Building
Introduction
At Otak, we stand by our belief that great design is about more than aesthetics—it’s about shaping the future of our communities. Our Corporate Social Responsibility Report highlights the ways we bring this belief to life through our planning, design, and our deep-rooted commitment to people and place.
Our work is guided by our Core Values:
Excellence
Innovation
Client & Community
Health & Safety
Empowerment
This report reflects our progress, challenges, and the intentional steps we’re taking to build resilient communities, foster inclusive environments, and lead with purpose. From climate-conscious design to meaningful community engagement, each project and initiative underscores our dedication to making a lasting, positive impact.
We invite you to explore how Otak is not only envisioning better futures—but building them. Integrity
Cover image from Otak project: Left Hand Creek Flood Recovery and Restoration; Boulder County, Colorado
Environmental
2024 was a record year—NOAA reported over 27 weather and climate-related disasters in the U.S. alone, each causing more than $1 billion in damages. These events serve as a stark reminder of the growing impact of climate change and reinforce the importance of taking meaningful, expedient action.
At Otak, these challenges don’t discourage us—they fuel our mission. We’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far on our Sustainability Action Plan goals, and as we approach the second half of this roadmap, we’re renewing our efforts.
In the coming year, we’re focusing on measurable outcomes, particularly in our project work, integrating sustainable design practices across all disciplines, where our impact rings loudest. We know this work doesn’t happen overnight, but with urgency and intention, we can make steady progress—one project, one decision, one partnership at a time.
Corporate Sustainability
We are proud of our strong commitment to sustainable commuting. In 2024, we hosted and took part in multiple events, including:
• Spring Bike Tune-ups
• Bike Month Challenge through our Strava Group
• Bike to Lunch
• Bike to Work Day
• Go-tober Commute Challenge (Colorado)
• Get There Oregon Commute Challenge
Each office also takes time to plan and celebrate Earth Month. Last year we had staff attend events in Denver, Redmond, Portland, and Vancouver.
RESTORATION
Downtown Vancouver Clean-Up
The Vancouver, WA team got out their buckets and gloves to do a round of trash clean-up in the downtown area around our office.
South Platte River Clean-Up Mid Sound Fisheries Clean-Up
Members of our Colorado team partnered with the Greenway Foundation to revitalize the South Platte River in Denver.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Over the past five years, consistently tracking our emissions has provided us with a valuable dataset to better understand our operational footprint. While emissions dropped significantly during the pandemic, we’ve seen a steady return to pre-pandemic levels as business activity has normalized. We recognize that achieving true net-zero emissions may not be fully attainable for our business model, but that doesn’t lessen our commitment. We remain focused on continuous monitoring, transparent reporting, and strategic implementation of emission reduction practices across our operations.
Our Puget Sound team helped restore salmon habitats with Mid Sound Fisheries by clearing invasive plants and trash from the river.
SCOPE 3 EMISSIONS
Sustainability in Our Project Work
The South Annex Base (SAB) supports King County Metro’s goal of a zero-emissions fleet by 2035. It will house 250 battery electric buses with three new buildings and aims for Living Building Challenge Core + Energy Petal Certification, requiring net-zero energy (excluding bus charging). The project also includes daylighting Riverton Creek branches and off-site improvements.
Client: King County Metro
Otak Services: Project Controls
The Maroon Creek Multi-Use Trail enhances year-round multimodal connectivity in Aspen by providing a safe, clearly defined route for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. It replaces a confusing mix of paths, reduces conflicts with vehicles, and includes key upgrades like intersection improvements, bridge realignment, drainage enhancements, and improved transit access.
Client: City of Aspen
Otak Services: Structural Engineering, Transportation
This natural area along Beaver Creek in the east suburbs of Portland, OR is being enhanced to benefit local ecology and the surrounding community. In leading the restoration design, Otak took a unique approach using a 2D no-rise analysis and helicopter placement of large wood that aimed to provide new habitat and return the watershed to a more naturally functioning state.
