Pushing ethics to the top of its priority list has paid off for CBRE Group Inc., which has a long history of strong reputation management practices. Recently named one of the world’s most ethical companies by an independent assessor, the Ethisphere Institute, the global commercial real estate firm takes corporate values, which have a direct impact on business practices, exceptionally seriously. Those values inform processes, procedures and prioritization of compliance, risk management, communications and client security. At the heart of the effort is the CBRE RISE program, standing for “Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence.” The company’s 44,000 global employees receive quarterly training sessions in ethics and compliance, delivered either online or in person. A compliance officer exists for each country where the company does business—55 in all. “If you hold up your individual corporate values, that will empower your people to feel confident and make the right decisions in difficult circumstances,” said Tyson Avery, chief ethics and compliance officer for CBRE, a Yardi client. “There’s no cookie-cutter commercial real estate transaction, and the same is true with the risks that we face. All scenarios are a little different.” Avery identifies cloud security, corruption, conflicts of interest and data privacy as all being areas of relatively high risk for global companies. Hence the prioritization by CBRE of best practices, which is enhanced not only by the frequent training sessions but maintenance of a hotline/helpline where employees can anonymously report any concerns. Ethisphere’s “World’s Most Ethical Companies” are recognized for their policies and actions, including ethical business standards and practices, exceeding legal compliance minimums and being industry leaders. For 2014, Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. and Reology Holdings Corp. were also recognized in the real estate sector. Marriott International was among the honorees in Leisure and...
CBRE Cares
Supporting shelters
Delivering a birthday cake to a child celebrating their special day at a homeless shelter seems like a simple act of goodwill. For the CBRE real estate professionals who make time for such volunteerism regularly, it is much more. “By the time I got to my truck I was crying and extremely shaken. I made that little boy’s day and let me tell you it was the most rewarding experience I have EVER had,” said Cathy Carone, a CBRE employee from Illinois. “It seems like such a small charity project, but they were so appreciative. Suddenly the time we take to pick up and deliver those cakes seemed like a whole lot more — we are touching individuals who really need a little joy in their lives,” said Jeanne Olcott, who works for CBRE in Arizona. Making a big difference in large and small ways is a hallmark of the CBRE Cares program, a nationally recognized effort by the commercial real estate firm that encompasses much more than just birthday cake delivery. Over the last three years, CBRE has rapidly grown its corporate philanthropy efforts nationwide with a new housing-focused effort. To date, over 4,000 employee volunteers have participated, contributing over 27,000 hours of service. And that’s just the beginning. “We wanted to give back to the community in a very real way,” said Kathleen Thompson, Director of the CBRE Foundation. Focusing attention on the communities where their people work and live made great sense for one of the world’s largest full service real estate companies. CBRE has approximately 160 offices in the U.S. and around 20,000 employees in the Americas. Designing a charity outreach effort that could effectively harness the hearts and hands of so many was no easy task. Employee energy is at the heart of the program, and giving back financially is also encouraged through CBRE’s Community Outreach program. Offices that raise funds for philanthropic causes – both from internal employee donations and external community effort – receive a partial match of their monies from the company. Then they decide as an office what local organizations they’d like to benefit with 75 percent of the funds raised. The other 25 percent is used for company-wide donations to causes like shelter housing and the environment. Investing Sweat Equity With this multi-faceted approach, the CBRE contributes both financially and through sweat equity to shelter services around the country. Employee participation in an annual volunteer work-service day, part of CBRE’s Shelter Program, has recently taken off. CBRE office teams, comprised of everyone from C-level executives to administrative staff, have completed 70 remodeling and building projects for underserved and at-risk populations since 2010. September and October are the company’s designated “Build Months,” and employees can use a paid day out of the office to participate in a local project. Shelter Program projects are coordinated in conjunction with two partner agencies – Rebuilding Together and HomeAid. Rebuilding Together completes renovations and repairs for low-income homeowners, often disabled adults, who are unable to afford to hire someone to help with maintenance needs. HomeAid builds facilities to help homeless Americans. One CBRE office, in Atlanta, completed builddays for both non-profits this year. “We knew that people were giving back to the community in their offices, that they were volunteering, but that they wanted to do more. We wanted to give them the opportunity to give more as a group with their colleagues, and have specific days where they could go out and give back to their community as colleagues together,” Thompson said. Calvin W. Frese Jr., CBRE CEO – Americas, wanted to create a day of service for CBRE employees and helped conceptualize much of the Shelter Program vision. Along with other executives, he’s worked alongside CBRE employees on Build Day projects. Recently, 280 CBRE volunteers spent the day refurbishing the Mt. Calvary Youth Center and Food Pantry on Chicago’s South Side. Vendors...
