What we're made of

Our Values

At our core, we value our people, our planet, and regenerative engineering. From achieving JUST and B-Corp certifications, annually recommitting to our respect for each other, inspiring young engineers and giving back to the community, everything we do is in service of our values and mission.

Vision

Why are we in business at PAE?

We help solve the planet's energy and water challenges.

Mission

We work with our clients to design the nation’s highest performing built environments. For some sectors this means net positive buildings, for other sectors Net Zero, for others better learning environments, project pro forma financial goals or a combination of these.

How do we do it?

  • We listen to our clients and deeply understand their goals
  • We hire and retain the best staff
  • We provide innovative engineering solutions that work

Triple Bottom Line

We aim to be a true triple bottom line company by focusing equally on People, Planet, and Profit – be one of the best companies to work for in the West, be a leader in high-performance design and sustainable office practices, and have stable, long-term profits.

Corporate Covenant

Every year each of us at PAE signs a corporate covenant, which contains core values that help seal our commitments to each other.

Stewardship: We value community and seek to restore our planet’s ecosystem.

Humility: We approach challenges with an open mind.

Accountability: We follow through on our commitments to our clients, to each other, and to the planet.

Innovation: We collaborate to discover unique solutions that work for all people and our planet.

Respect: We treat each other with dignity, respect, and compassion.

JUST 2.0

In August 2018, we decided to participate in the nationally recognized, voluntary disclosure program from the International Living Future Institute, the JUST tool. It is part of our effort to help create a more socially just and equitable world through corporate transparency. In April 2020, PAE became one of 35 worldwide companies to have been approved for the ILFI Just 2.0 Label. Discover more about the program and take a look at our JUST 2.0 Label here.

B-Corp

In June of 2021, we officially became a Certified B Corporation, or B-Corp, which solidifies our commitment to our triple bottom line by acknowledging that we, as a company, must not only provide for our shareholders, but also add benefit to our community by doing the work we do to meet our mission in a tangible way. Take a look at our B Impact Report here.

What is JEDI at PAE | Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Eugene, Spokane | Engineering in high-performance design

JEDI Committee

The JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Committee aims to be an inclusive and diverse representation of the broader firm so that as many voices and perspectives as possible are heard.

The committee strives to strengthen and sustain the commitment to the firm’s Core Values of stewardship, humility, accountability, innovation, and respect within the mission to help solve the planet’s energy and water challenges.

All involved embody the Core Values. The Council helps set a pathway, Action Groups deliver on specific initiatives, and the Community acts as the eyes, ears, voice, and heart of the aspirations.

The committee hosts learning and development opportunities as well as cultural awareness sessions for our firm, and seeks to change overlooked assumptions, or blind spots, in our offerings, policies, or practices.

The JEDI committee is initiated and guided by Principal Ruwan Jayaweera to ensure the dedication of authentic efforts and activities, not just performative gestures, now and in the future.

Read our first JEDI Annual Report from 2022 here.

Committees

A hallmark of our culture at PAE is employee involvement in committees from tactical process improvement and Women in Leadership to learning more from our Justice, Equity and Diversity and Inclusion committee. Participation is voluntary and highly valued, from all levels of business staff and engineers.

JEDI

The JEDI Committee (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) works to strengthen PAE as a company where diversity is a core asset, where all experiences are valued, and individuality is encouraged and celebrated. We work to ensure justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in decision making and company practices. In addition to influencing our company, we want to influence and become a role model for the AEC industry and regional community.

Women in Leadership

The Women in Leadership Committee was formed to develop strong women leaders within the company, and to help create the paths that those women can take to be leaders. We do this through mentorship, advocacy, and the involvement of PAE’s leadership group.

Community Service

Because we know that personal involvement is an essential link with our communities, we provide opportunities to volunteer, enjoy matching gift-giving, and do pro bono work. Employees can use up to 20 hours a year to give back to the organization of their choice like donating blood or planting trees.

Learning & Development

A true expert knows how little they actually know-- that’s why we hope to keep our employees so engaged in the experience of learning that they are continually seeking it out, then using it to teach others and carry out PAE’s vision.

Research and Development

Our competitive annual PAE Grant gives any employee, including staff and engineers, the resources and encouragement to explore what inspires them. With it, our teams have the chance to research new ideas and processes. This exciting opportunity helps give space to vast new research that contributes to ideas within our industry and beyond.

Renew

The Renew team makes sure we’re walking our talk, aligning our company culture with our mission of solving the planet’s water and energy challenges. They’ve led the charge in getting PAE JUST certified, worked on an energy modeling tool for our physical offices, and provided inspiration with presentations and workshops on sustainable practices.

Leads

Stepping into a leadership role is a big career adjustment, so we set up our Leads Committee to provide the tools, training, and support to succeed. With successful leaders, empowered through feedback and mentorship, come successful projects.

Fun

Loosen up! The Fun Committee does just that, creating a “culture of fun,” and allowing us to relieve stress through play and create bonds across our teams. We enjoy karaoke, ski trips, softball games, trivia nights, and so much more. Even when social events were pushed to a virtual space, the Fun Committee stepped up with on-screen happy hours and workshops.

Wellness

We’re inspiring and creating a community of employees ready to tackle and enjoy the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle! Believing that small shifts toward a fulfilling life creates wellness, we promote preventative care and a holistic approach to wellbeing like providing workshops and classes on cooking, meditation, stress management, fitness and more.

Standards

By enhancing our standards we improve the efficiency, quality, and consistency of our designs. We review current standards, set higher standards, and create even more robust project processes and resilient buildings for our clients.

Inspiring Students

We keep engaged with the students in our communities and inspire future generations of STEM by joining the ACE mentorship program, Oregon MESA, and partnering with the Architectural Foundation of Oregon and Architects in Schools to develop a new curriculum that includes our authored engineering-focused children’s book, The Evolution of Egansville.

We have also partnered with De La Salle Corporate Work Study Program. The CWSP experience provides tremendous opportunity for economically disadvantaged students to get a college-prep education, while at the same time providing a diverse, motivated, enthusiastic entry level work force.

Giving Back

We use our time to give back to the programs and organizations that help us with our company mission, like inspiring students to go into STEM careers, staying involved in our local communities, and donating pro bono hours to valuable projects.

  • We’re enrolled in the 1% for Public Architecture program, through which we provide 400 hours per year of pro bono time to a variety of projects like a National LGBTQ Center for the Arts and DignityMoves in San Francisco, Kenton Women’s Village in Portland, all the way to a girls boarding school in Afghanistan.
  • We created our own in-house version of the 1% program: Employees can spend 1% of their work time as volunteers for local programs and causes.
  • Building on the commitment PAE has to its staff and community, our annual Charitable Giving funds are split between corporate giving and a large employee matching program. Donations can be matched for charities at the local and national level. Our corporate giving includes places like San Francisco’s Tenderloin Community School.
  • We are passionate about molding the next generation of design professionals. Many of our senior engineers teach classes for local universities with architecture and engineering programs.