Client: Cascade Environmental Group, LLC
Otak Services: Environmental Permitting, Environmental Science, Natural Systems Design
North Creek Trail extends 2.5 miles outside Bothell, WA to traverse sensitive wetlands and a canyon that holds North Creek itself. In leading the project, Otak provided trail and roadway, stormwater, and structural design as well as construction support services for the first phase of construction as the design of phases two and three were completed.
Client: Snohomish County
Otak Services: Civil, Survey, Environmental Permitting, Planning, Landscape Architecture, Stormwater, Urban Design, Structural, Transportation, Water Resources
South Annex Base | King County, Seattle, WA
Maroon Creek Multi-Use Trail | Aspen, CO
North Creek Trail | Snohomish County, WA
Photo: King County Metro
South Beaver Creek Natural Area Restoration | Troutdale, OR
Social
At Otak, we are deeply committed to fostering a workplace culture that prioritizes respect, opportunity, and support for all employees. Our people are the foundation of our success, and we believe in creating an environment where individuals feel valued, empowered, and equipped to thrive. This includes offering clear pathways for career advancement, investing in leadership development, and cultivating an atmosphere where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and appreciated. We understand that strong communities—both inside and outside our organization—are built through intentional action. Our efforts reflect a long-term commitment to the well-being, growth, and success of our employees, clients, and the communities we serve.
Our Culture
Reflecting on the past year, we took meaningful time to celebrate the diversity of our people and the richness of their perspectives. Each month, we created space to connect with peers and share cultural traditions, educational resources, and events that honored a wide range of lived experiences. These moments weren’t just celebrations—they were opportunities for learning, empathy, and building a more inclusive workplace. A highlight of the year was the continuation of our beloved Amplifying Voices series. In 2024, we hosted a powerful panel focused on Mental Health Awareness in the AEC industry, sparking important conversations about wellness, stigma, and support within our professional community.
Clockwise from top left: Amplifying Voices event invite; Portland’s operations team with our holiday angel tree donation; Otak’s sponsored student at the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber gala; Teams enjoying the International potluck lunch in the office; Women in Engineering lunch in the office;
Colorado Team at the ‘Otak Open’ Mini-golf Food Drive
RECRUITMENT
We are passionate about cultivating a workforce that reflects a broad range of perspectives and experiences. From seasoned professionals to new graduates, our recruitment and hiring practices are designed to support a welcoming and respectful environment for all. Over the past year, we engaged with talent at five major career fairs and continued to build meaningful connections with new graduates entering the workforce. Our talent acquisition team thoughtfully crafts job postings to attract a wide range of candidates, using inclusive language and tools that help reduce potential bias.
Community Leadership
PAY EQUITY
Our compensation program is both merit-based and equitable. We believe that employees should be recognized and rewarded for the skills, experience, and performance they bring to their roles. Our pay practices are designed to attract, retain, and motivate top talent by aligning individual contributions with organizational success.
We also recognize that fairness is essential to longterm sustainability and trust. That’s why we regularly benchmark our compensation against market standards and review pay practices to promote consistency and transparency. Our approach upholds the principle of equal pay for equal work, ensuring that compensation decisions are made without bias and in alignment with our Equal Employment Opportunity statement.
Otak’s compensation philosophy supports a work environment that values both individual achievement and equitable treatment, fostering a culture where all employees can thrive.
Otakians are regularly involved in their communities. One of our core values, Client & Community, brings together what we do best—deeply understanding and building long term relationships with those in our community. In the last year, a survey of Otak staff found that Otakian volunteered over 1,600 hours last year across 40 organizations. FIRM-WIDE COMMUNITY EVENTS & DONATIONS
2,200
782
Partnerships
Otak takes pride in our longstanding relationships with our subconsultants, including small businesses and women and minority-owned businesses. In 2024, Otak worked with over 100 subconsultants with one of these designations, which is a 32% increase over the prior year.
Total billings exceed $8.5 million, accounting for over 50% of total subconsultant revenue on our project work. Our Louisville office hosted their first small business mixer, and Portland hosted small business networking events in the spring and fall.
