Walking through the Baltimore branch warehouse late last year, the Branch Administrator, Christine Thayer, came upon 75 retired American flags BrightView inherited from a client.

She alerted her teammate and fellow Branch Administrator, Maggie Shannon, who did some digging and found that BrightView stores the flags for various clients.

Learning the clients no longer needed them, Shannon wanted to ensure the flags were properly disposed of. After a quick online search, she connected with a local funeral home that places flags with veterans before they are cremated so the ashes of the American flag are combined with the ashes of the veteran as a sign of respect for their service.

While Shannon isn’t a veteran, she has relatives who are and felt this was an appropriate way to honor those who served our country so selflessly.

“It just felt like the right thing to do,” she said. “I have great pride in our flag and it’s another way to give a gift to a veteran that we don’t even know and to honor them one final time.”

The funeral home was very thankful for BrightView’s patriotic donation.

“We feel that families of veterans feel honored to have an American flag placed in with their loved one for their cremation as it is one last act of honor to the flag that they fought to protect,” said Jack Mitchell IV of Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home. “The donation of flags provided by Brightview will allow us to offer that service to families for some time to come. We appreciate BrightView’s commitment to our military veterans.”

BrightView’s vision of creating and maintaining the best landscapes on Earth is often associated with world-renowned resorts, golf courses, and other eye-popping venues. 

Recently, that vision meant brightening the landscaping for a severely injured veteran. 

Through BrightView’s ongoing partnership with Homes For Our Troops — a nonprofit organization which builds and donates specially-adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 veterans — BrightView designed and planned the lawn and landscaping for Cpl. Dan Lasko, a Marine who was on a recon mission when an improvised explosive device detonated as his vehicle drove through a pass in Afghanistan. Dan lost his left leg below the knee and sustained a traumatic brain injury and other injuries.

In addition to donating the materials, BrightView volunteers joined neighbors and community members to install the new lawn and garden beds. From mulching and planting trees, shrubs, and flowers to laying 30,000 square feet of sod, the corps of volunteers transformed Lasko’s yard into a place where his family can create memories for years to come.

“This means a lot to us,” Lasko said. “I want to thank BrightView for all their hard work and for showing their support.”

“BrightView greatly values our veterans and all they’ve done for our country,” said Tariq Ahmed, BrightView Vice President and General Manager, Northeast. “It’s our honor to be a part of a project that will brighten the Lasko home. I am extremely thankful for and proud of our team who made this project come to life.”

“We are very grateful for BrightView’s contribution to our veterans and to the Lasko family,” said Chris Mitchell, Director of Development for Homes For Our Troops. “Their home is their world and BrightView has made their world a better place through this very generous and kind gift.”

Last year, BrightView completed a similar project for an injured veteran in Sacramento, Calif.

BrightView’s commitment to veterans can also be seen through our Employee Resource Group (ERG), BrightView Recognizing and Acknowledging Veteran Opportunities, or BRAVO. The ERG was proposed by a group of veteran BrightView leaders and celebrates military service and the recruitment of veterans for every BrightView line of business, as well as helping establish BrightView as a veteran-friendly organization both within the company and in the community.

Click here to view a news story about the project.

BrightView is pleased to recognize Refuge for Women, a nonprofit organization providing specialized long-term and emergency housing for women who have escaped human trafficking or sexual exploitation, as the recipient of a $2,500 grant from the BrightView Fund for Social Justice.

The Fund was established to support organizations and initiatives that promote equality and inclusion in the local communities where BrightView team members live, work, and play.

Tricia Justice, BrightView Vice President of Human Resources, presented the grant to Refuge for Women at a luncheon in Las Vegas.

“We, at Refuge for Women, are so incredibly grateful for the gift. Gifts such as this one allow us to continue serving women who have been sexually exploited and sex trafficked,” said Rosie Harris, Executive Director, Refuge for Women. “It is because of organizations like BrightView Landscapes that we are able to help women experience freedom, rest, restoration, and a restart. We appreciate you, greatly.”

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BrightView (NYSE: BV), the leading commercial landscaping services company in the United States, today published its 2023 ESG Report, highlighting progress toward achieving its environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and corporate governance (ESG) goals and commitments. The report is available on the BrightView ESG website.

“Reflecting on fiscal year 2022, I am extremely proud of our team’s progress amid an increasingly challenging and dynamic environment. We’ve taken important steps on our journey to becoming carbon neutral by 2035, building a diverse and engaged workforce, and continuing to operate with integrity,” said Andrew Masterman, BrightView President and Chief Executive Officer. “Supporting our team members, inspiring communities, and nurturing landscapes is at the heart of what we do every day at BrightView. I believe our purposeful ESG strategy positions us for continued success, while supporting our clients’ sustainability objectives.” 

