In 1972, Joe Draper and Bill Aden formed Draper Aden Associates, a six-employee civil engineering firm in Blacksburg, Virginia. Today, it has grown into a full-service consulting and engineering firm with locations in Virginia and North Carolina and clients across the Mid-Atlantic region. Our teams provide a variety of services that range from civil engineering to surveying to environmental services. For more about what we do, explore our services page or contact us.
Our vision is to leave a lasting, positive impact through our actions and relationships with our clients, community, and each other. We work towards that goal by creating a culture built around five core values: responsiveness, collaboration, respect and support, continuous improvement, and reliability. We apply these values to our decisions as a firm, and we expect them from every employee. While the work we do is important, we also believe that the way we conduct business matters.
Together, we will create a Lasting Positive Impact through our actions and relationships with our clients, employees, and community.
We react in a timely and professional manner
Together we create greatness
We interact with fairness and integrity; we are there for each other
We better ourselves every day
We are responsible and dependable
With our vision to create a lasting, positive impact for our clients, employees, and communities, we live our core value of continuous improvement by always looking for ways to better ourselves and the world around us. We believe that one of those ways is to join with the voices in our nation, our states, and the communities in which we work in speaking out against systemic and institutionalized bias and racial injustice.
We hold regular Implicit Bias, Diversity, and Inclusion training and EEO and harassment training for all employees. Our firm also requires our business partners and vendors to document their commitment to non-discriminatory policies and practices. In 2020, we established a dedicated steering committee focused on improving our commitment to justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion. Based on their recommendations, we are working with an experienced facilitator to guide internal discussions on these topics. We will continue the work in 2021 to better fulfill our commitment to equality.
Below is a passage from our July 1, 2020 statement following the horrific deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others.
In his letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” We agree with Dr. King’s assertion and stand in solidarity with our Black employees, clients, and communities, and commit to taking action to back up our words…
Now is the time for us to redouble our pledge to diversity and inclusion beginning with our employees. We will start by facilitating challenging conversations to ensure that our work environment is inclusive, respectful, and supportive of all employees… We know there is a lot of work to do; we are committed to this work and will not falter on this commitment.
Read the full statement here.
Draper Aden is committed to the safety and health of each our employees on the job site and in the office. This includes required safety training and appropriate safety equipment, allowing us to perform daily tasks with zero preventable accidents and incidents.
Every job. Every day.
Each of us is responsible for our safety and we have the ability to make changes in order to complete tasks safely and without incident. Whether that means wearing appropriate safety gear or simply following protocol, it’s about safety every day with every job.
In addition, our managed safety process is frequently reviewed and evaluated, and changes are implemented as we identify new ways to improve our performance.
This year, Draper Aden was renewed by the Certification Committee to be “GOLD SHOVEL” Standard Certified for our Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) activities. The Gold Shovel Standard is a first-of-its kind excavation safety program designed to reduce dig-ins and protect the underground gas and electric system. With safety as its highest priority, the Gold Shovel Standard Certification process was developed to ensure that hired contractors are vetted annually and adhere to the safest excavation standards.
For more information, visit goldshovelstandard.com.
One of the most important ways we support our community is through philanthropic efforts. That’s why we are honored to partner with the American Heart Association (AHA). This commitment to serving as an engaged community partner highlights Draper Aden’s vision to create a lasting positive impact with our clients, employees, and the areas where we live and work.
The work that AHA has accomplished has improved and/or saved thousands of lives since 1924. Their mission to “be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives” certainly creates a lasting positive impact.
Draper Aden has been a major sponsor of the Richmond and Hampton Roads Heart Balls for several years and we plan to expand our involvement with the AHA in Roanoke, Charlottesville, Raleigh and Manassas. Through this partnership, we will support the AHA’s work, such as educating people about heart disease, funding lifesaving research that impacts both children and adults, training people to perform CPR, and much more.
Draper Aden Associates is now part of TRC, a leading national provider of engineering and consulting solutions supporting a clean energy future. Learn more.
