Corporate Responsibility Report

2015
Corporate
Responsibility Report
WORKFORCE WELLBEING  ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY  COMMUNITY
CONTRIBUTION  INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS  GOVERNANCE & INTEGRITY
“Our employees, clients, and communities motivate and inspire us to be better.”
Jim Millar, Co-President
TABLE OF CONTENTS
5
OUR STATEMENT
6
INTRODUCTION
7
2015 COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
8
WORKFORCE WELLBEING
14
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
18
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION
20
INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS
22
GOVERNANCE & INTEGRITY
HITT CONTRACTING | 3
“At the core of everything we do is a
desire to be good corporate citizens.”
Brett Hitt, Co-President
4 | SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
OUR STATEMENT
HITT Contracting is committed to continually building upon our foundation of exceptional
quality, service, and relationships. Sustaining this tradition requires a thoughtful balance between
economic growth, environmental stewardship, an empowered workforce, and community
involvement—compatible goals that drive long-term value for all of our stakeholders.
5 FOCUS AREAS
To successfully execute our Corporate Responsibility strategy, HITT will integrate a triple bottom line (financial,
environmental, and social) approach to our decision making in areas where we can have the most impact.
WORKFORCE
WELLBEING
Further our legacy as a best place to work by continuing to
build a positive workplace culture through investment in training,
professional development, safety, and the health of our team
ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
Be a leader in sustainability services and reporting to support
Client environmental goals while operating jobsites and HITT
offices in a way that minimizes adverse environmental impacts
COMMUNITY
CONTRIBUTION
Inspire volunteerism and align our philanthropic endeavors with
causes that resonate with stakeholder interests and aid our local
communities
INNOVATION
& PARTNERSHIPS
Encourage innovation in building construction practices through
research and development opportunities and by leveraging
strategic partnerships
GOVERNANCE
& INTEGRITY
Build and maintain a transparent Corporate Responsibility
program to drive consistency, ethical business practices, and
risk management through standardized policies, training, and
governance
HITT CONTRACTING | 5
KATIE’S LETTER
Social responsibility and environmental stewardship impact much more than our
people and planet; they help us build a sustainable business that can continue to
expand in a world where businesses and people want to align with others who share
their values.
Katie Rothenberg,
Director, Sustainable Construction
& Corporate Responsibility
For years we’ve informally included several components of Corporate Responsibility
in our business operations. Delivering sustainable buildings is just one piece of
our program. HITT is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of our
stakeholders, industry, and the broader community. At this juncture, we’re taking the
time to holistically organize, formalize, and publicize our efforts. This initial Corporate
Responsibility Report is our first step in doing so, and we intend to enhance its
breadth and depth as we build our program in the years to come.
As HITT’s first Director of Corporate Responsibility, I could not be prouder of where
we stand today, based on the work of so many individuals within the company doing
their part to move us forward. We now embark on a journey to integrate triple
bottom line decision making into the fabric of our company, and while there is much
to do, I am grateful for the commitment our leadership has made to the values of
corporate citizenship. This report outlines our goals and approach, sharing many
stories in an effort to highlight our commitment to the five pillars of our program.
2015 COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS
MYRTLE HITT AWARD
AMA Construction received this
award recognizing subcontractors who
exemplify the HITT Way through quality
workmanship and service.
HITT FUTURES
We welcomed 41
project engineers from
all over the country
into the HITT Futures
Leadership Program.
62%
11,347
of salaried new hires in
2015 were employee
referrals.
tons of construction
waste were recycled
in 2015.
FUEL EFFICIENT FLEET
We replaced our safety
fleet with fuel-efficient
vehicles as defined by
the American Council
for an Energy Efficient
Economy (ACEEE).
TEAM SPIRIT
The HITT JDRF team,
comprised of 62
athletes company-wide,
won the tug of war
tournament and placed
second overall.
118
HITT employees
completed the business
ethics course taught by
owner and co-president,
Brett Hitt.
