Wellness

Wellness at Freese and Nichols includes offering the right insurance for the needs of our staff, so those offerings are annually reviewed. For example, in 2023, we added a contribution for dependent care where FNI adds $1,000 for all accounts, and 103 employees have enrolled. In 2022, we adjusted our benefits to include a Paid Parental Leave program for primary and secondary caregivers. As of mid-year 2024, Freese and Nichols has approved 11,097 hours of leave for staff to spend time with their families. Our plans offer access to discounts on health products and programs you use every day, including things like vision and hearing care, gym memberships, mind/body programs and alternative medicine. Our LiveWell Program provides corporate memberships at YMCA, healthy snacks in our breakrooms, fun fitness activities and the option for an annual reimbursement for activities or purchases that help you focus on your everyday health.

Additionally, our Employee Assistance Program is a resource for every employee – and everyone in his or her household – to help with just about anything, including childcare, handling stress, financial management, legal assistance, mental health, and finding a physician.

Benefits With an Impact

• FNI’s insurance plan covers the lives of roughly 4,000 people.
• 17 of our benefits offerings are paid for completely by the firm.
• FNI offers benefits to true half-time employees working 20 hours per week – this is unique as many firms do not offer benefits for staff working less than 30 hours per week.

Recruiting and Retention

Recruiting efforts are determined by client, group and project needs and are also guided by the needs of our staff as we continue to grow. We continually monitor utilization rates and overtime with group and practice leaders to keep a pulse on staff energy levels and prevent burnout.

Our recruiting efforts span across the United States leveraging technical professional organizations networks such as National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). We also focus recruiting efforts on our other technical professions such as planning, environmental, architecture and construction management professions. From Fall 2022 – Spring 2023, our university recruiting teams participated in 24 career fairs at campuses in several states, and are beginning to build relationships with the student chapters of the organizations listed above to increase our visibility. We also host on campus interviews, making it easier to meet with more diverse student candidates who may not have the resources to travel.

Leadership Development

We are also expanding our definition of organizational development to include talent strategy and management. In 2024, we will expand our course offerings for staff at all levels of the organization and define our leadership development continuum. We will also launch our Career Architecture project that will outline the responsibilities, skills, and recommended individual traits for all roles within the company in an effort to better equip staff to manage and develop their careers at Freese and Nichols.

Involvement with K-12 Schools, Universities, and Licensure/Certification Exam Preparation

Our staff are regularly involved in promoting careers in our industry. At the university level, we often give presentations on topics like career development and professional licensure and share specific technical expertise. We also volunteer with organizations that target high school-aged youth, like the ACE Mentor Program of America, or in a variety of STEM and K-12 school events and career days. For those taking on a new license or certification, FNI staff are often leading workshops and study groups for anyone to join, either within or outside of our firm.

Learn More

• Shad Comeaux Teaches Principles of Site Design at Texas Southern University
• Freese and Nichols Invests in San Antonio ACE Mentor Program Students
• Mat Leclair’s Commitment to Aiding the Next Generation of Professional Engineers
• Austin Office Hosts Urban Planners for AICP Exam Prep Workshop
• Sabu Paul Completes Harvard Leadership Program

Our reporting system indicates that in 2023 our teams donated 5319 hours of time to 157 different organizations like ACE Mentor Program of America, Audubon Texas, Future City Competition, Feeding Tampa Bay, Trees of Atlanta, United Way, Victory Over Violence, Water for People, and more.

We believe living out our LEADS values as we “Serve Always” is a true differentiator. Moving forward, we intend to expand the volunteer program by working with Division Managers to identify future contributions. This allows the firm to make a larger positive impact on our local communities through our collective engagement.

Learn More

• LinkedIn: Austin Coastal and Environmental Teams Volunteer at Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies’ Oyster Recycling Program
• LinkedIn: Supporting the Rutledge Cancer Foundation in the Denver Colfax Marathon
• LinkedIn: Raleigh Team Tends the Community Garden at Holly Springs Food Cupboard
• Freese and Nichols Engineers Inspire Students to Explore Sustainable Energy

Corporate Giving

Freese and Nichols has given more than $2.5 million in community contributions from 2019 through 2023. From community and nonprofit organizations, to professional and client organizations important to the success of our industry, our contributions span our locations across Texas and the United States. Our small and mid-size offices have contributed 32% of our total, in keeping with our goals to make a difference where we work.

