Diversity In Action

Diversity initiatives grow at Arcadis

The firm needs experienced professionals and new grads to handle environmental and infrastructure engineering consulting tasks

Diversity manager Tarolyn Buckles says that Arcadis is a global network business ranging from environmental to infrastructure divisions. The company provides project management, consulting and engineering services to support sustainability and quality of life. Founded in the Netherlands in 1888, Arcadis celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in the U.S in 2007. The company has acquired a number of smaller firms in the U.S. in recent years, Buckles notes.

Although Buckles is the first person in the company to be called “diversity manager,” and the first whose job is devoted to diversity initiatives, “Arcadis has always had a commitment to diversity,” she says. “We’re committed to an environment of inclusion where employees feel valued and respected.

“We understand that to be competitive in the global market and deliver the highest quality of services our offices have to reflect the cities we live and work in.”

The company is stepping up its diversity efforts, Buckles reports. A variety of initiatives are underway: university and faculty partnerships, internships, scholarships, internal mentoring/coaching programs and affinity groups. “We’re reaching out to diverse communities and minority associations where we haven’t had exposure in the past.”

Buckles is a CE by training, and worked for Arcadis and other companies in that capacity until her appointment to the diversity post last year. “In eighteen years in civil engineering, I’ve always had a passion for diversity,” she declares.

She has been involved with groups like NSBE, SWE and ASCE for many years. Even before she became diversity manager she made presentations and organized conferences for ASCE and other groups. She recently received an award for her work from ASCE’s committee on diversity and women in CE.

One of Buckles’ goals at Arcadis is to start an affinity group available to women at all levels. “We also plan to start other cultural and special-interest affinity groups. There are many different ways we can take this. The key is to connect the employees with groups they relate to.”

Arcadis has more than 140 offices in the U.S., offering many opportunities for engineers to grow with the company. “We have exciting projects across the country and the world where our employees have the opportunity to work and share resources,” says Buckles. The work at Arcadis offers professionals the ability to grow both through formal training and by learning informally from colleagues.

Arcadis is hiring actively, looking for new grads and experienced professionals. “The environmental and infrastructure division combined has more than 120 positions open for interns and new grads and more than 300 positions for experienced professionals. We expect to grow by an additional 900 employees in the next two years,” Buckles reports.

Despite the challenge of its many locations, Arcadis is connecting people of all backgrounds and all levels across the corporation.

D/C