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ABOUT
VERDICAL
GROUP

.ABOUT VERDICAL

Verdical · (noun): An upward trend in positive environmental impact

  • Verdical Group is a leading sustainability consulting firm focused on decarbonizing the built environment and inspiring a net zero future.
  • We’ve developed a nationally known brand and industry leading reputation since the company was founded in 2012.
  • Our core values include environmentalism, fun, inspiration, adventure, and continuous learning.
  • Incorporated as a Benefit Corporation and a Certified B Corporation, we meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
  • A 1% for the Planet Member Company: we donate 1% of our annual revenue, not just profit, to environmental nonprofit organizations.
  • We are also a Certified Small Business, Green Business, and Social Enterprise
  • We're committed to antiracism; our diverse team is one of our greatest assets.  Interested in joining our team? Learn more here.

THE WHY.

Human activity is creating climate change. Verdical Group is working to reduce the building industry’s contribution to the problem. Our work makes a positive impact on the climate crisis through decarbonization of the built environment. We’re working with our clients to build a net zero future, and we’re inspiring as many others as possible to do the same. Click here to see the latest scientific facts from NASA.

OUR IMPACT.

As a B Corp and Benefit Corporation, a key commitment of ours here at Verdical Group is to measure our positive social and environmental impact. This report will share the incredible positive impact our team made in 2021. We share highlights on how we’re continuously improving when it comes to our workers, environment, community, governance, and customer services. 

DOWNLOAD OUR 2021 IMPACT REPORT

OUR CLIMATE COMMITMENTs.

A Net Positive Company

We are excited to share that Verdical Group has officially offset our entire historical carbon footprint dating back to the company’s founding in 2012, plus ten percent, going above and beyond net zero to become a carbon negative / climate positive company.

Our company goes beyond achieving net zero carbon emissions to actually create an environmental benefit (net positive) by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We plan to continue tracking our annual carbon footprint, reducing our impact wherever we can, and offsetting our remaining annual emissions. We currently track our annual Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions, which encompass impact areas such as our office space, employee transportation / commuting, waste, and procurement. Read more about our journey here.

We are proud members of the B Corp Climate Collective and The Climate Pledge, collaborations of organizations dedicated to achieving net zero by 2030.

 
An Anti-Fossil Fuel Company

Verdical Group does not accept money from companies whose majority of revenue comes from the fossil fuel industry.

This was a tough decision for us, as up to 10% of our revenue came from a local natural gas utility at one point. But when it came down to it, the decision ended up being very simple. At Verdical Group, we are working to decarbonize the world. Fossil fuel companies are the biggest emitters of carbon and the causes of the climate crisis that we are working to solve. It doesn’t make sense for us to enable them by accepting contracts or event sponsorships from these companies — it’s counterproductive to our work. Verdical Group will lead the charge toward decarbonization, moving to renewables as quickly as possible, and solving the climate crisis. We’ll also continue to advocate for the removal of natural gas on all of our building projects.
 
Divested

Verdical Group officially divested from fossil fuels, tobacco, prisons, and firearms in early 2022. We believe that if you’re truly dedicated to helping solve the climate crisis, then you can’t invest in big oil companies that are inherently self-interested in maintaining the status quo, carbon-intensive economy. Divestment is one of the most impactful things you can do to help change the world for the better and support our inevitable low-carbon economy of the future. There are now many options for ESG and sustainability-focused mutual funds that screen out these companies that hurt people and the environment. Learn more about the funds that we’re now invested in and read about our journey to divestment here.

OUR DIVERSITY COMMITMENT.

Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our diverse employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation, goodwill and long-term success. We aim to create a welcoming, supportive, and collaborative environment where full participation is valued and voices from diverse backgrounds and perspectives are heard.

Verdical Group’s racial and ethnic diversity initiatives are applicable—but not limited—to our practices and policies on recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, professional development and training, mentorship and sponsorship, work and project assignments, promotions, transfers, social and recreational programs, layoffs and the ongoing development of a work environment built on a premise of racial equity that encourages and enforces:

  • Anti-racism; we are committed to not just prohibiting racism within our organization but also actively fighting discrimination against Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).
  • Respectful communication and cooperation between all employees.
  • Teamwork and employee participation, permitting the representation of all groups and employee perspectives.
  • Work/life balance through flexible work schedules to accommodate employees’ varying needs.
  • Employer and employee contributions to the communities we serve to promote a greater understanding and respect for traditionally underserved and historically marginalized populations.

Verdical Group provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, familial status, marital status, source of income, mental or physical disability, genetic information, Vietnam Era status, or other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

We are committed to the hiring, retention and promotion of racially and ethnically diverse employees. Our retention and promotion strategies are focused on providing a culture and work environment where racially and ethnically diverse employees have the opportunity to be successful in their careers and to be represented at all levels of the organization including senior leadership.

