2024 Corporate Social Responsibility Report
Derek Vannice President & Chief Strategy Officer
Letter From Our President
Eocene Environmental Group understands the responsibility we have as a company and as individuals to strive to protect and improve all ecosystems, and to make positive environmental, social and economic impacts in the communities we serve.
As a company rooted in environmental services, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint, adopting eco-friendly practices and advocating for a greener future. We believe that sustainability isn’t just good ethics, it’s good business benefiting our employees, clients and the public alike.
At Eocene, we’re a leader in innovative solutions and value services that align with our mission and core values. As a 100% employeeowned company, our employees are at the forefront of every decision we make and are the reason for our company’s success.
Our business practices and operations have multi-generational impacts. That’s why we strive to minimize negative impacts while maximizing positive ones. In addition, Eocene has an environmental impact and sustainability policy that instructs our employees to be aware of any issues that may apply to their current contract.
Given our vast geographical span, each region identifies potential environmental and cultural resources unique to their area and takes appropriate action when challenges arise.
This report highlights the progress we have made and the commitments we’re upholding in the following key areas:
- Safety
- Employee Well-being
- Environmental Sustainability
- Community Engagement
Derek Vannice President & Chief Strategy Officer
COMPANY HISTORY
Eocene Environmental Group represents the joining of four companies who have helped clients across North America achieve their sustainability goals, navigate complex problems as they work to steward the environment and protect the communities they serve for more than two decades.
CN Utility Consulting // Founded in 1999
CN Utility Consulting, now Eocene’s forestry and utility division, provides dependable, safe and high-quality utility vegetation management (UVM) services and continues to focus on helping clients maintain compliance and keep their communities safe.
Transcon Environmental Group // Founded in 1999
Transcon Environmental Group, now Eocene’s environmental division, partners with stakeholders across several industries to collect valuable data, build detailed reporting, support and guide decision-making and agency navigation.
Terra Spectrum Technologies // Founded in 2008
Terra Spectrum Technologies, now Eocene’s technology and innovation division, partners with clients in a variety of industries to help them navigate their data and technological needs using FieldNote, their geospatial data collection software.
Sustainable Environmental Consultants // Founded in 2008
Sustainable Environmental Consultants, now Eocene’s sustainability division, provides innovative sustainability solutions for clients in data analysis and environmental quantification, sustainability risk management and conservation engineering and environmental compliance.
Board of Directors
The Eocene Board of Directors is made up of two internal directors as follows:
Austin Kennedy President and CEO of Wright Service Corp.
Austin Kennedy joined Wright Service Corp. as general counsel in April 2013. Prior to joining Wright Service Corp., Austin was an attorney in private practice for seven years in Des Moines, Iowa, practicing in many areas involving employment law, immigration law and litigation. In 2019, Austin was promoted to general counsel, chief human resources officer and senior vice president.
Austin most recently served as the company’s president and chief operating officer for the last two years before assuming the role of president and CEO of Wright Service Corp. on October 1, 2023.
Kennedy graduated from Macalester College in 2000, where he received the Livingston-Patnode Award for his special contributions to the English Department. He earned his law degree from Drake University Law School in 2005. In 2015, Austin earned his Credential of Readiness from Harvard Business School’s HBX CORe program, which establishes competencies in business analytics, economics and accounting.
Jonathan Hicks SVP and CFO of Wright Service Corp.
Jonathan Hicks joined Wright Service Corp. in 2008 as the controller for Wright Outdoor Solutions. In 2010, he was promoted to controller of Wright Tree Service and in 2020, he was promoted again to vice president and chief financial officer of Wright Service Corp.
Hicks graduated from Iowa State University as a certified public accountant with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Accounting degree in 2002. After graduating, Jonathan worked in various auditing and financial reporting roles within both public accounting and the private sector. Jonathan is a member of the Iowa Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs. Jonathan is also a member of RIMS and is on the Wright Service Corp. board of directors.
Jonathan is a large advocate of employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) structured companies. He values the culture they create, which allows employees the freedom to implement change and to leave their personal mark on the company. Jonathan enjoys problem-solving and having the opportunity to help guide the company at a strategic level. He serves on the TREE Fund board as the treasurer and is a member of its Audit and Finance Committee.
Meet the Executives
Derek Vannice President & Chief Strategy Officer
Derek Vannice joined CNUC, now our forestry and utility division, in 2011 after decades of success at two industry-leading organizations. He is now Eocene Environmental Group’s chief strategy officer and president, overseeing all divisions. Derek obtained his Bachelor of Science from Purdue University in 1984 before continuing to complete his Master of Business Administration from Ball State University in 1992.
As former president of CNUC, Derek oversaw the strong growth of the company, headed long-term contracts, and provided onsite consulting and training with clients. To add to his impressive resume, he served on the review committee of the original and first revision of the ISA Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) Best Management Practices (BMP), and the Utility Pruning BMP.
