Houston—With nearly all its non-sales force members in attendance, in addition to many of its salespeople, Swiff-Train held its 14th annual Pep Rally, which included a half-day of activities at the distributor’s warehouse and offices here. Attendees came from Swiff-Train’s eight branches in Texas and Oklahoma.
While the purpose of the Pep Rally is team building and networking, this year’s event also was part of the company’s 75th anniversary celebration.
L.A. Train, president, said the Pep Rally is a way for employees to get to know each other and understand what goes on within the overall scope of the company. “They talk to each other every day, but this is a chance to actually meet face-to-face and put a person behind the voice. Also, it allows everyone to see what everyone else does and gives them a better understanding of why it takes a full-team effort to be successful.”
Attendees were given a past-present-future state of the company from Train and his brothers, Kenny and Jeff, who each spoke of how the tradition and commitment to excellence, and caring about employees and customers started by their father, Herbert Train, and grandfather, Joesph Swiff, 75 years ago remains intact in the family-run business, which now includes the fourth generation.
The Pep Rally included everything from a team-building exercise to an explanation of the many facets of the company and how they interact to what it takes to operate certain areas— such as what the truck drivers have to go through to make sure products are delivered safely and on-time—to giveaways featuring gifts from various suppliers.
Don Evans, vice president of sales and marketing, called this year’s event a “great success. We had a really great turnout; nearly everyone was able to make it.”