Freese and Nichols has been involved in and engaged with the United Way since the 1970s. Our CEO, Brian Coltharp, has been serving as a board member for United Way of Tarrant County since 2018, as Co-Chair of the Annual Campaign in 2021, and Chair of the Annual Campaign in 2022.

We sponsor a company-wide United Way campaign every fall, generating our largest combined donation to a given charitable organization. The campaign includes the opportunity for employees to donate to United Way via payroll deduction and participate in fundraising activities planned by each office. Freese and Nichols matches every employee donation, dollar for dollar. In 2023, our United Way campaign raised over $300,900 — one of the best in our history.

Below is just a sampling of our more than 1,000 corporate giving beneficiaries over the last five years.

Reducing Workplace Injuries

While we always encourage reporting injuries to supervisors and the safety team, even if they seem minor, our number of OSHA recordable injuries remains well below the industry average.

We accomplish this with a handful of tactics and trainings, including implementing WorkCare, a non-emergency occupational injury triage line, in 2019. WorkCare operates a 24-hour phone line that allows staff to talk to an occupational health nurse or physician to determine whether an injury requires evaluation or treatment at a clinic. Nurses can recommend self-care measures or help direct staff to a facility that specializes in workplace injuries and has the necessary information about our company contacts and workers comp insurance.

Freese and Nichols’ DEI Committee

Our DEI Committee was formed in 2020 to help foster a workplace that reflects and contributes to the diverse communities in which we do business. Over the first two years, the committee has built a charter with goals, held numerous internal listening sessions to understand staff perceptions, enhanced our Code of Conduct case studies, provided suggestions to expand our recruitment and hiring initiatives, and created a DEI-centric resource intranet page. The activities of our various region’s DEI subcommittees are promoted both internally and externally.

In the last year, we have taken some additional steps to formalize our efforts. We have rotated into our second group of committee members and put parameters in place to continue that rotation every two years to encourage a variety of participants. We are working closely with our internal organizational development team to further instill relevant trainings, including making our civil treatment course a requirement for all employees. The listening sessions we implemented are officially held annually, and key takeaways were presented to the Lead Team, helping drive the firm’s DEI growth plan.

Additionally, our first companywide DEI Day took place on May 21, 2024 allowing offices to celebrate individually and bring more awareness to our program.

Employees from North Carolina, Georgia and Florida publish quarterly DEI newsletters highlighting relevant topics and events. Examples of regional activities include luncheons to celebrate Black History Month in Pearland and International Women’s Day in Austin; and a DEI Potluck in Tampa featuring dishes reflecting employees’ heritages from Hungary, Trinidad, Sri Lanka, Italy, and Vietnam.

Learn More

• Airport Consultants Council Honors Eric Potts for DEI Contributions
• Bringing Home Two WTS Awards
• Freese and Nichols Celebrates DEI Day Companywide

Diversity in Hiring

We recognize the historical gap in our industry in employing women and minorities in technical roles and have placed a value on recruiting in these areas as we grow geographically and in our service offerings. We have numerous staff who are members of the Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS), Society of Women Engineers (SWE), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and our technical staff actively network at chapter events and regional conferences to develop relationships with clients, seek out potential employee candidates, and network with peers.

For the 2022-2023 University Recruiting Hiring Season:

• 46% of Intern hires were female
• 51% of Intern hires were racial/ethnic minority
• 50% of university hires (new graduates plus interns) were female
• 47% of university hires (new graduates plus interns) were racial/ethnic minorities

At a range of universities with whom our firm has held long-standing relationships, Freese and Nichols is deepening our relationships with students by actively working with minority student organizations such as National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and others. This allows us to support these students as they transition into their careers and introduce our firm as a place for strong opportunities.

Mentor-Protégé Program

For more than two decades, FNI has developed mutually beneficial relationships with Small, M/W/DBE and HUB firms, specifically through our collaborative mentor-protégé partnerships. Some of these relationships are sponsored and managed by our municipal clients, and others have organically grown through our ongoing relationships and our own internal program. We currently are participating in eleven mentor-protégé partnerships.

Our partnership starts by entering into an agreement that sets expectations for both parties, develop a mentor-protégé plan, and meet regularly to provide opportunities and education. Sessions between our firms include sharing best practices and knowledge of current industry regulations; sessions on strategic planning, risk management, human resources, IT, sales and marketing; recommending accounting efficiencies; and positioning together for client projects that would benefit both parties.