Josh Beaver
SVP - Forestry & Utility
Josh Beaver joined CNUC, now our forestry and utility division, in January 2010 and now serves as the senior vice president for the division. He obtained his Bachelor of Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Master of Business Administration from the University of Illinois. Josh has over two decades of experience within the utility vegetation management (UVM) industry. Starting as a lead consulting utility forester (CUF), his career path progressed from regional supervisor to regional manager, then vice president, before transitioning to his current position as senior vice president. Josh serves on the Utility Arborist Association Board of Directors. He is a published author in the Utility Arborist Newsline and has presented on many topics at industry conferences throughout North America.
Christy Holmes
SVP - Environmental
Senior vice president of environmental Christy Holmes joined the Transcon Environmental team, our now environmental division, in 2010. While attending Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, she realized she could make a career of her love of being outside. After earning a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences and prior to starting her career in environmental consulting, she held a succession of field biologist jobs.
Christy has worn many hats over the years, including senior biologist, project manager, program manager and client manager. While she will always have a love of biology, she feels like she found her calling in mentoring and leadership.
Travis Yordi
SVP - Technology & Innovation
Travis Yordi joined Terra Spectrum Technologies (TST), now our technology and innovation division, in 2007, and now serves as senior vice president for the division. Travis earned a degree in computer programming and analytics from Chippewa Valley Technical College in Eau Claire. Shortly after a move back to Iowa, he joined TST to lead the design and development of the VMSuite family of products. During this time, he traveled the country learning how different utilities implement their vegetation management programs. It was those years of experience that drove Travis to architect and lead the creation of what would eventually become the FieldNote platform.
Sara Crawford
SVP - Sustainability
Sara Crawford joined Sustainable Environmental Consultants, now Eocene Environmental Group’s sustainability division, in May 2022, and currently serves as the senior vice president of sustainability. Sara has a Ph.D. in animal welfare science, an M.S. in meat science and genetics and an undergraduate degree in animal sciences, all from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. With an extensive background in agriculture, sustainability, and animal and meat sciences, her client-first focus, insight and executive leadership drive innovation for regenerative agriculture practices and food supply-related industries throughout all facets of Eocene’s sustainability division.
Mission, Vision, Values
MISSION
Why we exist; why I come to work every day
We improve quality of life through innovation, sustainable solutions, environmental stewardship and collaboration.
VISION
Where we’re heading
We are creating a legacy that enriches our communities, enhances our environment and improves the lives of our team members.
VALUES
How we live & work together; guardrails as we drive towards our vision
SAFETY
–
We are passionate about the health and safety of our employees and of the people in the communities we serve.
FAMILY –
Our foundation is based on teamwork and inclusion.
EXCELLENCE
–
We exceed client expectations through resourcefulness and innovation.
STEWARDSHIP –
We are dedicated to environmental sustainability.
INTEGRITY –
We abide by the highest ethical standards.
Forestry & Utility Division
Service Offerings
Utility Vegetation Management (UVM) Services
Our team of UVM professionals helps assess and manage vegetation to develop workable plans and actions – whether that’s in a remote area or right in the heart of a community. We help assist our utility clients to provide safe and reliable power.
Urban and Community Forestry
Our team is ready to assist in meeting urban forest needs – from maintaining the tree canopy, evaluating for safety and tree risks, noting management plans and tree selection and planting plans. Our team has decades of experience from which we draw our expertise.
Forest Management
Our diverse experience allows us to provide an integrated line of management services so that together we can oversee the health and growth of forests. Our services encompass all aspects of true forestry management.
Compliance Vegetation Inspections
We have experience working with federal, state and provincial regulators, and each compliance inspection our team performs adheres to the appropriate agency’s requirements to ensure vegetation meets or exceeds standards.
Environmental Division
Service Offerings
Compliance Inspection
Hiring a professional compliance inspection team is vital to ensure compliance with environmental permits, mitigate risks and avoid legal consequences. We are an experienced provider of construction compliance inspections and monitoring services, regularly serving in both first-party and third-party roles.
Biological Resources
Our experienced team of biologists perform field investigations for a vast array of species in a multitude of ecosystems. Prior to conducting field reviews, we use several resources to conduct background research to determine potential biological and/or species concerns.
Cultural Resources
From identifying and mitigating impacts to cultural resources to conducting ethnographic studies and geoarchaeological investigations, Eocene offers a wide range of services designed to reduce project risks and protect significant historical sites.
Paleontology
As projects reach the excavation stage, areas known for potential fossils should be surveyed to identify and preserve any fossils before development takes place. Our team of paleontologists and researchers combine technology with knowledge to provide an array of services.
NEPA/CEQA
Our team actively contributes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) projects, taking on roles as managers, technical resource specialists, authors and expert witnesses.
Siting, Planning & Permitting
Eocene’s siting, planning and permitting team specializes in assisting clients with identifying the best site or route for their development projects. We collaborate with multi-disciplinary environmental professionals to evaluate study areas and determine opportunities and constraints to permit and construct development projects.
