Bioengineering Group Promotes a Flexible Work Environment That Includes a Dog-Friendly Office

Bioengineering Group proves that not all companies are created equal. This one allows well-behaved dogs to come to work! We believe that allowing staff members to bring their dogs to the office increases morale, decreases stress levels, and serves as a welcome diversion when needed. With a focus on ecological sustainability, many staff members are devoted outdoors people and animal lovers, so it is not surprising that many are also dog owners with pets eager to accompany them.
 

CEO, Wendi Goldsmith, has been bringing her dogs to work regularly for years and encourages her employees to do the same. She understands the difficulty of leaving pets alone at home all day and believes that her dog-friendly office policy makes her employees happier to be at work, knowing their pets are getting the attention they deserve. There is an exercise area for the dogs located behind the building, and a few years ago the City of Salem created a dog park located across the street from its corporate headquarters, enhancing Bioengineering’s dog-friendly policy by allowing its dogs to enjoy a quick romp in the park with other dogs.

Jana Rajnoskova, the firm’s Senior Accounting Specialist, brings her dog Becky to the office daily. She recently obtained her Masters of Management degree from Cambridge College and chose as the topic of her final reserch project, “Dogs in the Office: Guidelines for Creating a Dog Friendly Workplace.” Convincing her professor to approve this subject for her research project did not come easily; her professor simply could not believe that such a policy actually existed in the corporate world! Jana stood by her desire to write about it as it has made such a positive difference in her work life, and she earned an “A” on the paper!

Jana stated “I chose this topic because I believe that better working environments make employees happier, and as a result employees are likely to be more productive and loyal to the company. I also believe that dogs at work help create a friendly and relaxed work atmosphere; employees enjoy better camaraderie.” Some typical comments by those she interviewed for her project, from numerous firms around the world, were … “I enjoy working for a company with a dog friendly policy – it relieves stress.” “Working in a dog-friendly company is more fun and reflects the liberal personnel policy that distinguishes Bioengineering Group from other similar firms.” Many non-dog owner employees stated that they enjoy having a relationship with a dog during the day that is not their own as they can enjoy the unconditional love and attention they receive in return.

Countdown to Celebration of 20-Years for Bioengineering Group!

Founded in January 1992, Bioengineering Group is looking forward to celebrating its 20th anniversary with a series of events. The big gala will be held in the peak fall foliage season that features New England’s glory, at the National Historic Landmark, Castle Hill at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA on Friday, October 7th. “This is a milestone to be proud of, one that is virtually unique in our industry,” stated CEO Wendi Goldsmith. “While most firms go out of business, stay tiny, or get acquired long before completing 20 years, we have grown to become widely recognized with many accomplishments. Rarer still, we are a woman-owned firm.”

During this time the firm has enjoyed the benefit of pursuing and leading others into some of the most progressive and creative sustainable design work featuring water and energy conservation, ecological restoration, low impact development, and renewable energy. Wendi stated… “I am proud to look back and see so many ‘firsts’ where our efforts helped introduce unfamiliar yet viable methods to large agencies and geographic regions. Over the years our firm has evolved from a small, ecological restoration focused company, to a leader in sustainable practices and one that supports triple bottom line returns (society, economy, ecology).” To hear more about our history and what drove its founder to create our unique firm, go to Our Story  and view the short video.

What Our People Are Up To

Kathy Bradford, RLA, GRP, has had many noteworthy accomplishments during her esteemed career, including serving as a member of the Marblehead, MA Conservation Commission, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, Women in Transportation - Boston MA Chapter, Boston Society of Landscape Architects, and the Trustees of Reservations Building and Grounds Committee for the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA.

At Bioengineering Group, Kathy serves as one of its Senior Landscape Architects and as its Design Branch Coordinator, supervising and advising those reporting to her and sharing her wealth of knowledge. Her expertise includes management and design of historic landscapes, with many of Boston’s Emerald Necklace river corridor parks and greenways in her portfolio. Kathy’s work draws heavily on her conservation ethic as well as her knowledge of dealing with urban constraints and demands, including vocal public users and stakeholders. We are very fortunate to have Kathy as part of our team.

Holding our 20-year celebration at the Crane Estate holds very special meaning to Kathy due to her close involvement with the Trustees of Reservations, which is the oldest land trust organization in the U.S. and conserves hundreds of special places, including lands and historic buildings. In recent years Kathy has served on the Crane Estate Building and Grounds Committee which has undertaken the restoration of its monumental grounds and gardens. We all look forward to honoring Kathy, the Trustees of Reservations, and Bioengineering Group as we celebrate there.

Staff members attended a series of Green Energy training classes, led by leading energy experts, as the firm increasingly is called upon to provide renewable energy-related services. The training shared ideas and cutting-edge technologies being utilized across the nation in its goal to reduce energy consumption utilizing renewable energy production and recovery of energy which is traditionally wasted.

On Earth Day 2011, Bioengineering Group hosted a volunteer community cleanup activity. Staff members (and its dogs!), along with its neighbors cleaned up the office park by removing dead brush, raking and mulching the landscape, and replacing sidewalk/street borders that were displaced during a flooding event last year. The activity demonstrated our corporate culture to provide community support by volunteering time to the project.

What You Do Matters!

What are Sustainable Homes?

Sustainable homes are those that incorporate sustainable or recycled building materials into the design. They also use renewable energy sources wherever possible, and rely on eco-friendly furnishings, paints, appliances, and cleaning products. Residents of sustainable homes also often try to incorporate sustainable living into their everyday lives. They look for new ways to shrink waste, conserve energy, and reduce their carbon footprint. This is often accomplished by using less water, less electricity, and more eco-friendly products as often as possible.

Also called "green homes," "eco-friendly homes," "sustainable construction," and "solar houses," sustainable homes are generally beneficial for the environment as they rely on the five basic principles of sustainable architecture and sustainable building. Sustainable homes use earth's natural resources wisely and improve indoor air quality. They optimize the use of the sun and use the land responsibly. Sustainable homes are high-performance, moisture-resistant dwellings.

Sustainable homes are not only green on the inside, but they are also green outside. This means the owners of green buildings, whether they are commercial, multi-family, or public, and owners of green homes will frequently use all-natural pesticides and fertilizers instead of commercial products for landscapes, lawns, and gardens. They are also more likely to compost. Many homeowners will plant trees and shrubs on the northern exposure to create a natural windbreak, and they may also allow a small portion of their lawn to grow wild in order to provide a natural habitat for butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.
The foregoing is courtesy of Wisegeek.com. For more information on sustainable homes, go to www.wisegeek.com.