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Stewardship Stories share the experiences of our employee owners as they give back to the communities in which they live and work through financial support, volunteer commitments, and more.
Larson Design Group (LDG) is proud to reflect on the acts of stewardship and volunteering taken on by our team members in the communities where they live, work, and play.
Every year, LDG offers employees eight hours of paid stewardship to use for volunteer and community-oriented activities. In 2024, LDG staff embraced this to the tune of 424 hours donated across 26 organizations, representing 11 of our 18 locations and all six states in which we have an office.
The scope of stewardship taken on by LDG ranged from corporate donations to local and national nonprofits to packing food at local food banks; reviewing college students’ capstone projects; creating drawings for Habitat for Humanity builds; planning and executing community fundraising events; yard work and home maintenance for elderly residents; and more.
Read highlights below about some of these stewardship activities and opportunities and how we are working to fulfil our purpose of creatively shaping our .
A Focus on the Future
LDG was proud to once again partner with the Williamsport Area School District Education Foundation (WASDEF), the recognized nonprofit affiliate of the Williamsport Area School District (Williamsport, PA), for the organization’s annual Employee Giving Campaign. As corporate partner, LDG matched annual pledges made through a payroll deduction program for WASD employees.
This year also saw the launch of LDG’s Scholarship Program to benefit the children and dependents of our employee owners as they pursue a college education and are seeking financial assistance. The program offers 10 scholarships, which can be used toward tuition, on-campus housing, books, and more. The inaugural class of recipients represents a broad range of career paths and interests, from engineering and education to vocational and technical training.
Caring for Communities
This summer, more than a dozen staff from LDG’s Pittsburgh, PA office pitched in to help Friends of the Riverfront tackle a cleanup project on the Eliza Furnace segment of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. The team helped with covering graffiti, caring for over 100 young trees, and clearing nearly 300 feet of wild parsnip. This was the third consecutive year that LDG took part in this effort to protect the environmental integrity of this valuable community resource.
In Florida, a group of LDG employees from our Orlando office spent a day volunteering with the Special Olympics, held at the famous ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Employees helped at the bocce ball courts and assisted athletes during competition, marking the second straight year the LDG Orlando office has been represented among the dedicated volunteers of this special annual event.
LDG was also proud to be a partner once again for the Community Cup fundraiser, an effort that raises money through purchases of a special “Campfire Cappuccino” at Alabaster Coffee Roaster & Tea Company. The proceeds benefit Camp Susque, a youth camp in the Williamsport area that has been offering summer camps, nature programs, wilderness trips, family events and retreats since 1947.
Sharing Knowledge and Experience
LDG’s John Park has been one of the driving forces behind the Oklahoma HVAC and Plumbing Expo since its inception in 2022 – but his dedication to guiding others through personal and professional growth goes back to 2012, when he co-founded the Oklahoma Satellite Chapter of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE).
Now in its third year, the Expo is co-hosted by the Oklahoma chapter and drew more than 100 exhibitors and 500 attendees, including HVAC professionals, engineers and company reps. John, a Senior Technical Specialist with LDG’s Federal Architecture & Engineering team, led several of the free classes offered at the event, all of which earned valuable Continuing Education Units (CEU) for licensed professionals.
“It speaks to our values and our character that we not only offer these stewardship hours, but that so many LDG employees take advantage of them,” said Terry Krezmer, LDG Chief Human Resources Officer. “We are humbled by the time and care our colleagues take to be good stewards of their communities.”
ABOUT LDG
Founded in 1986, LDG is an award-winning, employee-owned architecture, engineering, and consulting firm offering full-service capabilities and a national reach. For more than 30 years, we have been providing an extraordinary breadth and depth of value-driven solutions to our diverse client base and investing in the sustainable business practices and innovative technologies that allow us to pursue our shared vision: creatively shaping our world. For more information, visit About – Larson Design Group.