HITT CONTRACTING | 7
WORKFORCE
WELLBEING
Further our legacy as a best
place to work by continuing
to build a positive workplace
culture through investment
in training, professional
development, safety, and the
health of our team
HITT started as a small family business, and we strive to
keep that family and team mentality alive in our culture. We
consider our team members to be both the foundation of our
success and the path to our future, which is why providing
opportunities for training and growth within the organization is
a high priority for leadership.
CULTURE
HITT embodies a work hard, play hard attitude. In the
markets where we have offices, this culture earns us honors
as a best place to work, and we’re committed to continuing
that legacy. For the past 10 years, the Washington Post or
Washington Business Journal have recognized HITT as a
best place to work. HITT Atlanta, our largest regional office,
earned a similar distinction from the Atlanta Business Journal.
These achievements don’t happen by accident; rather they’re
the result of our focus on teamwork, empowerment, and
8 | HITT CONTRACTING
connections amongst our people. We believe our success as
a workplace leader directly correlates with our investment in
the wellness of our people and the tools that will make them
successful here at HITT and beyond.
In an effort to continuously improve, HITT conducts an
annual employee engagement survey to solicit feedback from
our team members for leadership to review. Numerous
improvements have been made based on the results including
implementing quarterly owner communication meetings,
improving weekly project management meetings, expanding
employee benefits, and enhancing systems access and use.
HEALTH
Everybody wins when our workforce is happy and healthy. In
addition to providing health care benefits to employees and
their families, HITT is committed to helping our employees
stay healthy. Our headquarters office has a state-of-theart gym on-site which is open 24/7, HITT also hosts group
fitness classes weekly at no cost to employees. HITT
encourages active lifestyles and camaraderie outside of the
office by sponsoring several intramural sports teams including
softball, basketball, triathlon, flag football, and volleyball.
Playing sports is a great way to destress, stay active, and keep
a friendly, competitive spirit.
In an effort to drive employees to use preventative
healthcare measures, HITT incentivizes employees to visit
their primary care physician annually for a wellness exam. We
organize fun physical fitness challenges throughout the year
to encourage team members to maintain a healthy weight,
be more active, and drink more water. We take proactive
measures in other ways too, such as our free flu shot clinic,
held each fall to make access to flu shots easier for our team
members.
SAFETY
Having a safe working environment for our employees is
something we won’t compromise on. We firmly believe that
9 | HITT CONTRACTING
safety is an integral part of the construction process, on an
equal basis with production and quality. Our award-winning
safety department has developed and implemented policies
and procedures designed to increase the safety awareness
of everyone associated with our construction projects.
Developed in 1980 and staffed by a full-time safety
director and jobsite safety superintendents, HITT’s safety
department promotes a commitment to safety beginning
with the principals of the
company that is continually EMR HISTORY
 2012
.64 .64
reinforced at all levels.
 2013
.54 .53
64+6454+ 53+

2014
HITT maintains our
 2015
Experience Modification
Rate (EMR) well below the industry standard of 1.0. EMR
is used by workers’ compensation insurers to measure
workers compensation risk. Our below average EMR
illustrates HITT’s commitment to keeping our employees
safe and healthy.
Safety superintendents are essential to the HITT safety
program. These highly trained safety professionals visit jobsites
and record observations of safe and unsafe practices, ensuring
10 | HITT CONTRACTING
site operations staff and subcontractors are keeping safety top
of mind. Weekly reports are sent to project teams and sector
leaders detailing the findings of these visits, ensuring all teams
are made aware of the safe and unsafe observations recorded
on jobsite inspections.
