A commitment to our people, customers, community, and environment has always been part of our core values. Today, we recognize that many of those same values also demonstrate our commitment to upholding the principles of ESG. These standards are an inextricable part of how we have done business in the past, and they will continue to shape and safeguard our future growth.
Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability is both an ethical and commercial imperative and goes hand in hand with operating efficiently. Ruppert is not new to the green movement. Our company has been actively engaged in conserving resources and promoting environmental stewardship within our organization, for our customers, and within our community or many years.
- LEED-certified corporate campus with solar farm that completely offsets all electrical demand
- The use of water reclamation systems at several facilities for landscape irrigation
- The use of organic waste recycling at our facilities
- An in-house irrigation division that uses water conservation practices
- The responsible use of organic principles based on customer prioritization
- Development and implementation of specific landscape management green practices with customers
- Hybrid vehicles in our fleet and battery-powered 2-cycle equipment used in some locations
- Planting of nearly 1,000,000 trees and shrubs since the company’s inception 50 years ago; growing more than 100,000 wholesale trees on over 1,000 acres in Maryland and Virginia
Social Responsibility
Social responsibility is an integral part of our organization. We have a long history of providing meaningful support to the communities in which we work and live. We also make sure that we prioritize the needs and well-being of our people by making our business a fun, exciting, safe, and rewarding place to work.
- Donating $2.7 million in the past five years to worthy causes, a large portion of which is managed at the local level (vs. corporate level) to ensure team members are actively involved in the giving
- Fostering a culture of fairness and inclusion affirmed through a diversity statement
- Commitment to safety including a safety department, with a dedicated safety committee, well-documented safety procedures that are consistently practiced, and multiple incentive programs
- Skills, leadership, and management training to prepare employees for the challenges they face (including training in Spanish tailored to our Latinx workforce)
- Providing growth opportunities for employees by promoting from within
- An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all employees, as well as need-based responsiveness for employees struggling with financial, health, and family challenges.
- Continuing education opportunities including industry certifications and tuition reimbursement
- Supporting the path to citizenship for employees including sponsoring H2B employees to obtain permanent residency status
- Regularly scheduled performance reviews and open lines of communication at all levels within the company’s chain of command
- A 6% increase in female presence and 4% increase in minority presence in leadership within the last five years
Corporate Governance
Governance is the foundation of good business and is evident in our policies and practices. We are committed to full transparency with our team members and stakeholders, and we have a leadership team that is fair, considers the needs of each individual, and is comfortable being held to the highest standards.
- Open-book and open-door policy with frequent communication at all levels of the company
- Strategic five-year plan that is shared company-wide
- Board of Directors to provide guidance, strategic advice and financial oversight for the company and its management team
- Core values that guide all leadership decisions
- Involvement with local and national industry associations
- Family- and employee-owned with a path for partnership
- Executive team with many years of industry experience and business acumen
- Regular self-imposed third-party financial audits to ensure transparency and accountability
- Internal close-out procedure to share best practices and benchmark statistics
Environmental Sustainability