 

Let’s All Be Part of the Change — Read our article on advancing antiracism in our work, published on B the Change, here.

HEALTH & WELLNESS.

At Verdical Group, we value the wellbeing of our employees above all else. We use our B Corporation and Benefit Corporation resources as a guideline for our Employee Handbook and host regular reviews and feedback surveys to ensure we’re being the best company we can be. Visit our Apply page to learn more about some of our favorite employee benefits.

We also make wellness a priority across our building projects, pushing for credits related to health, nutrition, exercise, daylighting, and mental health. While we have several Fitwel Ambassadors on staff and are proud to offer this as a service, we aim to apply these principles regardless of rating system. 

We are members of the USGBC Healthy Economy Commitment, community members urging elected leaders to take action on key green building policy priorities, and the USGBC-LA Healthy Building Alliance, a commitment to provide sustainable, healthy, resilient spaces to live, work, and play.

A LOVE STORY.

I read that a CEO’s main job is to be the keeper of a company’s vision and story. I didn’t always use the title “CEO” — it seemed too corporate for what I wanted to focus on — but I use it now, mostly to describe my leadership role to those outside our company. Telling you the story of Verdical Group is really personal to me. I suppose because it started out, just me.
 
The company was founded in my Pasadena, California garage in 2012. I came up with the name “verdical” from “verd,” the Latin root for “green,” and played on the word “vertical,” to describe the positive impact we make on our projects. I had a vision for the team of experts I’d build, but it still felt like I was going out on a limb naming the company a “Group” when it was literally just me on my laptop. My wife Elizabeth and I had a one-year-old baby girl at home, and I couldn’t afford office space right off the bat, so I was relegated to the garage, with no heating or cooling. This was the first Verdical Group world headquarters. 
 
Verdical Group CEO Drew Shula Garage
 
Verdical Group was founded as a direct response to the building industry contributing 40% of global annual carbon emissions to the climate crisis. The industry needed help transforming the way we build in order to stop doing so much damage to the environment. I could see that the built environment needed to function more like the natural environment, with closed loop systems. We needed to reinvent building design and construction if we were going to reverse the trend in atmospheric CO2.
 
Because there was an enormous business opportunity for transformational change, Verdical Group’s business quickly picked up, and before long there was more than I could do alone. We built out our team to actually reflect the “group” in our name, got office space, and established a culture that reflected our values. We were off to the races growing and building the super green, net zero, and zero carbon future we imagined. 
Educating the market has always been a priority. Our team makes an incredible positive impact every day, but in educating thousands of others through our events, we’ve scaled our impact far beyond what we could ever do ourselves. In 2014, I founded the Net Zero Conference to catalyze radical change in the way we build, and the event grew each year into the world’s largest annual net zero event. 
 
Our company is a social enterprise in the truest sense of the word. We’re in business to make a positive impact on people and the environment. Every company has a mission, ours starts with love— that’s what drives us. We love the great outdoors, untamed wild places. And we love people. All people, in the extraordinary diversity of humanity.  
 
We run our business as a force for good. We’re incorporated as a Benefit Corporation with the State of California, a for-profit corporate entity that aligns our mission and values with growth over the long term. This structure legally requires considering our environmental and social impact along with our financial performance, whereas most companies only consider shareholder value. 
 
Verdical Group is also certified as a B Corporation by third party B Lab. We consider the impact of our business decisions on our team members, clients, suppliers, community and the environment. We also give back through the 1% for the Planet program, donating 1% of our total annual revenue, not just profit, to environmental nonprofit organizations. 
 
Beyond our green building project work, Verdical Group is committed to using our platform as an active voice for positive social and environmental change. We use our corporate communication channels to educate, advocate, and amplify critically important issues like antiracism, equity, human rights, democracy and voting, the climate crisis, environmentalism, renewable energy, and decarbonization. We’re pragmatists and know the world is far from perfect, but we’re also eternal optimists. We see challenges like the climate crisis and human inequality and know vast improvements are possible. 
 
We started with humble beginnings back in the garage, but like all love stories, our passion has allowed us to grow. Today we’re a team of engineers, architects, builders, and environmentalists working on some of the highest-profile sustainability projects in the world with visionary institutions like NASA, Google, Johnson & Johnson, LAX, and GE.
 
As we work, we carry with us the wild places that have shaped us, and an appreciation for the beautiful diversity of humanity we serve. We never forget what we’re here to do — we’re building an equitable net zero future for all people, now. 
 
Drew Shula
Founder & CEO 
Verdical Group