2 3 Written by Samita Sarkar“Sustainability has its roots in engineering. It is saving waste, saving water, saving energy. That’s always been our drive as engineers, to do more with less,” says Matt Strong, PE, LEED AP, and President and Director of Engineering at C1S Group. “Our overall drive in every project is to provide a sustainable solution.”Of course, LEED certification is a key part of that equation, but at C1S Group, which specializes in the design and renovation of existing buildings, there is more of a focus on providing project solutions that protect the environment and help the owner boost their bottom line with modern building enhancements.Green technology has been gaining momentum in the construction and engineering industry for a number of years, but even within this space, C1S Group – a Dallas-based engineering, construction, and sustainability consulting firm – is set apart by its belief that in order for a project to truly be sustainable, it needs to be both environmentally and financially viable.4 “There are multiple meanings of the word sustainability. Most people think of the environmental aspect, but sustainability for us means any design or construction investment must have a reasonable financial payback in addition to doing the right thing for the environment. Many of our clients are Fortune 1,000 manufacturing companies, and they operate in very competitive markets. The right solution needs to be sustain-able financially and environmentally. Savvy buyers want both, and not one at the expense of the other. It’s our job to thread that needle,” adds Julie Strong, LEED AP and CEO of C1S Group.Julie and Matt co-founded C1S Group on August 16, 2001, and have grown it into the innovative, award-winning business that it is known as today. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial itch to go out and work for myself. It started in high school. I had a peach picking and delivery company called Peaches Express, which helped pay for a significant portion of my college,” Matt recalls.Having always had an entrepreneurial mindset, he and his wife decided to enter into business for themselves after spending a number of years working in the industry. C1S began as an engi-neering firm working with architects, and developed relation-ships with Fortune 500 companies, building a reputation. From there, the firm moved into construction in 2007, after several satisfied customers asked if the team knew of any good con-tractors they would recommend. “That gave me the real inspiration, because in my mind, the true test of a successful engineer is whether or not they can make their design work in the field by following through with con-struction and implementation, and then handing the keys over to the owner,” says Matt.For instance, C1S Group performed a sustainability audit and upgrade at several Frito Lay facilities. C1S has also helped PepsiCo. achieve an impressive LEED Platinum certification at their head-quarters campus in New York, and has upgraded manufacturing facilities for Texas Instruments and Johnson & Johnson. “We’re happy to walk before we run with you, and make sure we all understand and appreciate the way we work together,” says Julie. “I love our humble beginnings. It’s a testament to what we do well, large or small.”Some of the off-the-beaten-path projects C1S Group has under-taken include overseeing the construction and installation of a 40-foot stainless steel structure called The Travelling Man in Deep Ellum – Dallas’ charming, quirky arts district – and its rehabilitation of an old WWII bomb factory. The historic factory was completely renovated and redesigned to become what is now the largest concert venue in the Deep Ellum Dallas’ arts district. Breathing new life into old facilities, beautifying com-munities and improving people’s workplaces is just another aspect of C1S’s holistic sustainability goal. On top of its well-rounded view of sustainability, there are many other factors that make this green construction and engineering firm unique. Julie tells us that one of the major things that is foun-dational to the business, is its collection of core values.“Most organizations have them, but not all organizations walk their talk,” she shares. “For us, our core values represent who we are, how we do our work, and how we treat each other. Our benchmark is: ‘Are we staying true to our core values if we make this decision?’ We let our core values be our guide.”C1S’s five core values are:1. We are real 2. We are self-propelled 3. We make it happen4. We walk our talk5. We work hard and play hard5 Julie explains that being “real” means to be genuine and serve with integrity; being “self-propelled” means being able to meet or exceed expectations without waiting on others to tell you what is required. Making it happen means being resourceful, flexible and always driving toward the best possible solution. C1S walks its talk, which means that the employees keep their com-mitments to both their clients and their teammates. Every customer, whether it’s a small local operation or a Fortune 500 company can count on C1S to manage their expectations and honor their commitments. Employees can also count on C1S to always put safety first in the execution of challenging construction projects.2800 Deep EllumCHRISTINE©2800 Deep EllumCHRISTINE©6 “The last core value is to work hard and play hard, which I know gets tons of press. We have lots of fun company events,” says Julie.Having a culture that encourages work-life balance makes C1S Group a very desirable place to work. As Inc. Magazine writes of C1S group, “Couch Potatoes Need Not Apply to Work at this Company.” C1S has a company running team, an annual chili cook off and a fiercely competitive Halloween costume contest, and provides employees with Christmas gifts every year that are tied to its core values (such as Fitbits and GoPro cameras). The company has recently been named among the Top 100 North Texas Women-Owned Businesses by Dallas Business Journal, in the Top 100 Best Places to Work in America by Outside Magazine, and among the 50 Best Workplaces by Inc. It has also been on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing com-panies in the country for the last five years.“Our small size allows us to be more friendly, and more like a family. We have everybody over to our house at Christmas with their spouse or significant other. We celebrate birthdays and new babies. You can do that when you have 20 to 25 people. It’s hard to do when you have 2,000. I think that’s one of the great benefits of being our size,” Julie admits.“Don’t quit on a solution being able to be both – energy efficient, but also providing a great ROI.”Julie and Matt StrongCo-founders of C1S GroupJulie StrongCEO of C1SHalloween 2018Staff at C1S7 The principled company is also active in many charitable causes, running an annual Christmas toy drive for Community Partners (a group that helps children under the care of CPS), participat-ing in neighborhood fun runs to encourage kids to stay active, and also working with local public schools that have learning gardens to teach them about the environment.Over the last year, C1S Group has also made many significant investments in new technology, including new 3D modeling software, drone technology, and a 3D scanner. “Within the construction and engineering industries, technology really is everything. It has evolved and allowed us to do so much more than even five years ago,” says Matt. C1S Group is using its newly secured drones to develop photographic documentation of the plants it revamps. The drones are equipped with thermal cameras that can analyze which pieces of electrical equipment display heat signatures, indicating energy loss, missing insulation, or issues with electric gear. This critical investment has helped C1S Group take its engineering and analysis capabilities to the next level. Meanwhile, C1S Group is now able to use 3D scanning technology to digitize a customer’s entire building, giving the team constant access to a visual 3D model of the facility.To continue to cultivate its unique and modern work environment, C1S Group is very selective about who it hires. Julie reveals that C1S Group’s core values are interlaced with the criteria outlined in Patrick Lencioni’s The Ideal Team Player: humble, hungry, and smart. Being humble is being real and admitting to mistakes, hungriness is being self-propelled and making it happen, and being smart is about knowing how to work well with other people.“It’s not just a matter of intellect,” Julie clarifies. “Nobody can do this job alone. You are going to be dealing with people at all levels: some have authority over you, some are working for you, some are working next to you, but all of these people have to work together to get the job done. Being smart has more to do with EQ than with IQ, and how well you can compel, motivate, organize and deliver a project that requires lots of people to get the job done.”Certainly, being a nimble company has allowed C1S Group to be flexible in the projects it decides to undertake. “We want steady, consistent growth that is profitable and allows us to continue hiring the smart, talented people that we have on our team now. We don’t want to do the biggest jobs; we just want to be experts for our clients and provide value above all,” Matt concludes. As featured inDecember 2018 - January 20194231 Sigma Rd, Suite 110, Dallas, TX 75244 | P: 972-386-7005 | E: info@c1sinc.comSUPPORTED BYNext >