More information on what we do for our people is available in the Places to Inspire section of our 2023 GID Responsible Investment Report.
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Places to Inspire
At GID, we put people first. We strive to make sustainable, philanthropic, and responsible choices to improve their lives. We are #OneTeam, working hand-in-hand to enhance places for people and the planet.
GIVE
We are driven by a mission to create communities where people feel truly cared for. To guide our efforts, we have developed GIVE, a community engagement program that energizes GID and Windsor associates — as well as our residents and neighbors — to “Get Involved and Value Everybody.”
Day of Service
During 2023, approximately 900 people from across the country participated in our annual Day of Service, donating their time and money to support 25 events, such as environmental restoration initiatives, supporting animal shelters, and hunger relief drives.
The Big Give
In May 2023, over 500 Windsor and GID associates attended the annual Windsor Operations Conference in Dallas. With the theme of “Thrive: Investing in Our People, Processes, and Technology,” attendees spent an afternoon serving at the Big Give partnering with the NAACP’s Irving chapter through community-focused activities like building bikes, assembling backpacks, and teaching soccer and basketball skills.
GIVE a Bear
Employees in central Texas and Georgia raised nearly $14,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities and donated 200 bears; since the program began in 2012, we have raised nearly $175,500 and donated over 10,000 bears.
OneTeamGIVES Fund and FUNd Friday
In 2023, we surpassed our funding goal, raising more than $7,000 to add to the OneTeamGIVES Fund. Through the fund, associates can access tax-free grants of up to $2,500 to help meet basic expenses in times of catastrophic disaster or personal hardship. To support this, we organized an annual OneTeamGIVES FUNd Friday, during which associates wear their GIVE T-shirts to work and on-site members bond over a team lunch.
Empowering Our Associates
We do not discriminate based on age, race, sex, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or medical condition. This is not just a business strategy; it is a fundamental part of who we are.
Delivering Personalized Well-Being Support
Our associates benefit from our BetterUp Care program, a mental health and wellness support service available at no cost. After a full year in operation, BetterUp has 415 active accounts and has provided 671 total care sessions, covering topics including stress management, coaching for working parents, navigating grief, working toward targets, and well-being habits.
We also provide access to Prosper Wise, which gives free, personalized financial advice to associates and their families. Through a combination of on-demand resources and one-on-one coaching, the service helps build a sound financial plan tailored to each associate’s needs. Accessible in English and Spanish, this service is designed to help our people achieve their financial goals with ease. During 2023 and early 2024, Prosper Wise served 382 associates via 110 one-on-one sessions. Employees also accessed 2,363 resources and participated in 66 courses.
Breaking Down Language Barriers
We are investing in our people by offering Babbel for Business® English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, with 20 associates completing over 1,000 lessons in 2023. We also provide Babbel classes for non-English languages, fostering better communication within our team and enhancing relationships with co-workers, vendors, residents, and tenants.
Developing Success Through Mentorship
We offer a range of opportunities to support our associates’ career aspirations. New hires are enrolled in a mentorship program that connects them with experienced leaders for guidance. Our in-house Learning Management System and LinkedIn Learning provide resources for self-study. We also offer tuition assistance for associates who want to pursue coursework or attend conferences.
Connecting with Our Associates
The Windsor Connect program, introduced in early 2023, is designed to foster connections, learning, and skill development among our associates while nurturing our future leaders. It holds a Quarterly Speaker Series, where senior executives share their wisdom and insights on business and leadership with associates. The program also offers a Day in the Life experience, allowing Windsor associates to gain valuable behind-the-scenes experience and learn from their colleagues at GID.
Beyond our current associates, we create opportunities to engage the workforce of tomorrow. For example, now in its fifth year, the GID Summer Internship Program accommodates eight interns across three locations. We are proud to offer and expand this vital program, with the goal of growing representation of minority groups within our industry. The program has received rave reviews from past participants, several of whom have gone on to join our company or establish successful careers in the commercial real estate sector.
Additionally, GID closed out 2023 by celebrating with Artists For Humanity (AFH), which provides under resourced teens with paid employment in art and design. At the event, associates collaborated on a crowdsourced art project along with AFH students, creating a mural depicting GID’s values and the different cities where we operate.
ESG Award Winner: Chris Dulin
Our annual ESG Award is given to those who go above and beyond to support GID’s environmental, social, and governance initiatives. At our 2023 Operations Conference, we were excited to honor property manager Chris Dulin with the award. Chris was a trailblazer in helping GID place first for Smart Leasing in the inaugural Energize Denver Awards and is raising the bar in building performance and resident engagement for sustainability.
Building with Our Residents In Mind
We are grateful that our residents and tenants have chosen to live and work in the places we create. In return, our Windsor team works hard to build relationships among the people who use our buildings by providing social events such as ice cream parties, food truck days, pool parties, brunches, and holiday-themed events. Residents in GID’s multifamily buildings can also enjoy fitness centers, pools, spas, walking paths, club rooms, outdoor amenities, playgrounds, dog parks, and pet-washing facilities.
As the way we work has evolved, so have our buildings. With more people working remotely on a part- or full-time basis, we renovated our amenity spaces at several properties to incorporate facilities for remote workers. These co-working spaces provide access to Wi-Fi, office equipment, and conference rooms.
It is imperative that our residents and tenants feel healthy and safe in our communities. To maintain high indoor air quality, we select cleaning products, finishes, and flooring materials that produce low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). At many communities, we are replacing in-unit carpeting that can trap allergy-inducing dust and pet dander with easy-to-clean hard flooring. Further, smoking is prohibited everywhere on our properties across the portfolio. To advance healthy, sustainable behaviors, we also provide our residents with information on maintaining a sustainable lifestyle in our Green Resident Guide. This publication covers topics such as energy and water conservation, waste diversion, green purchasing, indoor air quality maintenance, and alternative transportation.
Engaging with Our Industrial Tenants
We actively collaborate with our tenants at our industrial properties to drive our ESG strategy. Through green lease provisions, we promote utility data sharing, enabling us to establish baselines, set goals, and identify efficiency measures. Additionally, we encourage sustainable practices like turning off engines at loading docks and the proper disposal of hazardous materials.
At properties pursuing the IREM green building certifications, we urge tenants to voluntarily adopt sustainability policies.