Staff Development
CAREER PATHING & LEADERSHIP
Last year, we launched our new Career Growth Program, including career streams. These tools have become an indispensable tool for those charting their professional journey at Otak. The Program, designed to showcase the diverse levels and roles within Otak, establishes a clear and consistent approach for growth and development opportunities. Together, we strive to cultivate a thriving, dynamic, and fulfilling work environment where each individual’s potential is recognized, nurtured, and celebrated. The Career Growth Program reflects our ongoing investment in our people and our belief that when employees thrive, Otak thrives.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: LEADING PEOPLE PROGRAM
Strong leadership is essential to our continued success and to fostering a positive, high-performing culture. That’s why we have invested in the development of our Leading People Program—a structured leadership development initiative designed to empower current and emerging leaders across the organization.
The Leading People Program equips participants with the tools, strategies, and support needed to lead with confidence, clarity, and impact. Through a combination of training sessions, coaching, and peer engagement, the program builds key competencies in communication, team development, decision-making, and inclusive leadership.
By cultivating leadership from within, Otak is not only preparing individuals for greater responsibility but also reinforcing our long-term commitment to investing in our people, promoting growth opportunities, and shaping the next generation of Otak leaders.
Fall Small Business Happy Hour | Portland, OR | October 2024
Fall Small Business Mixer | Louisville, CO | September 2024
Spring Small Business Happy Hour | Portland, OR | May 2024
Governance
Strong governance is essential to delivering on our commitments to our clients, subconsultants, teaming partners and staff. Our leadership team sets the tone for ethical business practices across all levels of the organization, ensuring that our values guide both strategic decisions and day-to-day operations. We maintain a company-wide Code of Conduct that promotes integrity, accountability, and transparency. Employees receive regular training on ethical practices and are encouraged to speak up through open feedback channels. We also recognize that governance extends beyond compliance—it’s about creating a culture where doing the right thing is part of how we work, design, and lead. From how we engage with communities to how we support our people, Otak’s governance approach supports a more sustainable and resilient future for all.
Clients
We are proud to partner with high value federal, state, local, and select private clients whose values align with Otak’s. As a federal and state contractor, we maintain a very high level of compliance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practices. Otak’s financials are thoroughly audited annually by third-party auditors and reported to federal clients and state Departments of Transportation. All clients benefit from this similar level of professionalism in our contracting.
Subconsultants
We ask all our subconsultants to confirm they can participate in all levels of contracting, and that they are not disbarred by any agencies, or subject to any conflicts of interest in their work. We support disadvantaged and small subconsultant partners by strategically waiving paywhen/if-paid requirements and commit to paying certain invoices within 30 days of receipt, advancing payment at our risk even on larger projects. Finally, we host small business social events at our office to make sure we have visibility to each other, an understanding of our projects and clients, and an open dialogue around ways to partner on existing and future projects.
Safety – Job Hazard Analysis
In 2024, Otak launched a new company-wide safety program to further strengthen our commitment to employee health and well-being. The safety and health of all employees is a top priority. Our Safety Committee, comprised of management and office leaders, supports our efforts to maintain an accident- and injury-free workplace. As part of this initiative, we introduced a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) form to proactively identify and mitigate field-related safety risks. Otak follows the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Hierarchy of Controls to guide hazard prevention efforts so that all employees are protected through proven, effective safety practices.
Information Security
Over the last few years, Otak has also invested heavily in information security and privacy. We have partnered with a technical advisor so that Otak manages client, subconsultant, vendor, and employee data with the latest standards appropriate to our scale.
Otak’s Professionals
Ongoing training and project mentoring is integral to the development of the firm. Our internal “Otak University” program provides a platform for monthly structured Legal, Green Otak, and Project Management and Quality courses. In 2024, we supported 44 employees (including 9 executives) of staff to participate in a third-party Project Management training.
Leadership
We are led by Otak’s Board of Directors and executive leadership. Otak is a subsidiary of a South Korean company that is publicly traded on the KEX Korean stock exchange, HanmiGlobal Co., Ltd. Otak’s Board of Directors consists of Chairman Jonghoon Kim, who is the founder of HanmiGlobal, several other leaders of HanmiGlobal, and members of Otak’s Executive Leadership Team, including interim President Nico Vanderhorst.