Wetland, Stream & Stormwater
We have a dedicated team of experienced biologists qualified to perform wetland delineations and assessments. These assessments help identify risks associated with a project or site.
Visual & Scenic Resources
Eocene specializes in preserving and enhancing visual landscapes. Our team of visual resource experts have worked with dozens of linear utility projects throughout the western United States, providing visual assessments to support environmental, licensing, permitting and siting efforts.
Safety & Industrial Hygiene
We have a dedicated team of Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH), Certified Safety Professionals (CSPs) and hazardous material professionals who offer expert assistance to companies in meeting local, state and federal requirements.
Conservation Adaptive Management
Eocene provides a full suite of woodland and prairie restoration and management services. Our approach combines extensive applied experience with the expertise of our staff scientists to inform recommendations and strategic planning.
Community Development
Eocene’s community development team provides a wide range of services to meet the needs of each community. From brownfields redevelopment to grand writing and compliance with federal funding requirements, we support informed and sustainable decision making.
Drilling
Our team offers services in both environmental and geotechnical drilling. By identifying potential soil or groundwater contamination, we can mitigate risks before they escalate, ensuring safer communities and ecosystems.
GIS & Drones
Our team of geographic information system (GIS) and drone (UAS) experts develop and use innovative tools to assist clients and agencies with more effective data.
Technology & Innovation Division
Service Offerings
FieldNote
Built for a variety of industries, FieldNote is Eocene’s geospatial data collection software, trusted throughout the industry –and it’s anything but off the shelf. FieldNote makes it simple to analyze data and generate reports from the field and, with the push of a button, all the data collected is available for all users to see and analyze simultaneously.
Eocene’s technology and innovation division assists our other divisions in providing technical support and solutions to optimize productivity and efficiency.
Sustainability Division
Service Offerings
Environmental Data Analysis & Quantification
Our environmental quantification services are fueled by our EcoPractices® platform. EcoPractices is an independent platform that provides measurable solutions to help supply chain partners meet their sustainability goals and provide data to support their sustainability initiatives.
Sustainability Risk Management
Our team helps organizations determine whether they are aligned with their values and help them set goals to make a positive impact on the environment. From single-location operations to those with a global presence, our sustainability risk management team of experts can help you meet your corporate sustainability goals through our customized services.
Conservation Engineering & Environmental Compliance
Our professionals provide survey, planning and engineering assistance to meet operational, environmental and compliance goals. It is our goal to serve the agricultural community by offering the most practical, effective and sustainable engineering solutions possible.
About This Report
Eocene Environmental Group
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Mission Statement
We recognize the responsibility of organizations and individuals to be leaders in protecting our environment. Our goal is to provide transformative sustainability solutions that minimize risk for our clients, our communities and our planet.
KPI Overview
Key performance indicators (KPIs) for Eocene will be used to track the progress in key target areas and will be used in the coming years to gauge progress. These will help shape goals to drive continuous improvement.
Overview of Company Initiatives
Safety
Safety is our number one value. Our employees are trained on a consistent basis to ensure best safety practices are in place and to identify and mitigate any potential risks or jobsite hazards. Internal protocols are routinely reviewed and updated by our risk and safety departments with the latest trainings and procedures to ensure our employees arrive home safely each and every night. Our employees strive to maintain a zero-harm workplace.
Employee Well-being
Our employees create a rich work environment. Our family culture is one of the things that makes us unique and attractive to the next generation of the workforce. This includes a safe, enjoyable, diverse environment that offers opportunities for personal and professional growth. Our extensive training and development program fosters learning and leadership for employees at all levels through our leadership programs, Wright Service Corp. University and many others. We believe in fostering
employee culture and community, whether through scheduled academies or informal photo clubs. We also offer an extensive benefits package, going beyond industry standards to meet the needs of our employees. As a 100% employee-owned company, we take pride in keeping our employees’ well-being top-of-mind.
Environmental Sustainability
As an environmental services company, we strive to protect and preserve the ecosystems where we live and work. In 2022, we began cataloguing and quantifying key impact areas to support greenhouse gas accounting development. This includes an overview of electricity, fuel, waste and water. We are also committed to pursuing efficiency within our fleet. Geotab and Lytx software track driver safety and fuel and maintenance metrics, supporting improved resource use. Our work also allows us to support the sustainability strategies of our clients, providing top-of-line management while remaining cognizant of environmental impact.
Community Engagement
We actively sponsor activities that benefit our employees and add value to the communities where we live and work. Through monetary and inkind donations such as labor and education, we’re able to support various causes and organizations that align with our values. Current giving programs span across the United States. We take pride in building and developing relationships with our employees, clients and communities.
30 Average hours of training annually per Consulting Utility Forester (CUF)
205.417 Field operations catalogued
51
33 States and provinces
Safety
Safety is our number one value. Our employees are trained on a consistent basis to ensure the best safety practices are in place and to identify and mitigate any potential risks or jobsite hazards. Internal protocols are routinely reviewed and updated by our risk and safety departments with the latest trainings and procedures to ensure our employees arrive home safely each and every night. Our employees strive to maintain a zero-harm workplace.
