The list in this Special Report is unusual for the Business Journal in two ways. It’s a first—the first list of local-market Civic 50 honorees in the country. And it’s likely a first Business Journal list without financials. Rightly so.
The list isn’t ranked by Orange County companies’ two-year sales growth, market cap or increase in local payrolls. It’s simply alphabetical and segmented by number of Orange County employees: large 500-plus, medium 100 to 499, and small 15 to 99. The list details just some of the OC Civic 50s’ charities and civic-engagement programs.
Points of Light, the world’s largest organization dedicated to volunteer service, initiated the national Civic 50 in 2012, joined by True Impact—and OneOC for a regional survey. The survey does use metrics to provide benchmarks for companies to gauge themselves against national norms and to compare themselves with peers. The metrics include investment of employee time and skills, cash and in-kind contributions, and public voice devoted by firms and their employees to serving their communities—which encompasses funding support for a company’s most important Orange County social cause.
There are other quantitative measures, all factored into the scoring to determine the honorees and “award winners” that follow. The narratives and case studies that the 50 honorees and all survey respondents provided didn’t factor into the scoring; they’re “off balance-sheet items.” But they tell a bigger story, of a “renaissance in corporate philanthropy” that’s clearly evident in the Orange County Civic 50, even measured against U.S. Civic 50 honorees.
Consider:
• Average volunteer hours/employees: OC Civic 50: 15.9, U.S. Civic 50: 5.3
• Average percentage of employees who volunteer: OC Civic 50: 46, U.S. Civic 50: 26
• Firms that offer employees paid volunteer time off: OC Civic 50: 74%, U.S. Civic 50: 64%
Ceremony Notables (and Quotables)
The inaugural Civic 50 culminated with an awards luncheon on Thursday at Hotel Irvine recognizing all 50 companies for generosity and servitude, with the following awards:
• Small company group: O’Melveny & Meyers LLP
• Medium company group: KPMG LLP
• Large company group: Bank of America
• Emerging company: Antis Roofing & Waterproofing
• Legacy company: Disneyland Resort
Some luncheon inspiration:
“When we were starting, I walked into another company, and they were so happy. I thought they must be actors. But I listened to philanthropy leaders here, like Dan McQuaid. Now we have that culture.” — Charles Antis
“We’ve got millennials, Gen X, Gen Y, boomers, and the Greatest Generation, all in this room and all focused on doing good.” — Lindsay Lawrence, COO, First Foundation Bank, Civic 50 award presenter.
Overheard: “Can they make the survey shorter?”
“I’m working on it.” — Dan McQuaid, CEO, OneOC
How Some Do It
Just a sampling of Civic 50 companies’ approaches:
• Capital Group celebrates associates’ long-term contributions to the company by donating $250 to the nonprofit of their choice on their five-year anniversaries; $500 in their 10th and 15th years, and $1,000 at the 20-year mark.
• Optima Group’s Fun & Culture Committee employs a “ground-up” approach where every department has a representative on a 12-member committee to select charities and design activities.
• Union Bank’s partnership with Anaheim Unified includes a student-run branch at Loara High with $500 stipends for students and $1,000 scholarships toward college upon completing a one-year senior course.
