WATSONVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Granite (NYSE:GVA), a diversified heavy civil contractor and construction materials producer, has been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, as one of the 2018 World’s Most Ethical Companies.

Granite has been recognized nine times and is one of only two honorees in the Construction & Building Materials industry, underscoring their commitment to leading with integrity and prioritizing ethical business practices.

In 2018, 135 honorees were recognized, spanning 23 countries and 57 industries. The twelfth class of honorees had record levels of involvement with their stakeholders and their communities around the world. Measuring and improving culture, leading authentically and committing to transparency, diversity and inclusion were all priorities for honorees.

“We are extremely proud to be named as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the ninth year in a row,” said Granite President and Chief Executive Officer, James H. Roberts. “Our Code of Conduct and strong Core Values have guided our Company to uphold the highest ethical standards for more than nine decades. It is that commitment, lived daily by our people, that allows us to successfully build the infrastructure of the future.”

“Recognition by Ethisphere for the ninth consecutive year is a tremendous honor and a testament to our employees who continually strive to do the right thing,” said Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Compliance Officer and Secretary, Richard A. Watts. “It is our dedication to ethical and responsible conduct that allows us to fulfill our day-to-day obligations while also allowing us to maintain the trust and confidence of all our stakeholders.”

“While the discourse around the world changed profoundly in 2017, a stronger voice emerged. Global corporations operating with a common rule of law are now society’s strongest force to improve the human condition. This year we saw companies increasingly finding their voice. The World’s Most Ethical Companies in particular continued to show exemplary leadership,” explained Ethisphere’s CEO, Timothy Erblich. "I congratulate everyone at Granite for being recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies."

Ethics & Performance

Once again, the 2018 World’s Most Ethical Companies have proven that operating with integrity leads to greater financial performance. Research has found that, when indexed, listed World’s Most Ethical Companies outperformed the U.S. Large Cap Index over five years by 10.72 percent and over three years by 4.88 percent. Ethisphere refers to this as the Ethics Premium.

Methodology & Scoring

The World's Most Ethical Companies assessment is based upon the Ethisphere Institute’s Ethics Quotient^® (EQ) framework, which offers a quantitative way to assess a company’s performance in an objective, consistent and standardized manner. The information collected provides a comprehensive sampling of definitive criteria of core competencies rather than all aspects of corporate governance, risk, sustainability, compliance and ethics.

Scores are generated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program (35 percent), corporate citizenship and responsibility (20 percent), culture of ethics (20 percent), governance (15 percent) and leadership, innovation and reputation (10 percent). All companies that participate in the assessment process receive their scores, providing them with valuable insights into how they stack up against leading organizations.

Honorees

The full list of the 2018 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at https://worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees

Best practices and insights from the 2018 honorees will be released in a report and webcast in March and April of this year. Sign up to receive the report.

About Granite

Through its offices and subsidiaries nationwide, Granite (NYSE:GVA) is one of the nation’s largest infrastructure contractors and construction materials producers. Granite specializes in complex infrastructure projects, including transportation, industrial and federal contracting, and is a proven leader in alternative procurement project delivery. Granite is an award-winning firm in safety, quality and environmental stewardship, and has been honored as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute for nine consecutive years. Granite is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is part of the S&P MidCap 400 Index, the MSCI KLD 400 Social Index and the Russell 2000 Index. For more information, visit graniteconstruction.com.

About the Ethisphere Institute

The Ethisphere® Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character and measure and improve culture. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies recognition program and provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA). More information about Ethisphere can be found at: https://ethisphere.com.

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