To further inform and focus the Company’s ESG strategy, BrightView commissioned a materiality assessment to identify ESG topics of the greatest importance to its customers, vendors, team members, and investors. Moving forward, the Company plans to use the study’s insights to proactively engage with all stakeholder groups.

“As a company dedicated to designing, developing, and maintaining the best landscapes on Earth, prioritizing sustainable solutions is core to who we are. We’re invested not only in making a difference in the communities where we work, live and play, but also in promoting a healthy planet,” said Masterman.

Highlights from the 2023 ESG Report

Environmental

• Deployed ~1,000 battery powered, zero-emission handheld equipment units

• Converted ~400 vehicles to hybrid or electric

• Partnered with Arbor Day Foundation to plant nearly 300,000 trees

 Social

• Conducted BrightView’s first team member engagement survey

• Continued to diversify our workforce by increasing the percentage of women and Hispanic/Latino team members in managerial roles

• Sustained a total recordable injury rate below the landscaping services’ industry average

 Governance

• BrightView’s Board maintains oversight of societal and other matters affecting the Company’s stakeholders and the environments in which we operate

• Seven of eight Board members remain independent, with the average tenure of directors under five years

• Continued to use E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of newly hired team members

For other BrightView Landscapes stock information or other financial reports, please visit our investor website.

This second ESG Report covers BrightView’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, activities, and achievements for FY2022 (October 1, 2021 - September 30, 2022). The report was informed by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Professional and Commercial Services Sector Standard. We will continue to evaluate evolving ESG reporting regulations and adapt our reporting methods to ensure compliance with current standards and guidelines.

(Updated Winter 2023)

The story of how BrightView crews descended upon the campus of California non-profit Casa Pacifica to restore the landscape began not with a phone call; but rather, an observation made from the window of a classic 1970 Chevy C20.

BrightView Business Developer Ryan Smith was participating in a drive-through car show to benefit the crisis-care and residential treatment facility, which serves foster and at-risk children in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. The car show took participants on a loop through Casa Pacifica’s Camarillo campus, the charity’s headquarters. Ryan was struck by what he saw.

“Driving through the parade I could see landscape areas in poor condition that needed attention, including water running down the parking lots which indicated potential irrigation leaks. I had an overwhelming feeling of wanting to help so I took mental notes of where BrightView could make the most impact,” Ryan said. He took the idea to Vice President and General Manager Scott Godfrey and it quickly took off.

“It only seemed logical to work with our teams and clients to help create a safe environment for the staff, children and young adults that Casa Pacifica serves,” Scott said.

And with that, they got to work, creating a coalition to make their vision a reality. BrightView’s Ventura and Conejo branches reached out to some of their clients to ask if they’d be willing to donate a day of service to enable crews to redirect to Casa Pacifica to tackle an overgrown area between the campus’s main driveway and housing for transitional-aged youth, also known as the TYS program. The scope would require several crews-- including maintenance, enhancement and tree crews-- for 2 full days of work. JLL of Thousand Oaks, City of Westlake Community Park, La Ventana HOA in Ventura, and Westlake Park Place were among the generous clients who agreed to donate a day.

“BrightView showed up with a team of six managers asking, ‘How can we help support you? We love what you do,’” Casa Pacifica Facility Manager Robert Van Gundy said. “We started our TYS dream in 2011 with some abandoned houses. To say they were in dire need would be an understatement. Ten years later and well over 100 youth served in just these houses and we still have the same issues with overgrowth… until now.”

When the crews arrived on a Thursday, they went to work targeting the area that posed the highest safety risk. They cleared dead debris and plants from the front entrance and tackled overgrown and dead brush, which represented a tremendous fire hazard. By the time the weekend arrived, the teams had filled two 40-yard dumpsters and two large tree trucks. Two Casa Pacifica employees remarked it was their first time seeing that part of the campus free of the overgrowth and were amazed at the result. Casa Pacifica’s resident therapy dog, a Newfoundland named Pearl, also approved and rewarded crewmembers with snuggles. 

“We can’t thank BrightView enough for believing in and supporting Casa Pacifica,” Robert said. 

Yet it’s BrightView that can’t thank Casa Pacific enough for the vital work it does. 

“Living in the area, I have passed by the Camarillo headquarters many times and often wondered how we could help,” Scott said. In their “donate a day” campaign, Ryan, Scott and their teams found a way. By restoring the landscape, Casa Pacifica’s team can continue to restore hope for so many children and families across California’s Central Coast.

As part of its commitment to give back to the communities in which it operates, employees at BrightView Landscapes have launched an ambitious multi-state charity event to support organizations that provide services for those affected by the widespread public health and economic impacts of the COVID pandemic.  BrightView (NYSE: BV), the nation’s leading landscaping services company, is mobilizing teams across the Southwestern United States as part of its Environmental Stewardship, Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance program, also known as ESG.  

Spanning California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas, the ongoing effort benefits six charities that fight homelessness, abuse, poverty, hunger and unemployment. The grassroots effort is spearheaded by members of the southwest chapter of BrightView’s landmark employee resource group, GROW (Growth in Relationships + Opportunities for Women), with beneficiaries of the volunteer drive hand-selected by the group’s members.

“Our branches are deeply connected to their communities, so when a need surfaces, we feel it keenly and are drawn to action,” said BrightView Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Amanda Orders. “I’m incredibly proud of our GROW members and all our employees who took initiative and continue to serve their communities with tremendous empathy. At BrightView, we take pride in taking care of others and this is truly a great example.”  Orders cofounded GROW with several other female BrightView executives in 2017.

BrightView GROW Southwest recently conducted its first three events, with more planned for February and March. To date, their impact includes:

• Arizona: Hope Women’s Center
  Hope Women’s Center’s six locations provide a safe haven for at-risk women and girls to get back on their feet. Twenty-two volunteers, including BrightView CEO Andrew Masterman, sorted and packed food boxes for distribution, built diaper packages and welcome kits, assembled information packets and intake forms, hand wrote thank you notes, tagged stuffed animals for children, and conducted exterior landscape cleanup.
   

• 

  Nevada: Project Marilyn
  According to Project Marilyn, personal hygiene products are among the least donated supplies. As a result, women and teens without access to feminine products during their period must result to dangerous substitutes that pose a serious threat to their health. Eleven BrightView employees in Las Vegas prepared 500 Project Marilyn bags and restocked supplies. Each bag contains enough maxi pads and wipes to carry a homeless, home insecure, or person living in a shelter through their period.
   
• California: Father Joe’s Villages
  Father Joe’s Villages serves San Diegans experiencing homelessness and poverty, housing over 2,500 people every night, providing therapeutic childcare & family services, health care, and employment & education services.  Nine members of our BrightView San Diego team supported Father Joe’s Villages’ food distribution, warehouse assistance, and super food pantry operations by building to-go food packages and manning a drive-through distribution. 

Upcoming events include:

• New Mexico: Dress for Success
  Dress for Success seeks to help women break the cycle of poverty, furnishing clients with professional attire to secure employment and confidence to achieve their dreams. BrightView GROW Southwest is organizing a boutique sorting event, and provides ongoing philanthropic consulting services, including mentorship curriculum and career coaching.
   
• Texas: Star of Hope Women & Family Development Center
  Star of Hope provides crisis services and intensive programs that offer women and families stability, personal development and hope. Each day, the center houses up to 150 families and 180 single women. BrightView GROW Southwest is organizing a day of service to support the center’s meal services operations. A Resume & Interview Skills Workshop is also planned to support workforce development and education, helping residents achieve their employment goals and independent living.
   
• California: Bracken’s Kitchen
  In Garden Grove, Bracken’s Kitchen feeds those in need and restores their lives through food rescue that reduces food waste and culinary training that empowers. BrightView GROW Southwest is organizing an event to prep and package produce boxes, daily meals, and other tasks as needed by the organization.

Members of the media who are interested in attending or community members who would like to join these efforts are encouraged to contact BrightView’s Communications Department at [email protected] to receive updated event information. 

BrightView GROW was conceived and founded to attract, promote, and retain women within BrightView. Led by a group of women committed to the mission-- and who volunteer their time to ensure its success-- GROW offers networking, professional development and leadership opportunities for the women of BrightView. 

For other BrightView Landscapes stock information or other financial reports, please visit our investor website.

This inaugural ESG Report covers BrightView’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, activities, and achievements. The report was informed by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) Professional and Commercial Services Sector Standard. Statements are prospective in nature and are not based on historical facts, but rather on current expectations and projections about future events and are therefore subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed.

Chances are you’ve seen our ubiquitous trucks around town; but it’s not every day you see them packed to the gills with donated food. Yet that curious sight is precisely what happened thanks to BrightView Landscape Services Phoenix "Stuff the Truck" Food Drive, resulting in an 1,810-pound haul of non-perishable food donations for Saint Mary’s Food Bank. The donations yielded more than 1,500 meals for Arizona residents in need and required 4 vehicles from the BrightView fleet for transport.

