Community Impact Chat with The Swig Company & BNBuilders

December 17, 2024

Julie Zaoui: Welcome to today's interview, where we explore the power of collaboration and community impact with two inspiring leaders, Kairee Tann and Tony Castillo. Recently, Swig and BNBuilders joined forces for a remarkable day of community service at the Life Learning Academy garden. With the dedication and enthusiasm of 27 volunteers, we transformed an overgrown area into a revitalized space full of potential. This garden is now set to blossom as a vibrant learning environment for students and visitors alike. Today, Kairee and Tony will share insights on how partnerships like this one can inspire growth, learning, and positive change within our communities. Let's dive in to discover how these efforts are paving the way for sustainable and impactful community development.

Julie Zaoui: How can companies best identify the most pressing needs within the community that are also relevant to their industry?

Kairee Tann: That's a great question. Companies can start by maintaining a clear mission for their community impact programs. For instance, our program is guided by the mission of "engaging tomorrow's workforce." This mission serves as a compass for us when selecting initiatives to engage in. Consequently, our efforts often concentrate on educational programs aimed at young people, helping introduce them to careers in commercial real estate. This spans all levels of the workforce and higher education, from building trades and building engineering to accounting, property management, and even up to the CEO level.

Additionally, companies should collaborate with community impact partners to pinpoint the specific needs of the community. This collaboration allows companies to align those needs with what they can offer, whether it be monetary support, volunteer opportunities, mentoring, or engaging tenants and professional partnerships in these efforts. This approach ensures that the initiatives are not only relevant to the industry but also beneficial to the community.

Tony Castillo: It all begins with active listening. It's important to set aside any preconceived agendas to genuinely understand the community's needs. This involves engaging with impact partners, hearing their perspectives, and providing support in the ways and times they need it most. At BNBuilders, we pride ourselves on building strong relationships and welcoming ideas from employees at all levels, not just leadership. By empowering employees to support causes they are passionate about, we facilitate meaningful contributions and foster deeper connections.

A great example of this is our partnership with Life Learning Academy and The Swig Company. These collaborations are some of our most treasured, leaving us both fulfilled and inspired. In the construction industry, partnerships are seen as a gift. When someone reaches out for help, it's viewed as an opportunity to make a significant impact. It's never considered a burden; we're always grateful for the chance to contribute.

Julie Zaoui: How important is collaboration and partnership building in implementing meaningful community initiatives?

Kairee Tann: For our small company, collaboration and partnership building are absolutely critical. We rely on leveraging our relationships with tenants, consultants, and contractors to expand the reach and impact of our projects. Whenever possible, we also connect our community impact partners with one another to foster even greater collaboration. For instance, we had Youthbeat photograph a Spring LLA work garden day and create a testimonial video for our work with College Track. These introductions often lead to ongoing collaborations between the organizations, extending the impact of our initiatives beyond our direct involvement.

Tony Castillo: Collaboration is absolutely essential. At BNBuilders, we strongly believe in the power of partnerships and relationships to make a real impact. These connections help us identify community needs and provide our entire team with opportunities to volunteer and support meaningful causes. By partnering with other companies, such as The Swig Company, we not only amplify our efforts but also foster a shared commitment to effectively addressing community needs. Together, we can achieve so much more than we could individually.

Julie Zaoui: What are some ideas on how to best measure community impact beyond simply tracking the spend? How can organizations gather better data on the direct outcomes from the community impact initiatives they engage in?

Kairee Tann: Measuring community impact can be challenging, as it's not always about hard data and can be difficult to quantify. However, we can still recognize that our efforts are making a difference. A good starting point is reviewing the community organization's annual impact report. These reports often provide valuable insights. Additionally, having in-depth conversations with your community impact partners can yield more detailed information about the direct outcomes of your contributions. These partners specialize in this information and can often provide specifics, such as graduation rates, meals served, and the demographics of the communities directly impacted.

Julie Zaoui: How do you ensure that stakeholders receive meaningful information about the impact of your community initiatives?

Kairee Tann: While we acknowledge that measuring impact isn't always about hard data, the numbers and data are still crucial for our stakeholders, including our Board, tenants, employees, and partners. To provide them with comprehensive insights, we've started collaborating with a data analytics company. This partnership helps us not only track our contributions to charitable causes but also break down the data into specific categories. We look at volunteer hours and focus on particular community types, such as girls under 18, first-generation college students, and children experiencing housing insecurity. This detailed approach allows us to offer stakeholders a clearer picture of the impact we're making.

Julie Zaoui: How does BNBuilders approach measuring community impact, especially when it extends beyond simple metrics?

Tony Castillo: Measuring community impact can indeed be challenging, particularly when it involves more than just basic numbers. However, focusing on direct outcomes provides a solid foundation for assessment. At BNBuilders, we evaluate the impact of our charitable contributions and volunteer hours to gauge tangible results. Furthermore, we identify 2-3 key areas of challenges that affect the communities where we operate. By analyzing the root causes of these challenges and aligning our efforts to address them, we can better understand the effectiveness of our initiatives and ensure that we are making a meaningful difference.

 

Conclusion: Through this insightful conversation with Kairee Tann and Tony Castillo, it's clear that the future of community impact lies in leveraging robust partnerships and collaborative efforts. Both leaders emphasize the importance of aligning company missions with community needs and using data-driven approaches to enhance the effectiveness of initiatives. By continuing to foster strong relationships and focusing on direct outcomes, companies can not only measure their impact more precisely but also ensure meaningful and sustainable community development. As we look ahead, these strategies will be instrumental in creating lasting positive change in the communities they serve.

Tony Castillo, LEED AP is Principal with BNBuilders, a 100% employee-owned builder focused on highly technical projects for clients in a range of industries. BNBuilders recently completed the new lobby and tenant amenity center with Gensler for The Swig Company at 3130 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, CA.

Tony, who is originally from the Bay Area, started with BNBuilders in 2010.  Throughout his career, he has completed projects up and down the West Coast including corporate campuses for some of the world’s most respected technology companies.  Tony also has a passion for technology and innovation and works closely with BNB’s Innovation department to implement new tools and streamline the company’s construction processes.

Kairee Tann, LEED AP is SVP, Director of Innovation at The Swig Company overseeing the development and implementation of portfolio-wide policies and programs in ESG, Innovation and Community Impact.  Kairee has over 20 years of experience as a builder in commercial construction and joined the Swig Company in 2016 as in-house construction manager before pivoting to Innovation and Community Impact in 2022.

Julie Zaoui is the Assistant Vice President, Innovation and Asset Management for The Swig Company (SwigCo). She has been with the company for nearly eleven years. In her current role, she focuses on initiatives related to sustainability and innovation for the portfolio properties, as well as oversees the community impact program for the company. Previously, Julie managed the SwigCo’s South of Market (SoMa) properties and has over 17 years’ experience in property management, overseeing Class A high rise properties, as well as data centers.

 

About Life Learning Academy:

Life Learning Academy, a public charter high school in the San Francisco Unified School District, supports the social and emotional health of the Bay Area’s most disconnected youth. LLA ensures their academic achievement, employability, and capacity to live a healthy, successful life in a nonviolent community based on the core principles of real-world learning, reciprocal restitution, and ‘each one teach one.'