It's no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic hit the corporate travel industry hard. But, as an employee-owned company, we have this incredible culture that made us all put our heads together and find ways to come out stronger on the other side.
One thing we already knew was that our people are our most vital asset.
About a year ago, board member Brian Rawson and President of our parent company Transitions Group – Barney Lehnherr, began to challenge our company's senior leaders to try to "work themselves out of a job." They meant that we needed to build up the people around us so that when it was time to be in growth mode again, we would be ready.
About the same time, we started having discussions company-wide around diversity, equity, and inclusion. We hosted a virtual ThinkTank to brainstorm ways we could get more people involved. From that came the feedback that we needed to put more resources into training emerging leaders.
After extensive research, we decided to partner with Wichita State University's Center for Management Development. Through a nomination and selection process, we chose ten individuals to complete a 12-month leadership training program through MindEdge. This will be a self-paced program covering topics ranging from emotional intelligence to leading change and much more. The group will meet monthly to discuss the training and how it applies to our company.
We've always been a company that believes in promoting from within when possible, and it's exciting to be able to help our fellow employee-owners grow both personally and professionally. There are numerous examples of team members rising through the company over the years.
Brent Dorrah, Vice President of Furniture Options, will tell you that he came to work at Furniture Options almost 29 years ago delivering furniture just so he would have a job to make his parents happy and it was just going to be temporary. Lucky for us he saw the potential for a career and has made a point to help others in the company do the same.
We want to congratulate Furniture Options Emerging Leaders for the class of 2021-22.
Cory Hilger |
Cara Murray |
Dennis Juarez |
Jacob Gabler |
Giselle Magana |
Max Lynn |
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