Incident Rate
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E-2920 recording occupational injuries and illnesses provides an accurate, objective framework which establishes a basis for meaningful comparison of injury and illness rates. By recording cases that have a clear connection to the workplace, we can focus prevention measures where there is a potential for life threatening, life altering or medical intervention outcomes – metrics that the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) are unable to highlight. Both high and low severity outcomes (fatality, poison ivy) are included in TRIR calculations, which is an inaccurate reflection of safety performance or validation for resource allocation.
The ASTM Incident Rate is calculated using only Level One (high-consequence) incident and illness data and the resulting rate should not be associated with TRIR for comparison. The 2024 ASTM Incident Rate for Eocene is 3.41.
Safety Training
Safety programming is being aligned across Eocene’s four divisions to promote consistency for employees and reinforce the importance of safety as a fundamental value of Eocene. All employees go through safety training upon hiring, with additional training mandated for those working in specific regions or projects to ensure awareness of sitespecific safety hazards.
Eocene’s structured safety program is divided into three categories. Category 1 includes basic office related safety for all personnel, Category 2 covers field safety for field personnel,
and Category 3 provides specialized training on an as-needed basis for unique or less common activities.
As of 2024, 171 employees are first aid, CPR and AED certified, and all field staff are also trained in bloodborne pathogen safety through the Red Cross. To foster a culture of safety and continuous learning, the safety team hosts monthly all-staff meetings including refresher trainings, discussions on recent and upcoming safety events, and employee recognition.
In the Forestry and Utility division, every new employee undergoes a safety onboarding training program during their first few weeks. Annually thereafter, training topics are discussed for at least 30 minutes each week as a safety refresh for all employees. There are also 12-hour-long safety trainings for all staff conducted monthly. Topics include vehicle and equipment safety, ergonomics, injury and illness prevention, first aid and CPR training, and environmental hazard protection. Weather conditions such as natural disaster preparedness, wildfire safety and heat illness. Wildlife awareness training for hazardous plants, insect bites, canines and reptiles is also included.
Vehicle Safety
Geotab & Lytx
Eocene uses Geotab, a fleet tracking/GPS platform that delivers tailored fleet management solutions to meet our client’s requirements for safety, productivity and efficiency. Geotab evaluates driver safety regarding seatbelts, speeding, idle time, harsh braking and cornering, as well as backing up. Lytx is a dash camera solution Eocene uses that grants managers an extra set of eyes within the cab of a vehicle. A set of two lenses capture internal and external (forward facing) footage that is reviewed and coached to improve driver safety and identify opportunities within the fleet to correct and improve unsafe behavior, as well as recognize drivers when exemplary behavior is exhibited.
Employee Survey Safety Statistics
We want to make sure we are doing everything in our power to provide a zero-harm work environment where our employees have all the necessary equipment and training to work safely. As our number one value, Eocene will not cut corners on safety or take unnecessary risks, and we know that each one of our employees feels the same way. We expanded the health and safety department, first by putting a safety manager in place, and have since added a safety supervisor to the team. With the employee survey helping to provide important feedback, Eocene will continue to make improvements that protect our employees and fortify our safety culture.
Safety Steward Award
At Eocene, we like to say safety doesn’t happen by accident. In fact, it’s our safety slogan. It reminds us that we must take action and helps keep us accountable for our own safety and that of others, or as we call it – being a safety steward. Safety is our top value, and it requires a strong commitment, continuous learning, and participation from every member of the team to truly build a culture of safety. The forestry and utility division is proud to recognize 340 individuals for ending 2024 with an exemplary safety record. This is a 47.2% increase in recipients from 2023. Recipients received a certificate and safety steward patch to honor their outstanding achievement.
Good Catch/Near-Miss
Our good catch/near-miss program is used by employees to report everything from close calls to acts of safety that go above and beyond. In 2024, there were 208 submissions through the program. Every event submitted was discussed during the all-hands weekly safety meeting to share lessons learned, raise team awareness, and recognize employees for being their brother’s and sister’s keepers.
Cybersecurity Training
The information technology (IT) department is dedicated to cybersecurity and business continuity. Over the past five years, the information security team has been tasked with improving our security posture and executing strategic security roadmaps, updated annually; by doing so, this maintains and strengthens our company’s ability to protect company and client data. The team conducts an annual comprehensive security assessment in tandem with monthly Rapid7 vulnerability scans and remediates identified issues. Our SIEM platform, AlienVault, monitored 24/7/365 by ProCircular, is utilized to help improve our detection and prevention of attacks on our company’s equipment year-round.
On a monthly cadence, employees undergo training to spot ‘phishing’ scams and other malicious emails or attacks through our security awareness program. These fraudulent requests are sophisticated and can use known company contacts to lure others into sending funds to illegitimate recipients or compromise confidential data and information. On a monthly basis, employees are tested internally and if the employee fails, they are required to go through additional training and, in some cases meet, with human resources (HR) and IT for performance improvement.