The summary below indicates the number of site visits and safe
and unsafe observations made over the past three years. The
total number of site visits has grown each year to further our
commitment to safety and to align with the types and number
of projects completed. We continue to expand the use of our
safety tracking tools in an effort to gather additional data to
help improve outcomes. The HITT safety department has won
SAFETY OBSERVATION SUMMARY
91+R 97+R 95+R
91.5%
97.5%
95.9%
2013
2014
2015
Total Site Visits: 1,651
Total Site Visits: 2,030
Total Site Visits: 3,015
 Percentage of Safe Observations
numerous awards, the most recent being the ABC Diamond
STEP award from ABC Virginia, ABC Metro, ABC Georgia
and ABC Rocky Mountain. Awardees are rated on 20 safety
program components including management commitment
to safety, employee participation, use of personal protective
equipment, and record keeping.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
ƒƒSafety training for all new employees
ƒƒFirst Aid / CPR training required for all employees
– 193 employees certified in 2015
ƒƒOSHA 30-hour training mandatory for all supervisors
– 62 new employees certified in 2015
ƒƒDefensive driving certification required every two years
– 288 employees certified in 2015
ƒƒRobust safety superintendent structure and tracking process
11 | HITT CONTRACTING
HITT INSTITUTE
To propel employees to help the company excel in a highly
competitive industry, HITT launched our in-house training
department in 2003. HITT continues to invest in educational
resources, building out advanced video conferencing
technology in classrooms for regional attendees and
introducing a new web-based learning management system
(LMS) in 2014 to allow team members to easily access
coursework and track progress against learning objectives. A
combination of in-person and web-based training is available
to employees, taught both by colleagues and third-party
resources.
47+5+162219
HITT UNIVERSITY CLASS BREAKDOWN
Function Skills
and Programs
Safety and Risk Management
Construction
Operations and Logistics
Culture and Values
Credentialing
Management and Leadership
HITT provides employees with their own personal training
roadmap to ensure they take required courses defined
by leadership and electives based on their interests. All
mandatory courses on the roadmap must be completed to
be eligible for promotion.
2015 Courses and Training
Number of Instructor led courses offered
140
Number of web-based training courses offered
6
Number of employee training hours completed
2836
Number of employees that teach courses
28
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
HITT recognizes the importance of cultivating and investing
in its leadership and talent at all levels of the organization.
This effort begins with our Futures Leadership Program; a
four-phase program launched in 2005, designed to jumpstart
entry-level team members’ construction careers. In
Futures, HITT works to provide a holistic approach through
mentor-mentee relationships, prescribed classroom and
social learning, and frequent goal setting and performance
evaluations. 253 HITT Futures graduates have completed the
program since its inception.
Outside of the Futures Leadership Program, team members
continue learning through classes that focus on topics such as
giving helpful feedback, coaching, discrimination & harassment,
and interviewing skills. HITT partners with a few key vendors
such as the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL), a researchbased non-profit education institution focused on developing
12 | HITT CONTRACTING
Construction Intern (CI)
Project Engineer (PE)
Assistant Project Manager /
Assistant Superintendent
Project Manager /
Superintendent
 Introduction to construction
operations
 Introductory classroom training
 Mentor / sponsor placement
 Introduction to HITT corporate
culture
 Explore different career
opportunities
 Management interfacing
 Office and site experience
 Career advice
 One-on-one teaching
 Hands-on work experience
 Social events and team outings
 Project specific assignments
 Hands-on work experience
 Project related training
 Core curriculum with
HITT University
 Career choice opportunities
 Full-time on project site
 Project specific responsibilities
 Mentor / superintendent
placement
 Executive interfacing
 Social events and team outings
 Integration into corporate life
 Continuation of mentoring
 Opportunities to mentor
 Continuing in-house education
 Internal and external relationship
building
 Opportunities for cross-training
through project rotations
 Project specific responsibilities
 Leadership opportunities
 Autonomy
 Project independence
 Autonomy
 Mobility
 Management / leadership
opportunities
 Performance based evaluation
and compensation
 Continuing in-house education
 Business practice training
 Opportunities to mentor
Learn more about the HITT Futures Leadership Program at HITT.COM/HITT-FUTURES
and transforming leaders, for programs targeting mid-level
managers through executive leaders. Development is
reinforced through action planning, mentorship opportunities,
and executive coaching. HITT’s site operations workforce also
has development opportunities through company-sponsored
apprenticeship programs and skill-building courses such as
software programs and trade skills. Outside of the offerings
outlined above, employees are encouraged to work with
their supervisors to identify additional leadership or technical
training that will help them succeed. All approved training and
development opportunities are fully reimbursed by HITT.
