A New Vision for Affinis

For years, Affinis has had a clear understanding of who we are as a firm. We’ve lived our mission, vision, and values in and out of the office. But, as we neared our 21st Birthday, we wondered what was next.

For two decades, our firm has held tight to our mission and values. And, in 2017, we took it a step further by defining our purpose. As a company, we decided to focus on moving communities forward. This outlook has shaped how we view projects and strengthened our client relationships.

We knew a purpose-driven model could be successful but wanted to expand our vision for the future. We started by looking at the state of the industry to see which problems we could help solve.

Together, our leadership team began to chart a course of where we’d be in the next 10 years. Working with an outside consultant, we considered data from co-worker, family, and client surveys. We poured over metrics to get an objective picture of our business.

A Need for Change
Our communities will face significant challenges in the next 10 years. Our society is evolving, which is driving a major shift in infrastructure demands and performance. Autonomous vehicles and resilient solutions to protect natural resources, like water, are on the horizon. Solving new infrastructure challenges will require a convergence of engineering practices, technology, and civic leadership. Our industry and political leaders must create a systemic movement to change how we engage, approach, and resolve together.

For years, we’ve actively supported professional and civic organizations in their efforts to enact change. But, knowing what was ahead, we wondered how we, as a firm, could make a greater impact. Our focus, as always, turned to our local communities.

What’s Ahead for Affinis
Today, we’re excited to share the results of our year-long journey with you. This is our plan for what’s ahead:

• Our vision is to build and lead teams to uncover long-term needs, develop holistic solutions, and then educate, adopt, and implement them.
• The result of this movement is not just awesome infrastructure! It’s a culture of truth, resilience, innovation, and progression.
• Our goal is to ultimately enable people, families, and businesses to prosper and perpetuate growth.
• By 2032, we will be engaged and leading the change in 10 communities.

One of the first steps in our journey begins with our organizational structure. We are preparing our team for growth and showing co-workers a path for personal success. We want them to reach their potential, but also stretch themselves to reach the goals we envision for them. A new aspect of our organizational structure defines a Community Leader. This person’s focus is engaging in a community to learn about their needs and challenges. Then, he or she will put the right team and resources towards moving it forward. This extends beyond our traditional engineering, construction, and surveying services. It requires us to become civic leaders who can promote a systemic movement to change how we engage, approach, and resolve together,