HIGHLIGHTS
Conducted annual company-wide tabletop exercise to strengthen preparedness for security incidents.
Completed comprehensive annual penetration testing to drive continuous security improvement, meeting our compliance and regulatory requirements.
Enhanced organizational resilience via our Cybersecurity Advisor Program (formerly vCISO) and extended through 2030 to sustain long-term posture improvements.
Launched Identity Access Management (IAM) initiative to improve account lifecycle management with role-based access controls. Strengthened access hygiene by implementing enhanced Password Requirements under our IAM initiative.
Deployed privilege access management capabilities to secure and monitor privileged access across critical systems.
In 2025, Eocene will continue to implement tools and training for increased company preparedness and due diligence against increasing cybersecurity risk.
BY THE NUMBERS
531.5
Total hours executed on all monthly trainings
95%
Completion across all training
377.5
Hours of required annual cybersecurity training
Safety Goals
GOAL
Incident Rate: Reduce incidents and near misses to reduce annual incident rate.
Safety: Publish quarterly safety materials updates to ensure active and consistent safety communication.
Cybersecurity Training: Ensure company participation and improvement by 5% or 200 hours of additional security awareness training.
Cybersecurity: Maintain a low-risk level on both web and iOS apps for FieldNote and EcoProducer.
Cybersecurity: Work towards SOC II by 2025 within Eocene Technology Applications.
STATUS
CHECK-CIRCLE
CHECK-CIRCLE
Employee Well-being
Eocene employees create a rich work environment. Our family culture is one of the things that makes us unique and attractive to the next generation of the workforce. This includes a safe, enjoyable and diverse environment that offers opportunities for personal and professional growth. Our extensive training and development program fosters learning and leadership for employees at all levels through the LEAD program,
In This Section
Wright Service Corp. University, and many others. We believe in fostering employee culture and community, whether through scheduled academies or informal photo clubs. We also offer an extensive benefits package, going beyond industry standards to meet the needs of our employees. As a 100% employee-owned company, we take pride in keeping our employees’ well-being top-of-mind. 22 Employee Demographics
Employee Demographics
Ethnicity
Veterans
*Veteran
Culture
Located across North America with a largely remote and field-based staff, we make taking an active role in building company culture a priority. Our culture of innovation and inclusion plays a huge role in who we are and what we believe in as a company. Eocene continues to identify avenues to support company culture at a company and division level.
Employee Engagement Programming
Rewarding Success
The Rewarding Success Program celebrates and recognizes employees who exhibit the values of Eocene in an exemplary manner. The reward categories correspond to our company values of safety, family, integrity, excellence and stewardship. When an employee completes a qualifying activity, as determined by their supervisor, they can then be nominated and receive a rewarding success award. The program runs from January to December each year.
Translation Committee
The translation committee is dedicated to minimizing language barriers to promote effective communication within our organization. By procuring professional translations via our trusted vendor, our core mission is to ensure that language serves as a bridge rather than a barrier by facilitating knowledge sharing, collaboration and mutual understanding among individuals with diverse linguistic backgrounds.
We primarily provide Spanish and French-Canadian translations but offer several others to meet the needs of our diverse team. Employees can request translations through our shared services department liaison for items such as and not limited to internal communications, recruitment advertisements, procedures/training materials, HR materials, publicfacing or external use documents, e-learning content, video and closed captioning/subtitles, and websites.
Women of Wright
The Women of Wright program began in 2022 to increase hiring and retaining a diverse workforce by empowering, developing and supporting employees at all levels to reach their fullest potential and equip them with the tools to excel as leaders in our industry.
The program consists of a two-day workshop at the corporate office in West Des Moines, Iowa. Women in our family of companies are nominated by leaders or colleagues to participate. Those who were not selected for the workshop in a previous year can be nominated in the future.
The 2024 workshop focused around three main themes: connect, educate and empower. Each theme incorporated learning opportunities, exchange of ideas and application of new skills. Women left the workshop with tools to continue developing themselves personally and professionally.
From Eocene, seven women participated in the program.
Work Environment
Eocene’s employee handbook contains several employment policies and practices aimed at providing the best possible work environment for all employees. In efforts to sustain a safe, equitable and accommodating workplace we have standards for employee behavior, ethical practices, equal employment, and disability and religious accommodations. We have a commitment to provide a workplace free from harassment and discrimination, free from workplace violence, and free from retaliation and illegal drug and alcohol use. We welcome all employees to report concerns and utilize our open-door policy for suggestions to continually improve the workplace.
Eocene Women of Wright participants
Education & Development
Learning Management System (LMS)
Wright Service Corp. University (WSCU) is a learning platform that documents and tracks our employees’ online training. WSCU creates the ability to reach every employee in the company who has a company email for training and continued education. More than 25,000 LinkedIn Learning courses are available to eligible employees via WSCU. Some sample elective training topics include management, leadership, customer service, productivity, Microsoft training and much more. In addition, new employees are assigned training in WSCU that includes:
Harassment and discrimination
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
True Colors
Customer service
System training
Retirement savings and enrolling in a 401(k) or Roth
Accessing the company clothing and apparel store
True Colors
True Colors® is a personality assessment used to boost interdepartmental and team dynamics/understanding. Each employee completes a survey during onboarding and is provided their results that include their strengths, weaknesses and strategies for communicating with people of different personalities. This improves employee selfawareness and conflict resolution.
