Letter from the CEO
Culture Code
“HFA aspires to be a people-first culture of empowerment where talent thrives.”
As we worked to develop our purpose and values statement, we recognized that we wanted a statement that was internally focused on our people and our cultural aspirations. As Dharmesh Shah, founder of HubSpot, says, “Whether you like it or not, you’re going to have a culture. Why not make it one you love?” We are passionate about making our culture one of engagement and empowerment that people are inspired to participate and contribute. Thus, we developed our Culture Code statement to declare our commitment to our people, to define expectations of our leadership, and to hold ourselves accountable to the future:
1. Our people come first.
2. We empower everyone around us.
3. Developing the talent of our people is critical.
4. We help everyone thrive.
We use the word “aspires” explicitly, so everyone is seeking to be something great together and we’re all headed in the same direction toward an ambitious destination.
Empowering
Think N’ Thrive (TNT)
TNT (Think N’ Thrive) is our company-wide learning initiative. Hosted virtually to include everyone, the TNT sessions are a chance for our people to grow and learn together by exploring tools and resources for personal and professional development. The complete series of TNT sessions can be found on LinkedIn Learning.
Engaging Leadership
Engaging Leadership is a full day course that leaders attend followed by 3 months of 1-on-1 coaching sessions This helps prepare leaders for the people people side of leadership by introducing them to the tools, resources, and leadership standards of HFA and gives support in how to utilize each of them.
Pinnacle Series
The Pinnacle Series is a newly launched Enterprise Learning Platform designed to serve as a central hub for all learning and development resources. It includes a comprehensive collection of materials focused on both technical skills and interpersonal growth. Users can access company training materials and recordings of engaging TNT sessions through this platform. The Pinnacle Series aims to unlock the full potential of its users by providing a go-to repository for personal and professional development.
Speak Up
Public speaking training and practice held virtually on the first Friday of each month. Explore tips and tricks for being an effective and engaging speaker.
Professional Development — Technical Focus
HFA is committed to the development and growth of our team members. We offer a wide array of professional development opportunities including professional organization membership, procurement and maintenance of licenses and certifications, continuing education, seminars and conventions, and in-house educational opportunities.
Continuing Education for Credit
Making sure you’ve achieved the correct type and amount of continuing education units (CEUs) and getting your renewal application submitted on time can be daunting – especially if you’re licensed in many states. We track all CEUs and renewals, assist with applications and CEU audits.
We provide opportunities for licensed professionals to attend virtual AIA approved courses and vendor CE webinars to make sure you obtain all CEUs needed. We maintain your compliance in all states in which you’re licensed and with all licensing agencies. In addition to providing CEUs, we also support licensed professionals’ need for organization membership and CE conference attendance.
Licensure Assistance
Obtaining and maintaining professional licensure is a lot of work and can be confusing at times. We offer assistance in helping you obtain your license by providing monetary support, study aides, and mentorship for anyone on a path to licensure.
Legal requirements for discipline licensing agencies vary from state to state. We comply with all legal mandates, one of which is that each licensure candidate must have a licensed mentor. This type of mentorship is focused on the requirements laid out by the governing agencies and is bound to the timelines and specifics laid out therein.
Empowering
Employee Resource Groups
The ERGs exist to provide support and help in personal or career development and to create a safe space where people can bring their whole selves to work. Allies are encouraged to join the ERGs to support their colleagues.
Connection
15Five is a continuous performance management software that we use to keep leaders and their team members connected. We use it for weekly check ins, objective/goal setting, High Fives!, engagement surveys, our performance reviews, and more! It also serves as a tool for us to obtain feedback from team members to improve every team members’ experience at HFA.
Recognition
We believe in recognizing our team members for their hard work and dedication to HFA. One way we recognize people is through our tenure recognition and praise points programs. Milestone anniversaries are rewarded with points and leaders have the ability to recognize and reward people on the spot with praise points. The points translate to dollars to be used to purchase items from Amazon, book experiences and hotels, donate charitably, purchase gift cards, get some HFA Swag, and more!
Employee Stock Ownership Plan
HFA is a 100% employee-owned company through our ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). The ESOP is a retirement plan in which the company contributes shares to team members as a way to reward loyalty and build wealth. For team members, their effort is their investment in the plan.
Engaging
Personal Interest Collectives (PICs)
PICs are one of our initiatives to connect team members with others who share similar interests. Hosted on Microsoft Teams Channels, people can chat with others about things they enjoy, such as art, music, sports, and more.
Engagement Activities
We enjoy hosting in-person and virtual engagement events to help connect our team members with each other and provide a break from their day-to-day activities. These events range from virtual bingo breaks to full-blown in-person events like our annual Pets + Pints gathering.
Wellness Challenges & Incentives
As a part of our self-funded insurance program, we utilize Marquee Health as a wellness provider. Through Marquee, we host wellness challenges and provide resources to our team members. These resources include access to coaching, gym discounts, courses on mental, physical, and financial well-being.
To promote healthy lifestyles through Marquee Health, team members enrolled in our medical insurance plan have the opportunity to receive an insurance premium holiday each year – just by going to the doctor for a yearly screening.
Clifton Strengths
We utilize the results from the Clifton Strengths assessments in many areas of our daily work life. From including them in performance conversations to holding team meetings focused on Strengths, we lean on the valuable information in the reports to help us understand each other’s talents better and form better working relationships. This ultimately helps us become more efficient and effective, as teams and as a company.
Mentorship Program
HFA provides mentorship through our licensing program as part of the required process, through training and guidance technically, and as a one on one meeting with a mentor that is chosen by the team member. It is the third type of mentorship that the People + Culture team interacts with the most. It consists of a relationship between someone who is more advanced in their career and someone who wants to gain knowledge, perspective, advice, and guidance from that person. Once a mentor and mentee have been matched, they will meet at least once monthly. The focus for this type of mentorship is career development.
Impacting
Community Service
HFA is committed to making a positive impact in the communities where our people live and work. With team members who live across the US and Mexico, we want to offer a variety of ways to get involved in community service, including both in-person and remote opportunities. Whether it’s volunteering at your local food bank or participating in one of our charity events, we encourage our people to find a way to give back in a way that works for them. Through team member recommendations and requests, we aim to help wherever we can.
Community Connections
Through our community service initiatives, and our program Community Connections, we have seen firsthand how our efforts can positively impact the lives of those around us. We are proud to be an organization that values community service and encourages our employees to give back in whatever way they can. Community Connections aims to boost our team members’ current local charitable contributions or volunteerism by donating $1,500 to one of our team member’s favorite charitable organizations each quarter.
Internship Programming
Aspire is our structured summer internship program designed to provide hands-on experience across a variety of disciplines and project types. Interns gain meaningful exposure by contributing to real work that supports our teams and initiatives.
Compliance
New to the company in 2024, we now have an in-house paralegal that supports our leaders with contract review, proposal streamlining, and provides other legal insight as needed. This brings efficiency to our operational functions as we no longer need to wait on outside legal counsel guidance. It also allows us to internally manage our state reporting and licensing board requirements, which keeps us in business, in all 50 states. In Bentonville, we also provide notary services.
Job Shadowing
We offer Jr. High School Students a unique one-day exposure to the world of work within an architecture and engineering firm.
Welcome to the Next Chapter.
We’re So Glad You’re Here.
This isn’t the beginning, it’s the continuation of the great work you’ve already done, now with new tools, fresh opportunities, and a community that’s invested in your growth.
Here, you’ll find space to stretch your skills, fuel your interests, speak up, give back, and feel seen. This next chapter is about growing, exploring, and thriving with the support of a team that recognizes your impact and celebrates your journey.
