An ethical company

Given all that has happened over the last two years, particularly in the financial services industry, “business ethics” would seem to have become an oxymoron.

But the truth is that many companies still operate with a moral compass, and occasionally they even are recognized for it. The Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, based in my hometown of Pittsburgh, is one such company.

Led by its contract dining division, Parkhurst, Eat’n Park was one of the first restaurant companies to fully embrace the local and sustainable movement. Recently, the company was honored by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Society of Financial Services Professionals with its 2009 Pittsburgh Business Ethics Award.

Eat’n Park was recognized for its “ongoing support of local agriculture through its FarmSource program,” according to the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, which nominated the company. Eat’n Park is in the eighth year of FarmSource, and now purchases an estimated 20% of its food from within a 125-radius of the city. That is no small feat for a company in the northern half of the U.S., where the growing season has only just commenced.

Shortly after the award was announced, I was in Pittsburgh and had the chance to visit PNC Plaza, a Parkhurst account in the heart of downtown. Parkhurst vice presidents Nick Camody and Brian Marince talked about the “green” initiatives PNC is undertaking with the help of Parkhurst. In addition to FarmSource, PNC is taking advantage of Eat’n Park’s EcoSteps program to try to make PNC Plaza’s foodservice waste totally compostable.

That’s a tall order for any company or institution, but it can be even more challenging in an urban setting. But Camody says PNC is committed to achieving that goal. As we walked the servery, I could see evidence of the steps being taken: locally sourced food items are identified on the serving line; Parkhurst has done away with paper menus in favor of digital menu boards at each station; to-go cups, plates and serviceware are totally compostable—and Parkhurst still pushes the use of permanentware for customers eating in the dining room.

From the PNC servery in PNC Plaza 1, Camody pointed out the window to PNC Plaza 3, where the law firm of Reed Smith has offices. Specifically, he noted a terrace where an urban garden is beginning to take shape. It is just one of several gardens Parkhurst and Cura Hospitality, its sister food management division for healthcare, are planning for local accounts.

“The Business Ethics Award means a lot to us,” said Camody. “It’s validation that the things we’re doing are being recognized and do make a difference.”

Eat’n Park’s contract divisions are quickly becoming the companies of choice for Pittsburgh institutions looking to be more environmentally friendly. This most recent award will only enhance the company’s reputation.