Individual Development
The training and development team offers Eocene numerous individual development options. These can include team workshops, individual coaching and mentoring, depending on the need.
Ascend First Level Leader Program
The Ascend Program provides opportunities to develop the mindset and skills to lead teams. The program content focuses on building leadership competency in the following areas:
Improving skills in executing strategic plans
Understanding your team’s role within the business
Learning to communicate effectively
19,217 LMS COURSE COMPLETIONS
Developing emotional intelligence
Developing personal accountability
2024 was the inaugural year for the program. The pilot was composed of 32 Eocene participants in both virtual and hybrid cohorts.
Leadership Academy
Each year Eocene hosts a week-long leadership academy. The employees selected are nominated as potential future leaders in our organization. During leadership academy, attendees are provided leadership training by management, opportunities to network with teammates from across North America, visit the corporate office, meet support staff, as well as gain skills to enhance their careers.
Our 2024 cohort of leadership academy included 20 Eocene employees that traveled from across the United States and Canada. The 2024 cohort brings the Leadership Academy alumni count to 167 since the program’s inception in 2014.
Health & Wellness
Benefits Programs
Eocene employees are offered a comprehensive benefits program. Based on employee classification and union status, employees may select benefits coverage aligned with their individual and family needs. Coverage offerings include medical, prescription, dental and vision insurance, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance and disability plans, retirement savings plans (401(k) and Employee Stock Ownership), identify theft protection, an employee assistance plan, and wellness incentives. Additionally, various time off and leave plans are available for paid holidays and vacation and leaves for parents, caregivers, and for employee’s own illnesses and injuries.
Medical
Qualified Eocene employees are eligible for medical and prescription coverage, dental and vision insurance. Coverage may be selected for an individual or family.
There were 441 Eocene employees enrolled in health insurance in 2024.
Employee Assistance & Mental Health
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a professional and confidential, short-term counseling service available to the employee and their immediate family. This is a company paid benefit. Immediate telephone access to a counselor is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Resources are available for mental health, legal services, financial consultation and eldercare needs.
Those in need can visit a doctor on their smartphone, tablet or computer from virtually anywhere and offered at no cost. Doctor on Demand offers no cost, virtual doctor visits with board-certified doctors who can treat most common medical conditions and prescribe medication.
Time Away & Leave Programs
Eocene recognizes employees need time away from work to relax, get well, and connect with family, friends and the community. A variety of paid time away plans are offered based on employee eligibility groups including holidays, vacation or paid time off, volunteer time, sick time and bereavement. For employees treating or recovering from their own injury or illness, providing care to an eligible family member, or welcoming a new child, there are various leave programs available. Paid parental and family care leave provides eligible employees paid time off to bond with a newborn baby, legal adoption or placement for adoption, or to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition.
Longevity
Employee Ownership
Eocene is a proud employee-owned company. Through shared ownership, Eocene’s ESOP helps promote a positive, unique organizational culture and supports company success. The ESOP is also designed to assist our employees with their retirement and provide them with a financial stake in the company. For our clients and partners, we are empowered to provide exceptional service and innovative solutions.
The ESOP enables employees to directly affect profitability and value and see the results. The ESOP has also allowed the company to protect jobs and support the communities we work in.
Only nonunion employees who are at least 18 years old and have worked for the company for one year, totaling at least 1,000 hours, are eligible to enter the plan. Employees are automatically enrolled in the ESOP after meeting the qualifications on April 1 or October 1, following their 1-year anniversary date with the company.
With new employees constantly joining the company, many new to an ESOP company, and others entering the plan, the employee ownership committee provides ESOP educational training. They encourage divisions to host annual training conducted by committee members. Employee ownership committee members continue to support the ESOP community through donations to the employee ownership foundation and the development of a Central Iowa networking group. Committee members continue to participate in the Iowa/Nebraska Chapter of The ESOP Association including attending events and conferences.
Retirement
Eocene offers a comprehensive 401(k) retirement savings plan with the same eligibility requirements and entry dates as the ESOP.
Eocene has a Safe Harbor Match Program to the 401(k) offering, matching 100% of the first 3%, plus an additional 50% of the next 2% employees would contribute to their retirement savings. The matching funds are placed in the ESOP account. Meaning, employees should contribute at least 5% annually to receive the full company match. These company-matched contributions are 100% vested.
The automatic enrollment program is an automatic 3% pre-tax 401(k) enrollment process for all eligible employees which increases contributions from salary pay by 1% each year until 10% is reached with an opt-out available. This was enacted to ensure employees were taking steps for their financial security in the future.
