Building value through sustainability.

• Author: Yamamoto, Anne M.

SUSTAINABILITY IS EVERYWHERE IN THE news: green teams, corporate social responsibility, what the latest local company is doing to better its neighborhood and community. What is sustainability really all about? What does it mean to build a sustainable tax practice?

Corporate sustainability is not just about being green; it is a 360-degree focus on an adviser's practice, the programs that can add value to his or her clients, employees, and bottom line while at the same time recognizing responsibility for the community and the environment. The authors' company, Frank, Rimerman + Co. LLP, formed a sustainability committee in 2008 to monitor the various initiatives taking place around five pillars identified as important to the firm: people, clients, community, profession, and environment.

People

Initiatives: To promote a work environment built on fairness, respect for one another, and pride in the firm; to respond to the changing needs of employees and, as a result, to attract and retain top talent in the industry.

Value: Increased employee satisfaction from training programs, recognition of achievements, and staff-developed initiatives, with achievement measured by the firm's being voted one of the Bay Area's best places to work in 2010 and 2011.

Clients

Initiatives: To provide unparalleled customer satisfaction by continually improving customer service, fostering open communication, and building rapport using skills and technology to understand and respond to clients' needs.

Value: Continued growth in business despite the economic downturn, attributable to the firm's comprehensive 5-Star Training, a 13-week customer service program required for all employees.

Community

Initiatives: To be a philanthropic leader in the Bay Area business community by contributing firm resources to the communities being served; to align the valuable expertise, talent, and time of the firm's professionals with the needs of the community to make substantial contributions to local programs and business enterprises.

Value: Recognition by community leaders of the firm's not-for-profit board training initiative, which was designed to develop employees into well-qualified board members for local and regional organizations.

Profession

Initiatives: To enhance the presence and influence of the firm's practitioners through active participation in professional associations, taking leadership roles inside and outside the firm, and engaging in activities to further...