HITT launched the Corporate Leadership Council (CLC) in
2015 with the primary purpose of encouraging leadership
growth for future executives and building HITT’s executive
pipeline. The group has unfettered access to corporate
information typically seen only by executive leadership and
each member is invited for a one year term; though there is
13 | HITT CONTRACTING
no limit to the number of terms one can serve. The CLC is
responsible for broader input on corporate strategic direction
and manages execution of select long-term corporate
initiative projects, as determined by the Corporate Steering
Committee (CSC). Engaging the voice of emerging leaders
helps drive effective communication at different levels within
the organization while providing professional development
opportunities to our top talent.
Goals and Objectives – 2016 and Beyond
Sustain and enhance HITT Institute training platform
Maintain an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) below
.70 through comprehensive safety programming
Provide professional development opportunities for team
members at all levels
Continue to be recognized by third parties as a great place
to work
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Be a leader in sustainability services and reporting to support client environmental goals while
operating jobsites and HITT offices in a way that minimizes adverse environmental impacts
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE
Our Sustainable Construction department began in 2005, with
the goals of providing internal sustainability expertise to meet
Client objectives while also reducing our own environmental
impact. To date, we’ve helped Clients certify more than 105
LEED design and construction projects of all types, including
HITT’s own corporate headquarters building, certified Gold in
2011. We also assist projects in complying with other green
building regulations and new third-party certification programs
such as SITES and WELL. Green building rating systems and
energy codes that impact the built environment continue to
evolve, and the industry leading expertise of HITT’s Sustainable
Construction team helps make navigating those processes as
seamless as possible.
OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE
We currently benchmark energy use at both the HITT
headquarters and Atlanta regional office buildings using
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager and plan to broaden our
benchmarking efforts in 2016 to include water and waste. As
of year end 2015, the headquarters building had an ENERGY
STAR score of 76, placing it in the top 24 percent of similar
buildings, a great accomplishment for our facilities team. With
new smart meters installed recently at our headquarters,
we hope to use this information to further reduce energy
consumption. The Atlanta regional office has an ENERGY
STAR score of 92, underscoring the value of the recent LED
lighting retrofit that occurred at the building. We continue to
look for ways to lower our environmental impact within our
footprint.
In the past year, HITT recycled a total of 5,165 pounds of
electronic waste using a third party verified recycler. While
our e-waste drives have historically included only corporate
waste, we plan to open future drives to employees, thus
14 | HITT CONTRACTING
ensuring personal residential e-waste is also managed in an
environmentally sensitive way.
Outside of organized green building certifications, we’ve
worked to identify and implement sustainable and
environmentally friendly practices throughout our project
portfolio. For example, 95 percent of all HITT jobsites,
whether the project is seeking LEED Certification or not, have
moved to single source waste management with a third party
verified company. This proved to be a good value, and it was
the responsible thing to do for the environment.
15 | HITT CONTRACTING
16 | HITT CONTRACTING
HITT is also testing new approaches to drive jobsite efficiency
on a large project in Maryland. Here, HITT submetered and
monitored electrical consumption for everything from tower
cranes and temporary power to lighting and plug loads in the
temporary jobsite offices. In analyzing the data, we realized
there was little room for operational improvements outside of
the office, but the installed motion sensors and programmable
thermostats inside the temporary jobsite office were small
changes that made a big difference.
While HITT already implements many best practices in green
construction management, we aim to put these actions into
formal practice and track compliance more programmatically in
2016. Our initiatives for the year include:
ƒƒConstruction waste recycling and tracking
ƒƒInstalling motion sensors and programmable thermostats in
temporary jobsite offices
Formalizing these processes helps improve environmental
performance, and further engages HITT team members to
integrate green construction practices into projects.
Goals and Objectives – 2016 and Beyond
Formally implement green building best practices at all
jobsites and projects
Create and implement a corporate procurement policy
Track operational (energy, water, waste) performance at
HITT headquarters and HITT Atlanta to drive performance
Create tools, resources, and education for operations teams
and clients to help meet project environmental goals
ƒƒImplementing and tracking compliance with indoor air
quality management (IAQ) protocols
LEED v4 Project Experience
With the official release of LEED version 4
(v4) in November 2013, HITT was engaged
by a key confidential client to participate
in the v4 pilot program. This program
allows teams to test the new version and
provide the USGBC / GBCI with feedback
on credit documentation requirements or
implementation challenges. Since then, HITT
has completed two more LEED v4 projects, all
which earned or are expecting to earn Gold
level certification.