Employee Well-being Goals
GOAL
Diversity & Inclusion: Analyze employee gender and race/ethnicity information to establish benchmarks and goals for annual diversity growth.
Employee Well-being: Continue to provide our employees with more benefits education through regular newsletters, plan enrollment resources and new hire summaries.
Education & Development: Increase engagement in online learning by continuing to offer courses chosen through survey feedback, employee recommendations and leader input.
STATUS
Environmental Sustainability
As an environmental services company, we strive to protect and preserve the ecosystems where we live and work. The process of cataloguing and quantifying key impact areas to support the development of greenhouse gas accounting was started in 2022 (prior to our integration to Eocene). This includes an overview of electricity, fuel, waste and water. We are also committed to pursuing efficiency within our fleet. Geotab and Lytx software track driver safety and fuel and maintenance metrics, supporting improved resource use. Our work also allows us to support the sustainability strategies of our clients, providing top of line management while remaining cognizant of environmental impact.
Our Impact
Our Impact
Forestry & Utility
Through the UVM inspection and auditing service offering, the forestry and utility division currently works nationwide and in two Canadian provinces. The division provides operational support to 43 utility clients, including investor-owned utilities, cooperative utilities, federal/provincial utilities and public utilities.
In 2024, our research and development team provided operational and strategic consulting services to five utilities in the United States. Additionally, they conducted urban forest inventory projects for municipalities in 2024. One such project included a comprehensive community forest management plan resulting from a public tree inventory. Our urban forestry team developed recommendations based on community engagement, the inventory of existing trees and potential planting locations. Management actions were prioritized for near-term operations and longer-term activities to ensure the plan was actionable while supporting clients’ desired outcomes.
In 2024, the forestry and utility division inventoried over one million trees through projects across all our service lines.
Environmental
One of the biggest areas of growth within the environmental consulting industry is in support of renewable energy projects, with the vast majority of these being for solar-energy generation. Eocene’s environmental division has been supporting Recurrent Energy’s Papago Photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generation and storage project for nearly seven years now, originally hired on to support some of the early municipal permitting efforts and consultation with the Maricopa County planning and development department. The overall project, which is now fully permitted and under construction, will eventually generate upwards of 300MW of electricity and up to 1,200MW hours (MWh) of energy storage on approximately 2,300 acres of privately owned land. Once operational, the battery storage component of the project will stand as the largest standalone battery storage facility in Arizona to date. The energy storage is expected to provide enough electricity to power up to 72,000 homes for four hours daily with the solar generation able to provide power to the equivalent of approximately 24,000 homes per year.
Over the years, Eocene has provided a wide array of environmental and permitting support to get this project up and running.
Technology & Innovation
The technology and innovation division’s foundational software, FieldNote, has continued progress on expanding its functionality to include a new urban forestry and tree inventory module. The tree inventory module allows clients to map tree locations and provides prebuilt configurable dashboards that aggregate valuable analytics. As clients continue to use the software, they can customize the different metrics captured to meet their specific needs.
Sustainability
The sustainability division’s sustainability risk management team has been a leader in the biogenic carbon accounting of the food industry since 2008. Biogenic carbon is the difficult-to-quantify carbon that comes from biological processes such as soils, land use change and animal digestion. The outcomes provided by Eocene can be utilized internally by clients to direct future environmental initiatives, increase marketability, and enhance consumer communications. These valuable metrics support a client’s sustainability story with quantifiable data and metrics. The outcomes can also be utilized externally to demonstrate environmental commitments to customers/retailers and to support industry initiatives.
Product-level emissions quantification for agricultural commodities requires two primary categories of data. The first set of inputs are fossil fuels, electricity, and agronomic inputs which are purchased from outside sources and are used on-farm to manage the production of crops. The second category of data relates to the soils themselves. The daily management practices implemented by farmers can significantly impact soil, particularly their ability to sequester carbon and emit nitrous oxide (N20). Eocene uses internationally accepted Tier 2 methodology to model soil emissions. These site-specific, acre-based soil emissions are paired with the fuels, electricity and other inputs to collectively provide a holistic picture of product-level emissions. This process is called Life Cycle Accounting (LCA).
TREES INVENTORIED IN 2024
The tree inventory module is especially beneficial for clients working in urban forestry due to the complexity of tracking different tree metrics across a wide range of locations within cities and towns.
The sustainability division’s sustainability risk management team provides clients with a quantification and assessment of its overall GHG emissions in alignment with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. This includes Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions associated with the company’s business activities. GHG Accounting allows clients to track emissions, identify areas in need of improvement, and reduce the environmental footprint of operations over time.
Resource Use
Fleet & Equipment
With the support and guidance of our Geotab reseller, Gridline, the company was one of the first in the world to see and experience, pilot and deploy a Geotab/Lytx integration that allows the Lytx user interface to be visible and interactive within Geotab.
