Orion Blog: Culture

Join us in celebrating Staff Geologist Kirstin’s first year with Orion! We all know the first year in consulting can be a doozy, and 2020 threw in a pandemic to shake things up even more, but Kirstin didn’t skip a beat. She showed up on day one at the Burbank office eager to learn the skills of the trade. Kirstin has gained experience this past year working on projects in many different stages, from install to decommissioning.

A coworker remembers Kirstin arriving to assist them in the field during a rare southern California rainstorm. While the field day could’ve easily been filled with complaints, Kirstin was ready for action with a positive attitude that kept team morale high all day! What made Kirstin interested in working for Orion? Orion feels like a family working together, I have never once felt like I am in a competitive work environment and that was something important to me. Going home from the office (or logging off the computer these days) I feel a sense of

Join us in celebrating Sean’s 7-year milestone at Orion! We appreciate his welcoming attitude and imaginative solutions. Sean adds value to any project team with a mellow confidence and ability to roll with whatever is thrown his way. A day in the field with Sean is a day well spent, he’ll be a team leader and comedian while showing staff the ropes. He willingly participates in lunchtime Just Dance sessions and jumps on any opportunity to acquire new fermenting skills. What makes working for Orion unique for Sean? What makes Orion different is the people. Only at Orion would the owner of the company play a self-edited 41-minute cat video compilation for his staff. I mean, who does that?

Congratulations on reaching the big s-e-v-e-n with Orion. We thank you for your hard work and dedication over the years!

COVID-19 may have put a damper on any physical and social interactions this year, but it couldn’t stop us from making Orion Day happen! Every year, staff look forward to getting together at Long Beach HQ for some B&B (business and bonding).  Since staff were unable to congregate in Long Beach this year, Orion brought Orion Day to them thanks to modern technology and video conferencing!  The day started off with our annual State of Orion meeting, where we reviewed company financials for the year-to-date, discussed marketing and business development strategies (including our awesome new newsletter, and completed a little professional development training.  With the ongoing injustices happening across our nation, a segment of the State of Orion focused on the importance of diversity and inclusion (D&I) and what Orion is doing to fight racism and other inequalities.  Orion

Orion’s Vice President and Principal Engineer Mike recently reached 21 years at Orion!  Mike is a staple at Orion, the founder of our Berkeley office, and is always sure to stop by and chat with each person when visiting the Long Beach and Burbank offices (pre-COVID).  He has a way of instilling comfort in everyone and is a true listener.  From remediation system design, home-improvement projects, or whiskey recommendations Mike offers nuggets of knowledge on any topic like nobody’s business.  His candid nature comes through in every conversation and he offers support in a myriad of ways to everyone at Orion.  He is willing to comb through a document with staff to get the wording just right or provide support in the field at sites across the country.  Mike approaches challenging situations with a confidence that inspires everyone at Orion to do the same.  Thanks Mike for all of your hard work!

Ten! That’s the number that our Human Resources Manager, Rosie, is

Orion’s Long Beach-based President and technical Director Jeff recently reached 26 years at Orion!  Jeff is an Orion pioneer and true Renaissance Man, someone who is innately curious about the world and who is always open to learning and the acquisition of knowledge.  He is also one of those rare individuals that literally everyone enjoys working with and always elevates the project team he works on.  When asked about the environmental field and projects he has worked on by an interviewee, it wasn’t so much the content of Jeff’s reply, but rather his energy that made his response memorable to one of Orion’s now Senior Project Managers:

“I recall Jeff leaning back in his seat, looking at the ceiling, and talking affectionately about his experiences and the profession.  I could tell that he truly enjoyed what he did, and that it wasn’t a job as much as it was a passion.  Right then and there he sold me on Orion.”

Company culture is a major component of

Join us in celebrating Maclyn's 2-year milestone at Orion! We admire his hard work and considerable care for his contributions to Orion's work standard and culture. Maclyn sees a project through from conception to completion. His consistently positive attitude and work ethic have made him an invaluable member of the team. Maclyn deliberately makes time for training and mentoring staff working on his projects. He has been named a Sensei of Japanese anime and is a worthy contender in the Long Beach Just Dance competitions. Is there anything he can't do? Although he won't tell us his secret, we did ask what makes working for Orion unique? 

What makes Orion unique is its ability to be focused on excellence while still putting time and effort into the work community through events like Orion day.

Congratulations on reaching the big two with Orion. We thank you for your hard work and dedication in the time you've been here. 

Corporate culture is a difficult thing to describe.  It generally refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs of company employees. If you ask any of Orion’s employees, they will say the high-standard, low-key culture is a primary reason that they enjoy working at Orion.  A very low turnover rate proves this. 

Orion is a community:  Individuals committed to excellent technical work operating in an open environment that emphasizes caring about one another, clients, subcontractors, vendors, and the greater community.

Beyond work, we have fun! Daily, brown-baggers gather in the lunchroom (Long Beach headquarters), to watch various Netflix design and food shows (and even “The Bachelor”).  Monthly, we celebrate birthdays and other life events and hold happy hours.  Yearly, we celebrate Orion Day, which includes a State of Orion financial address from the president, teambuilding exercises, and a party.  For Orion’s 25th anniversary last year,

Not sure what our technical editor would think of that title, but whoa, hey, totally radical!  Carina and Alex are both celebrating 3 years at Orion!  Why do we hire so many people in the spring and summer?  I don’t know and as long as we have both of these bright minds on our team then I don’t care! 

Carina works out of the Berkeley office outside of the current work-from-home situation.  That doesn’t mean Carina only works on projects in the Bay Area, she’s also worked on site in our southern CA portfolio as well as some field work in Texas, cool!  From early on, Carina’s been able to see the big picture for her projects, long-term goals, remediation strategies, the tough stuff (tough “stough” ?!?!?).  What does Carina find unique about working at Orion?  I’d say working at Orion is unique because of our great company culture. In particular, I like that everyone at Orion is very open and accessible- I feel like I always have the Orion collective brainpower/experience