EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT

Investing in our employees’ professional and personal development ensures that our employees can continually refresh and grow their knowledge. Every year WOS allots a budget to cover the training expenses and applies for grants to support continual opportunities.

3OT Certification

-

- Accredited Snow Contractors Association (ASCA) Certification

- AmericanHort Cultivate Conference

- Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)

- Holiday Bright Lights (HBL) Conference

- Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute (ICPI)

- Iowa State University Shade Tree Short Course

- International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certifications

- National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) Conference

- Nation Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA)

- Rainbow Plant Health Care (PHC) Summit

- Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE) Conference

Learning Management System

Wright Service Corp. University (WSCU) leadership, customer service, productivity, tools, tips and more. The Training and Development Department have increased course offerings significantly in the Learning Management System (LMS). More than 8,000 LinkedIn Learning courses are available to employees. In addition, new employees will be assigned training on WSCU to review topics such as:

-Harassment and discrimination

-Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

-True Colors

-Customer service

-Timesheet tracking

True Colors

-Retirement savings, and enrolling in a 401(k) or Roth

-Accessing the company clothing and apparel store development options based on needs and desires. Additional leadership and professional development training programs and mentorship opportunities are available for employees.

LEAD Program

The LEAD Program is the preeminent leadership development program offered by WSC. The program currently takes place over the course of 18 months and consists of:

- Facilitated, in-person sessions at WSC headquarters in West Des Moines, IA

- Job shadow opportunity

The True Colors® Personal Awareness & Success training guides participants through concepts of self-awareness and effective communication. This fun, interactive workshop helps individuals better understand themselves and others. It creates a common language, providing a foundation for genuine relationship building and honest dialogue. Four employees are certified True Colors facilitators. In 2022, 117 employees across our family of companies received a total of 271 hours of True Colors training.

- Participation in mentor program

- Capstone project and presentation

University

is a learning platform that documents and tracks online training. WSCU creates the opportunity to reach every employee in the company who has a company email for training and continued learning. Topics include management,

Individual Development

The Training and Development Department provides WOS with individual

Participants are nominated by leaders within the WSC family of companies. Nominators advocate for their nominee by illustrating that person’s leadership capabilities through real life examples. Nominations are carefully reviewed and selected by committee. Whether selected or not, getting nominated indicates that your leader believes in your leadership abilities. Since the program’s inception, 61 employees have graduated from the program. The current cohort is comprised of 28 employees.

The latest class began their journey in 2022, graduating in 2023. This group of participants completed a total of 980 training hours in 2022. One WOS team member participated in LEAD in FY2022.

Executive Leadership Development Program

WSC provides the Executive Leadership Development Program (ELDP) to higher-level managers or recently appointed executives within our family of companies via nomination by an executive. Participants are ambassadors for our family of companies, demonstrate leadership in their daily interactions, and are deeply committed to personal growth and development. During this three-year program, participants complete a detailed 360 assessment, then receive results and interpretation from a leadership coach with support from their appointed executive sponsor. They use the opportunities from their 360 to create an individual development plan that includes coursework from a variety of providers, mentoring, coaching and job shadowing.

In 2022, there were eight ELDP graduates, one from WOS. These individuals represented five companies within our family of companies. Participants culminated the program by providing a detailed capstone presentation to the Wright Board of Directors and Executive Team, demonstrating the impact of their applied development on the organization in the areas of process improvements, efficiency gains, advanced effectiveness, human resource enhancements, and revenue saved or earned.