Eocene was selected as a participant for the Geotab Signature Advisory Group. This group meets quarterly to “take a peek under the hood” of Geotab roadmap initiatives and strategies, with opportunities to contribute and collaborate with their product and service developers, other business partners, and Geotab leadership as well as other Geotab clients around the world.
The mobility program team is responsible for these relationships. As a team, they collaborate with users to conceptualize capabilities, gather report requests, and complete troubleshooting. They quarterback conversations with subject matter experts for system enhancements, product and service recommendations, along with ensuring daily tasks and usual business within those systems can be completed unimpeded.
We are often the primary or direct link to Eocene for our vendor partners and provide feedback and guidance on how our companies utilize their products and services and collaborate to provide considerations for them on any potential development needs that may exist or present themselves.”
- Lucas Loftin, mobility delivery lead
Eocene’s environmental division has fully deployed the Geotab and Lytx capabilities as well. With a fleet of over 50 assets, the environmental division has already begun leveraging the system capabilities to understand operational trends, engage drivers and identify opportunities for enhancement, or where additional inquiries or improvements can be made.
Fuel Usage
Geotab together with WEX (a fuel card that helps companies save costs with automated fuel expense tracking, employee spending controls, purchase alerts and exclusive discounts) allows for the tracking of fuel efficiency. Some fuel is provided via bulk fueling or client fueled, which is not included in annual reporting. Bulk fuel, when available, is an efficient way to prepare the fleet without spending excess labor time and resources to travel to the nearest fueling station.
The vehicles equipped with Geotab technology utilized by Eocene’s fleet traveled 7,080,947 miles in 2024. Unproductive idle time is currently being tracked along with miles per gallon efficiency.
Recycling
Eocene is committed to reducing our environmental footprint when possible. A key component of our sustainability programming includes our IT department. The IT department works to prioritize redeployment of technology over purchasing additional devices. Once the electronics are no longer functioning, our team works with an e-cycler to properly recycle and dispose of the various components of the electronics.
Environmental Sustainability Goals
Fuel Use: Add an electric vehicle to the company fleet. Arrow-Circle-Right
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Accounting: Conduct Scope 3 screening and develop processes for related data collection by emissions category.
Community Engagement
Eocene actively sponsors activities that benefit our employees and add value to the communities where we live and work. Through monetary and in-kind donations such as labor and education, we’re able to support various causes and organizations that align with our values. Over the years, as our company has grown, so has our community outreach. Current giving programs span across the United States. We take pride in building and developing relationships with our employees, clients and communities.
Five Eocene team members participated in the 2024 Tour des Trees. Together, they raised over $25,000 for the TREE Fund.
2024 Trees and Utilities Conference in Fort Worth, TX
Vice President Matthew Searels accepts the 2024 Partners in Excellence Award (PinE) from the UAA.
Reputation
Industry Affiliations & Company Memberships
Forestry & Utility Division
A300 Treecare Standards Committee
Arboricultural Research & Education Academy
Connecticut Tree Protective Association
International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
NRECA (North American Rural Electric Cooperative Association)
Rhode Island Tree Council
Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA)
Tree Wardens Association of Connecticut
Urban & Community Forestry Society
Utility Arborist Association (UAA)
Environmental Division
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)
American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)
Archaeological Institute of America
Board of Certified Safety Professionals
Iowa Illinois Safety Council
Iowa Schools Buildings and Grounds Association (ISBGA)
Environmental Professionals of Iowa
Master Builders of Iowa (MBI)
Minnesota Wetland Professional Association
Minnesota Wireless Association
Missouri/Kansas Wireless Association
Nebraska/Iowa Wireless Association
Society for American Archaeologists
Utah Professional Archaeological Council
Technology and Innovation Division
Arbor Day Foundation
Technology Association of Iowa
Sustainability Division
American Meat Sciences Association
American Society for Horticultural Sciences (ASHS)
Illinois Farm Bureau
Illinois Pork Producers Association
Iowa Farm Bureau
Iowa Sustainable Business forum
National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA)
Women in Agribusiness
Women Meat Industry Network
Student Engagement
Internships
Our sustainability division offers internship opportunities for students, allowing them to gain hands-on experience and valuable support in the field where they hope to build their career. In 2024 we had one agronomy intern and one environmental sciences intern.
Community Engagement Goals
GOAL
Reputation: Recommend that all management serve on an industry committee.
Youth Interaction: Create a program to track career fairs and recruitment events attended.
Youth Interaction: Attend a diversity-focused career fair or recruitment event to support a broadened Eocene candidate pool.
Vendor: Implement vendor code of conduct and supplier diversity policy across Eocene’s four divisions.
Contributions: Expand employee involvement in company planned volunteer events.
STATUS
Appendix
An evaluation by EcoPractices®, a sustainability risk management tool from Eocene Environmental Group Inc., a Wright Service Corp. (WSC) subsidiary, in partnership with WSC. This report is intended to showcase the sustainability journey of Eocene, dedicated to recognizing their responsibility toward their mission, vision and values for their employee owners, partners, clients and the public.
37 Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) Appendix In This Section
