When EQ Office embarked on its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) journey, we framed our conversations internally around real impact. In fact, we went as far as to call our ESG program “EQ Impact.”
Among the ways EQ, a Blackstone portfolio company, makes sure we have real impact and live our purpose is a nationwide partnership with YouthBuild USA, a non-profit organization that provides education, counseling and job skills for occupational training, leadership development, and career and college readiness.
Workforce development has long been a priority for us. Early on in the pandemic, we realized how important it was to make sure that we upheld our responsibility, both as a company and as individuals, to provide access and opportunities for career growth and economic stability. The formal partnership with YouthBuild arose out of a need to scale our impact with a partner that operates in all the communities we do and aligns with our mission of helping our clients attract and retain talent.
We set out with the goal of reimagining Compton YouthBuild’s outdated, underutilized job training center, run by EntreNous Youth Empowerment Services, a Compton-based nonprofit organization, to create a space that better reflects the potential of the opportunity youth the facility serves. The EQ Impact team brought together a group of more than 30 partners for the project, including Holwick Constructors, Wolcott Architecture, CTJ Engineering Services, DFS and Duggan & Associates.
A YouthBuild classroom. Improvements included new installation throughout the ceiling system to improve air quality and reduce exposure to contaminates, a new ceiling grid and lights fixtures, a reworked HVAC for the new ceiling and reception area, a new sump pump to keep the building from flooding and a new plumbing connection for the center’s clothes washing machine.
With assets across the country, EQ wants to make sure our investments live our purpose to build economic health in communities by regenerating urban spaces, preserving local culture and bringing humanity into our workplaces. A couple of examples include Chicago, where we redeveloped Willis Tower, and Southern California, with our most recent collaboration with the local Costa Mesa Arts community.
How It All Began
During the onset of the project, YouthBuild envisioned a much smaller renovation, but as soon as we saw the building, we recognized it had much greater potential. To expand Compton YouthBuild’s existing services, we further leveraged our expertise and network of development and construction resources to drive change and make a lasting impact in the community.
In preparation for the renovation, EQ Office’s project team re-envisioned Compton YouthBuild from inside out over the span of several months before starting and completing construction in just seven weeks. Together, the project team contributed more than $1.2 million, including 5,616 hours of donated labor and $196,000 of in-kind donations of furniture and building supplies.
Additionally, we worked with YouthBuild USA and EntreNous Youth Empowerment Services to provide aspiring young professionals with mentorship and real-world, hands-on learning experiences during the duration of the Compton YouthBuild redevelopment project.
Compton YouthBuild now operates as a refreshed center for occupational training, leadership development, and career and college readiness. The transformed center is the product of EQ Office and YouthBuild USA’s shared commitment to creating spaces that support and inspire future generations of CRE professionals. As a result of the partnership, more than 125 students will learn and grow within Compton YouthBuild’s transformed space each year.
Compton YouthBuild is a valued partner of EQ Office, and we feel honored to help reinstate the training center as a critical community resource for the City of Compton.
Realizing the Vision
From a design perspective, EQ Office’s project team set out to enhance the aesthetic appearance and practical components of Compton YouthBuild. To illuminate and enliven the building’s various spaces, we installed skylights, re-painted walls, upgraded the exterior façade, constructed exterior picnic tabletops and bases for new planter boxes and added a new architectural screen, landscaping and plantings to Compton YouthBuild’s entry. More importantly, however, we transformed student spaces within the facility to further advance their learning experiences and professional development.
Commercial ovens (donated by the Kaiser Permanente Foundation) were installed, and our team extensively renovated Compton YouthBuild’s classrooms by expanding classroom size, enhancing data cabling and installing locks. Other improvements included new installation throughout the ceiling system to improve air quality and reduce exposure to contaminates, a new ceiling grid and lights fixtures, a reworked HVAC for the new ceiling and reception area, a new sump pump to keep the building from flooding and a new plumbing connection for the center’s clothes washing machine.
To reduce our carbon footprint on the project, we also refurbished Compton YouthBuild with repurposed materials taken from nearby EQ Office workplaces. Among our repurposed furniture donations were desks, chairs, file cabinets for staff and teacher spaces, tables for all classrooms, bookcases, file cabinets, break area furniture and reception area seating. EQ Office and our partners also installed five repurposed doors, frames and hardware for classroom entry doors.
Compton YouthBuild opens its doors to students, as well as local organizations, to foster a greater sense of belonging and community in Compton. Students, who often learn of the organization through friends and family, high school referrals or correctional programs, see Compton YouthBuild as a safe and comfortable place to learn, grow and invest in their futures.
Today, our partnership with Compton YouthBuild continues in the form of new mentorship programs that further engage students in hands-on learning, job training and internships. In April 2022, we launched a new series of “tech in construction and property management workshops” for students to explore career opportunities rooted in the commercial real estate industry. We also welcomed former Compton YouthBuild student and EQ engineering intern Maria Diaz to our Playa Vista office as a new employee.
Maria told us, “Being a part of this transformation as a student and gaining hands-on training with professionals in so many areas of construction and building management has provided me with opportunities to better my future, both professionally and personally. Without this experience, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” She is now a Maintenance Attendant for EQ Office in Playa Vista, California, and we are fortunate to have her on the EQ team.
The partnership has allowed us to help support the entire Compton community. The facility lends meeting space to other local non-profits and organizations, like Compton Mosque and Compton Advocates, free of charge on the weekends to further support personal growth and community development in the City of Compton.
Building a Brighter Future
Early in 2021, EQ Office formally launched its ESG program, EQ Impact, which served as a catalyst for ESG investments, like Compton YouthBuild, that support local communities and create long-term economic value. As community stewards, EQ Office and our partners are committed to helping individuals gain access to mentorship and job training to advance learning and career opportunities in various industries, including commercial real estate. At both a local and national level, EQ Impact will continue to support the people and environments that underpin thriving communities.
Each year, EQ Office produces an ESG report, highlighting our achievements and long-term strategy for managing our carbon footprint and building economic health in communities. In April, we released our second annual ESG report, which included an in-depth look at ESG programs and policies designed in partnership with EQ Office’s key stakeholders. In 2021, EQ Office not only launched mentorship-to-internship programs in eight cities, significantly expanding our mentoring and diversity efforts, but also surpassed goals for professional development and job training through our work with YouthBuild USA.
To prepare students for life outside of the classroom, we provided training on the soft and hard skills needed to secure future jobs and succeed in the workplace, hosting 37 training sessions in Los Angeles and other major cities in the U.S. EQ Office also plans on repeating the renovation and refurbishment program with YouthBuild USA in more cities annually, furthering our commitment to ESG initiatives that advance our purpose of building economic health in communities across the county.
We know this is just the beginning. EQ Office aims to be a leader in uplifting communities where we operate, and we’re grateful to be in a position to do this incredibly important work.