There were a few common themes
encountered when working on our v4
projects, most of which related to the new
stringent chemical and product guidelines.
Materials and Resources (MR) credits now
require manufacturer’s product disclosures,
such as Environmental Product Declarations
(EDP), Health Product Declarations (HPD),
Cradle-to-Cradle, CASRN & GreenScreen
17 | HITT CONTRACTING
Benchmarking, to qualify for credit
achievement. As these product certifications
are new to the market and only available
from select manufacturers, the project team
had to carefully coordinate to ensure proper
documentation.
Similarly, low emitting materials credits were
made more robust via point thresholds
based on multiple categorical product types
including ceiling, wall, and acoustic/thermal
insulations. Most notably, products containing
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) now
require both grams per liter compliance and
general emission evaluation in the form of
new product data documentation., requiring
additional education and oversight for those
involved.
Not surprisingly, establishment and
implementation of a construction waste
management plan was made a prerequisite in
v4, a testament to how far the construction
waste recycling market has come in the
past few years. Projects can no longer earn
points solely for their diversion rate and must
now show that a minimum of three material
streams were diverted. Recyclable material
streams are directly correlated with available
geographic commodity markets, and our
national reach and relationships allowed us
to communicate credit achievability early in
project planning when determining LEED
certification level goals.
HITT’s sustainable construction department is
a unique resource for our project teams, and
we always look for opportunities to provide
guidance and direction for individual product
compliance or overall green building strategy. It
is this collaboration and dedication that allows
HITT to bring significant added value to our
clients’ projects.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION
Inspire volunteerism and align our philanthropic endeavors with causes
that resonate with stakeholder interest and aid our local communities
Whether it’s donating funds or
employees volunteering their time, HITT
has a history of giving to causes that
we’re passionate about. In an effort to
drive investment in these causes, HITT
chose three categories that we will
use to focus our philanthropic giving
in the coming years. By concentrating
our giving in the areas of education,
18 | HITT CONTRACTING
40+35+25
PHILANTHROPIC GIVING



Education
Health and Wellness
Community Building
Organizations HITT
supported in 2015
ƒƒBoy Scouts of America
ƒƒChildren’s National Medical Center
ƒƒDCBIA Community Improvement Day
ƒƒJunior Achievement – Fairfax County Finance Park
ƒƒJuvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
ƒƒLeukemia & Lymphoma Society
ƒƒMcLean Project for the Arts
ƒƒPhoenix House of Mid-Atlantic
ƒƒVirginia Tech
produce, public art, and community spaces. HITT’s team
built a shade structure, planter boxes (filled with soil), and a
screenwall for the farm.
JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH
FOUNDATION
health and wellness, and community building, we believe we
can maximize our impact. In 2016, our overarching goal is
to be more strategic and transparent about our approach
to philanthropy and volunteerism, leveraging the clarity of
purpose with employees and partners to support a deeper and
more measurable impact in the communities we do business.
EAST CAPITOL URBAN FARM
In September 2015, through a partnership with the DC
Building Industry Association (DCBIA), more than 20 HITT
volunteers helped transform a 3 acre vacant lot into an urban
farm, providing residents of DC’s Ward 7 with access to fresh
19 | HITT CONTRACTING
HITT has enthusiastically participated in the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation’s (JDRF) annual Real Estate Games, a
premier philanthropy event for the DC real estate community
for 13 years. More than 100 real estate firms participated in
2015, competing in 70 individual athletic events and raising
$470,000. Cheered on by fellow employees and leadership,
the 2015 HITT team, comprised of 62 athletes from all corners
of the company, placed second overall.
