business, 5 generations strong. Presently, 33% of the family stockholders are male and 67% female. INDEPENDENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Beach Company has been guided by an independent Board of Directors since the late 1990s and is comprised of prominent members of the business community from across the country. The Board approves all major investments. This ensures each decision made by The Beach Company is vetted through a rigorous process of checks and balances. Throughout 2023, The Beach Company will focus on its Strategic Plan which will lead the company over the ensuing five years. The Board of Directors will oversee the Strategic Plan and confirm the strategies and performance expectations are met.
CYBER AWARE (CYBER SECURITY TRAINING) Cyber security is critical to ensure a resilient business operation. Due to increased threats from all over the world, we have instituted a new IT security platform for all of our systems. Arctic Wolf provides comprehensive training for team members, system monitoring and threat detection and mitigation.
24
STEWARD
CASE STUDY: A HISTORY OF PROGRESS AT CANALSIDE IN COLUMBIA, SC
Along the banks of the Congaree River in Columbia, SC, an ominous structure ruled the landscape for more than 125 years. South Carolina’s Central Correctional Institution housed the state’s most ruthless criminals just a stone’s throw away from the SC State House. After extreme overcrowding, the federal government forced the state to create a prisoner reduction program in 1990. After the order, the City of Columbia purchased the land from the State of South Carolina. The city attempted to develop the site themselves which eventually led to the demolition of the prison in 1999. Following a Request for Proposal process from the City of Columbia, The Beach Company was selected to purchase the parcels and lead the redevelopment of the newly vacant land. The Beach Company worked with resident groups to solicit input for what would eventually become the Canalside Lofts and Sola Station developments. The neighborhood was designed to tie into the existing street infrastructure network and to complement the adjacent Riverfront Park with access to the Three Rivers Gateway.
The new vibrant neighborhood provides a welcoming streetscape of mid-rise apartment buildings with more than 700 units and 30,000 square feet of retail space. The apartments have been named “Best of Columbia” by the Free Times for seven years in a row and the retail space is set to be home to Columbia’s first German-style Biergarten. This project reflects the best of our values and touches on each of our pillars: Conserve - clean up the contaminated land; Revitalize - create a vibrant, pedestrian friendly location for residents and citizens to enjoy next to the Riverfront Park walking trail; Impact - enter a new market and turn a place to be avoided into a local destination; Sustain - work with local groups like the Congaree Vista Guild and the Columbia Development Corporation to guide design and amenity specifications and further allow public access along the Esplanade area closest to the riverfront.
26
SUMMARY & CONTACT
IMPACT DATA AND THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS The index below represents the initiatives outlined in our Big Picture report, how they align with our pillars and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable Development Goals
Pillar
Data Point
Metric
Initiative
2,352,529
kBTU
Portfolio Emissions Tracking (Energy)
kGal
21,619
Portfolio Emissions Tracking (Water)
5
Profiles
EnergyStar Uploads
24
Stations
Electric Vehicle Charging
350,000
ft 3
Underground Water Storage Detention
100,000
ft 2
Geomembrane Installation
200+
Bikes
Bike Racks
133
Acres
Kiawah River Farm
CONSERVE
IMPACT
REVITALIZE
SUSTAIN
Initiative
Sustainable Development Goals
Pillar
Data Point
Metric
Employee-Run Charitable Contributions
45,000
$ / Year
Employee Volunteer Hours
126
Hours
Fitwel Certification
1
Certification
Training and Certifications
30,000
$ / Year
Site Safety
0.85
Mod Rating
Development Portfolio Walk Score
69%
Score Average
Cybersecurity Phishing Simulation
98%
Pass Rate
CLEAN WATER & SANITATION
REDUCED INEQUALITIES
CLIMATE ACTION
LIFE BELOW WATER
PARTNERSHIPS
ZERO HUNGER
QUALITY EDUCATION
GOOD HEALTH & WELL-BEING
GENDER EQUALITY
AFFORDABLE & CLEAN ENERGY
DECENT WORK & ECONOMIC GROWTH
INDUSTRY, INNOVATION & INFRASTRUCTURE
SUSTAINABLE CITIES & COMMUNITIES
RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION
PEACE, JUSTICE & STRONG INSTITUTIONS
NO POVERTY
LIFE ON LAND
THE BEACH COMPANY Est. 1945
320 Broad Street, Suite 600 Charleston, SC 29401
Phone 843.722.2615 www.thebeachcompany.com Email: bigpicture@thebeachcompany.com Instagram: instagram.com/thebeachcompany Facebook: facebook.com/TheBeachCompany LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-beach-company Twitter: twitter.com/thebeachcompany
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker