After-hours picnics at the zoo. Golf tournaments and broomball battles. Five-dollar jeans-wearing Fridays and Thanksgiving potlucks. Life at the office can be a good thing, especially when you are surrounded by talented, hard-working professionals who value the skills you bring to the table and challenge you to broaden them.
We believe that the built environment can positively influence people’s health and well-being, and that our firm can play an active role in helping to shape healthy communities. Involvement with local non-profit organizations that focus on health, education and the arts, plays a large role in our office culture. We lead by example to encourage our employees to give back and get involved.
What began as our Chairman, Dick Miller’s personal involvement with the American Heart Association, has grown into a series of activities that are supported by our employees for a variety of reasons. Events range from Go Wear Red for Women Day, National Walking Day, and a series of fundraisers to support the Nashville Heart Walk, including a Chili Cook-off, Silent Auction and Corn-hole Tournament. The annual culmination is the Nashville Heart Walk, where employees bring their families, friends and dogs together to support the AHA.
The ACE Mentor Program of America, Inc. (ACE) helps mentor high school students and inspires them to pursue careers in design and construction. ESa has been involved with ACE since the Nashville affiliate started in 2002. ESa employees lead a team of industry mentors in after-school meetings at Glencliff HS, guiding students through the design and construction process. The firm also hosts field trips and supports scholarships at the annual ACE Banquet.
ESa was introduced to the Academies of Nashville through involvement with ACE which has established student teams in several Metro Nashville Public High Schools. ESa partners with the Academies by facilitating student and teacher experiential learning, participating in district and school events, partnering with school staff to evaluate curriculum and resources and providing a business community voice in the schools.
Gingertown is a one-of-a-kind holiday initiative that brings together architects, engineers and contractors to create a town made completely of candy and gingerbread for a good cause. Hosted by ESa, participants at Gingertown Nashville come together during the holiday season to create unique gingerbread structures. Team sponsorships are used to purchase supplies for all teams and the remaining money is donated to local charities. The completed village is broken into smaller parcels and delivered to charity recipients for display during the holidays.
ESa’s involvement with the Hospital Hospitality House, which seeks to create a home and support network for families facing a medical crisis, has spanned many years. ESa sponsors an annual golf tournament to raise money for HHH, serves on the Board of Directors and assists with architectural needs as they arise.
PARK(ing) Day is an annual worldwide event where designers, artists and citizens transform metered parking spots into temporary urban parks that are open to the public. ESa teams with local neighboring businesses and artists to participate in this event, encouraging group collaboration and employee participation. ESa seeks to incorporate health and wellness aspects into the design and activity of our reclaimed space!
LP Pencil Box is a unique “store” where Metro Nashville Public Schools teachers get to “shop” for free school supplies and classroom resources. ESa donates gently used office supplies, binders and construction materials, such as carpet and tile samples, to the program for teachers to use in their classrooms. At the start of each school year, ESa employees also contribute by donating school supplies through the ESa Five $ Friday program.
Love Helps is a Nashville non-profit dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children in Nashville Public Schools. Their vision is to help children become good citizens by promoting literacy, student achievement and positive character. Our staff members participate in their annual fundraisers, such as golf and softball tournaments, as well as the Leading by Reading® program, volunteering to read to local kindergarten classes.
Rebuilding Together is a national organization whose mission is to transform the lives of low-income homeowners by improving the safety and health of their home and revitalizing their communities. ESa hosts a fishing tournament to benefit Rebuilding Together Nashville and ESa employees have volunteered as team captains and provided onsite labor during the annual build days.
The mission of Canstruction is to feed and inspire the world – one can at a time. Canstruction hosts competitions showcasing structures made out of full cans of food and then at the end of the event, donates the food to a local food bank or hunger relief organization. ESa employees have teamed together to design and build structures in local Nashville Canstruction competitions.