Goals and Objectives – 2016 and Beyond
Communicate HITT’s key philanthropic causes to support and
work to align giving and volunteer efforts with these causes
Identify organizations that align with HITT’s causes and build
partnerships to grow influence and value
Identify and host giving campaigns throughout the year
Begin tracking corporate volunteerism
Provide incentives for employee volunteerism
INNOVATION &
PARTNERSHIPS
Encourage innovation in building construction
practices through research and development
opportunities and by leveraging strategic
partnerships
With technology driving changes in building products, logistics
approaches, and operational requirements by Owners, we
challenge our team to continuously seek out innovative
approaches to construction.
VIRTUAL CONSTRUCTION
Our Virtual Construction department functions as a liaison
between our operations team, Clients, designers and
subcontractors, facilitating all the practical applications of
building information modeling (BIM) during projects. As one of
the Top 30 BD+C Virtual Construction firms in the country,
we are heavily invested in technology that promotes efficiency,
collaboration, and increased productivity. Some examples
include the use of 3D site logistics, 4D sequencing, virtual
mockups, laser scanning of existing conditions, clash detection
software, and robotic layout tools. Taken together these
approaches drive precision and efficiency at critical stages in
each project, resulting in quality workmanship at all levels.
INNOVATION AND TRAINING LAB
Looking to the future, our executive leadership hopes to
help drive innovative construction practices to help move
the industry forward through the creation of the HITT
20 | HITT CONTRACTING
Innovation and Training Lab, to be built within minutes of our
headquarters office. The Lab will have mock-up bays for
team members to test and monitor products and construction
approaches used by the many different market sectors
that HITT serves. While not coming online until 2018, we
expect the Lab to become a center for innovative practices
and advancements that will be shared by the design and
construction community.
SUBCONTRACTOR RELATIONSHIPS
HITT is committed to building and growing our partnership
with subcontractors. To that end, we employ a full-time
Subcontractor Relationships team to provide our subcontractors
and suppliers with one point of contact to assist with doing
business with HITT as well as to address any concerns and
needs. This team also organizes Subcontractor Appreciation
Days (“Sub Day”) for each of our offices. At this event, HITT
team members celebrate and thank our subcontractors
for all that they do to make HITT projects a success. One
subcontractor is chosen each year to earn the coveted
Myrtle L. Hitt Award, named after one of our founders.
This subcontractor is someone who exemplifies The HITT
Way through quality workmanship, excellent service, timely
completion, and does whatever it takes to get the job done.
“The foundation of our business has been built
on the strength of our relationships with the
subcontractors and suppliers within the industry.”
Additional opportunities for personalized recognition come
through HITT’s annual Featured Subcontractor program, which
highlights 25 subcontractors who go above and beyond the
call of duty. A personalized note from HITT’s ownership
accompanies each winner’s construction-themed gift basket, and
each firm is highlighted in correspondence to HITT employees
through the bi-weekly Subcontractor Bulletin as well as in
electronic lobby signage.
The Subcontractor Relationships team also facilitates the
Subcontractor Connection a quarterly email newsletter that
goes out to our more than 5,000 subcontractor contacts
helping to better connect that community with our organization.
The newsletter provides an avenue to share information, and
21 | HITT CONTRACTING
promote communication. Topics include safety, sustainability,
new regulatory issues, HITT news, educational information,
events, introductions to HITT staff, and virtual construction.
Goals and Objectives – 2016 and Beyond
Drive innovative construction practices through HITT
Innovation and Training Lab
Distribute white papers on innovative construction
practices and encourage the use of technology on projects
Deepen subcontractor engagement through
communication and education
GOVERNANCE & INTEGRITY
Build and maintain a transparent Corporate Responsibility program in order to drive consistency,
ethical business practices, and risk management through standardized policies, training, and governance
While we’ve built our business on integrity and implemented
many governance practices in our 79 years of operation, we
see our burgeoning Corporate Responsibility program as
a platform for bringing further transparency to the way we
work. We plan to build on this current report structure as we
provide annual updates on our goals and progress, integrating
the requirements of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
sustainability reporting methodology into future versions.
GROWTH & REVENUE
HITT experienced tremendous growth both in revenue,
employee base, and geographic reach over the past four
decades, and we recognize the responsibility that comes with
owning and operating a business of our scale. Our Clients,
employees, subcontractors, and community count on us to
effectively execute our growth strategy—requiring diligent
decision making and leadership.
