Business Births: Evergreen Team Concepts

Henry Beeland has brought his passion for quality training to Meridian Street in the form of Evergreen Team Concepts. So far, the company has attracted 30 local businesses and government agencies to its first three seminars.
Henry Beeland has a passion for effective training.
Having worked in management positions in the grocery, manufacturing, distribution and construction industries for 15 years, he gathered a collection of training dos and don'ts that propelled him into his current endeavor.
First and foremost, it bothered him that not every company had access to quality seminars and trainings. Colossal companies like Microsoft and Boeing could afford to send groups of workers to topnotch speakers and training events while smaller companies were left in the dust.
At his new business, Evergreen Team Concepts, located on Meridian Street, Beeland focuses on narrowing the training gap by offering high-quality seminars and training events, as well as certification courses, at a reduced fee for local businesses by partnering with Kansas City–based Rockhurst University, which operates the National Seminars Training program.
Upcoming trainings and seminars at Evergreen include “Mastering the Essentials of Microsoft Excel 2007,” “Communication with Tact and Skill,” “Secrets to Creating and Sustaining an Energized and Effective Workplace,” and “High Performance Sales Certification Program.”
Through a special program called Team Development Group, employers can track and measure the progress of their employees' skills acquired through Evergreen functions with an online matrix, as well as have access to Evergreen consultants, a facilitator, and a discounted rate for seminars, training and certification programs. For a one-day seminar or training, Team Development Group Members pay about $99 to $149 a seat, depending on the topic and the trainer.
“Our primary focus is to provide businesses with those intangible things needed to develop stronger teams,” Beeland said.
So far, more than 30 local business and government agencies have attended Evergreen's first three seminars since Sept. 1.
Beeland said it is important for business owners to realize the changing landscape of employee tenure. These days, the average job retention in the United States is two years, he said, and that kind of turnover is killing employers.
While past generations of workers were incentivized by security, contemporary employees want opportunity and growth. Quality training and education, like the kind offered at Evergreen, can play into that need and retain workers, Beeland said.
As for the company's future, Beeland's goal is to open 24 Evergreen Team Concept centers across the country by 2020.