The large-scale effort included five BrightView branches in the greater Phoenix area—Phoenix West, Scottsdale, Phoenix East, Gilbert, and Mesa—working in partnership with 16 property management offices:

• Trestle Management Group (West Office)
• FirstService Residential
• AAM - Chandler
• AAM - Peoria
• Oasis Community Management
• Brown Community Management, Inc.
• Tri-City Property Management Services, Inc.
• Sentry Management, Inc.
• Golden Valley Property Management, LLC
• Colby Management Group, LLC
• Total Property Management, Inc.
• Ryan Companies US, Inc.
• De Rito Partners
• 360 Community Management Ltd.
• Plaza Companies (Peoria Office)
• Real Property Management East Valley

“BrightView is proud to join forces with our management company partners to benefit those in our community who may be struggling right now. We are so thankful to those who donated and the St. Mary’s food bank, who like BrightView, are committed to making lives better,” said Jon Hasbrouck, BrightView Landscape Services Vice President & General Manager, Arizona.

The drive was organized by BrightView Business Developer Anna DeToro. Donations were collected from November 1, 2021 to December 22, 2021 and provided to the food bank in time for the holidays.

Each year two million Arizonans are faced with food insecurity, including one in four children. In some areas of the state, more than 30% of the population is affected. Though located in Phoenix, St. Mary’s Food Bank distributes food throughout most of Arizona. Founded in 1967, it is one the largest food banks in the country. If you’d like to lend your support, visit www.firstfoodbank.org to learn more.

After COVID forced them to close for the health and safety of the families they serve, Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Washington, DC recently reopened the doors of their Ronald McDonald House of Northern Virginia to families in need. Used most often by Inova Fairfax Children’s Hospital patients and families, RMHC put the time off to good effect, completely remodeling and expanding the “home-away-from-home” and surrounding landscaping. Now, eight months later, the House has reopened its doors and is celebrating its new look, which includes new landscaping provided by BrightView.

The community celebrated the reopening September 9 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Attendees included local dignitaries, families that have benefitted from the facility, and partner organizations that contributed to the remodel.

“The ribbon-cutting event was the cherry on top of this amazing project and the perfect end to this heartwarming experience,” said Hailee Elza, BrightView Account Manager, Mid-Atlantic. “BrightView is grateful to be a part of this special opportunity.”

The surrounding landscape shined during the ceremony, thanks to a collaboration between Capital One Center, Jones Lang LaSalle, and BrightView. The lush landscaping includes a welcoming entryway filled with shrubs and cheerful planters. The open lawn area is now surrounded by holly bushes, crimson pygmy barberry plants, morning light miscanthus, and lush variegated liriope. Visiting families are encouraged to enjoy the calming courtyard during their stay, which also includes a new patio, playground and picnic area.

“When we learned that the Ronald McDonald House of Northern Virginia had plans to reopen, Capital One Center wanted to dream big with our amazing partners Jones Lang LaSalle and BrightView and collectively beautify this home away from home,” said Meghan Trossen, Manager, Capital One Center Marketing and Community Affairs. “BrightView's landscaping expertise enabled a true transformation, and we couldn't be more proud about the passion behind this project and opportunity to support the important mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities® and local families in need.”

This impressive renovation project began in 2020 when Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Greater Washington, DC (RMHCDC) sought to increase the number of families their programs can serve. Their Northern Virginia House tripled in size with 24 total bedrooms, a new family room, pantry, laundry room, and playroom.

“Our Ronald McDonald House programs are built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when your child is sick,” said Sarah Quillen, Vice President of Development & Marketing for RMHCDC. “We rely on the support of community partners like BrightView to help us ensure that families have all the comforts of home while they are with us. BrightView’s expert crew went a step further and provided landscaping, tree removal, and planted flowers to give our house the beautiful grandness befitting our grand reopening and ribbon cutting.”

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Washington, DC is to ease the hardship of children’s illness on families through programs that directly impact the health and wellbeing of children. Located directly on the campus of Inova Fairfax Hospital, the Northern Virginia House has been serving families in need since 1998.

“Any joy that we can provide to the families caring for their children during this overwhelming time in their lives gives all of us great pride,” said James Newton, BrightView Branch Manager, Mid-Atlantic. “It is an honor for BrightView to be able to give back to both Inova Fairfax Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House of Northern Virginia.”