CORE VALUES
Our focus on ethics and integrity is at the core of what we
value at HITT. To that end, Brett Hitt, owner and co-president,
has been teaching an ethics course at HITT Institute for more
than 10 years. The business ethics course is mandatory for
new employees and in 2015, 118 HITT employees took our
business ethics course. Offered semi-annually, the course
is a great entre to the corporate culture and expectations,
emphasizing professionalism, trust, and integrity when doing
business with Clients and subcontractors.
Co-president, Jim Millar, teaches a required course centered
on The HITT Way of building and maintaining relationships.
Strong relationships are at the core of our business, which is
why we take the effort to teach new employees the way HITT
engages with those we work with. While separate, these two
courses are inextricably linked, driving home the expectation
leadership has in our how we manage our business dealings
and relationships with integrity and transparency.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Being an equal employment opportunity provider is one of
the cornerstones of HITT. This applies to our own hiring
practices and also fuels our sincere desire to partner with
socio-economically disadvantaged or small business suppliers
and subcontractors across all construction trades. We are
constantly honing and instituting various small business
outreach programs, including but not limited to conducting
“Doing Business with HITT” seminars, implementing corporate
small business subcontracting goals, onsite tutoring of
diverse subcontractors, and forming Government-sponsored
mentoring relationships with disadvantaged protégés.
22 | HITT CONTRACTING
99
1
Washington, DC
2
Atlanta
Baltimore*
Charleston
3
1 3
66
8
4
5
6
7
5
2
8
4
9
5
5
10
77
10
CORPORATE STEERING COMMITTEE
HITT has both an executive committee as well as a
Corporate Steering Committee (CSC) to help maintain
consistent leadership, project execution, and risk
management practices across the enterprise. The CSC
is comprised of Russell Hitt, Brett Hitt, Jim Millar, Jeremy
Bardin, Ryan Bixler, John Britt, Brian Kriz, Mike McRae, Steve
Richbourg, Kim Roy, Sheila Sears, and Jenna Sutor. The group
meets weekly and is responsible for providing the company
with direction and guidance and is structured such that all
business units are represented by these leaders.
The CSC’s main objectives are:
ƒƒDevelop and implement a strategic plan and vision for the
company, ensuring that operations on all levels are being
conducted in a manner that supports this plan
ƒƒEstablish organizational structure and delegate authority,
charting a clear path for employees to follow
ƒƒAct with impartiality at all times; making the hard decisions
that move the company in the right direction
ƒƒManage scope and report progress of projects to ensure
they follow the critical path to completion
RISK MANAGEMENT
Management of risk is an essential contribution to the
achievement of HITT’s business objectives. On every project
23 | HITT CONTRACTING
Dallas*
Denver
Houston
Richmond*
Seattle*
South Florida
* Denotes satellite office
pursuit, some amount of risk taking is inevitable. We created
the preconstruction risk management process to formalize
checkpoints to facilitate better communication and assessment
with key stakeholders to ensure consistency in our approach.
To mitigate risk associated with large, unique, or complex
pursuits, a risk evaluation meeting occurs prior to committing
HITT’s resources on the venture. The CSC has identified
six criteria that warrant project pursuits be evaluated
during a risk evaluation meeting. During the risk evaluation
meeting the team will identify, assess and discuss challenging
constructability aspects, potential staffing, financial and other
relevant elements of the ownership and design team, contract
terms, profitability, and HITT’s potential for a win, all prior to
expending funds. The risk evaluation meeting is the first step
in an ongoing risk management process that continues through
the preconstruction, construction, and closeout phases. At
the conclusion of the presentation, Brett Hitt and/or Jim Millar
(HITT presidents) will make the final decision to move forward
after any group discussion.
Goals and Objectives – 2016 and Beyond
Create foundation for a comprehensive Corporate
Responsibility program
Effectively communicate corporate responsibility efforts
through annual reporting
Finalize, publish, and communicate HITT Employee Code
of Conduct
Create and distribute Supplier Code of Conduct
HITT.COM
Driven by passion, united by purpose.