Habañero Consulting Group

Commited to a healthy, empowering and green workplace culture

AUTHOR YW STAFF

Habañero Consulting Group President Stephen Fitzgerald

Habañero Consulting Group is a leading Western Canadian IT consulting services and solutions firm. Known for trusted business advice, original creative design, and proven technical expertise, Habañero helps companies maximize the business impact they receive from their investments in technology. 

President Steven Fitzgerald founded Habañero Consulting Group in 1996 and built it into a sustainable and thriving business. His ability to establish a viable business; communicate a compelling vision; ensure the structure, processes, people, and data are in place to achieve that vision; and strategically plan for the long-term have ensured the company’s exceptional corporate growth and performance since its inception. Steven leads by example and reinforces the company values and culture he created. As a result his team is able to deliver true value to clients, build rewarding career paths, and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Green Team Initiative

At Habañero there was a group of people who were passionate and motivated enough to put extra time and effort into providing environmental leadership. Steven says, “I would love to say this was the result of some inspiring leadership. However, this grass-roots movement started with one individual keen on improving our environmental performance.” This group banded together to develop an environmental council called the Habañero Green Team, which has evolved into a sustainable part of Habañero. “Our Green Team meets about once per quarter, so the direct committee work is very efficient. Throughout the rest of the quarter, members collaborate with one another and share knowledge via a team site on our office intranet.”

Not only is the Green Team helping the environment, but also, according to Steven, “the Green Team is good for business, as it contributes to employee engagement and is part of a compelling story we use to attract future Habañeros. Almost all of the improvements the Green Team can take credit for either make Habañero a nicer place to work or reduce our operating costs.”

Habañero’s Green Team accomplishments:

• Successfully switched to 100% recycled paper (and recycled stock business cards).
• Distributed more plants to oxygenate their offices.
• Arranged weekly organic fruit and vegetable delivery from a local producer.
• Phased out CRT computer monitors in favour of more energy-efficient LCDs.
• Switched to recycled printer toner.
• Drove changes to their electrical system that allows more lights to be turned off during non-office hours.
• Established external communication tools such as extranet and web-based conferencing and collaboration tools, which reduce their need for couriers (and even travel) when working with clients.
• Virtualized numerous servers to significantly decrease power consumption and thermal load, reducing the need for cooling.
• Alternative Commuting

About 80% of Habañero employees commute to and from work by means other than a car. As a company, they participate in the Greater Vancouver Bike to Work Week. The annual event involves corporate teams competing against each other to get more co-workers onto bicycles. In 2007, 21% of Habañero employees participated and collectively completed 58 commutes in the week, saving 209 kilograms of greenhouse gases, burning 25,288 calories, and travelling 372 kilometres.

Article originally published in Volume 10-5 of Your Workplace magazine