Challenge:
Total Tool Supply is in a fast-paced industry with ever-changing product offerings—how can they best use their resources to manage training and give employees opportunities to grow?
Outcome:
Through Evergreen University, powered by BlueVolt, Total Tool Supply gives their employees access to the resources they need to learn, from job skills to product training.
The Story:
Total Tool Supply, an industrial and construction tool supplier based in Minnesota, was founded in 1977 and sells, rents, and repairs industrial tools and equipment. Nick Tibbs, their Training and Development Coordinator, has been using Evergreen University for the last three years, and is well on his way to earning the Tool Specialist certification.
Evergreen University is hosted by the Evergreen Supply Network, a member-owned cooperative of independent distributors across the construction, industrial, and concrete markets. Evergreen has a strong focus on driving growth and profit for their members and preferred suppliers through marketing and training, part of which is facilitated by Evergreen University.
“You may have had limited product knowledge and soft skills, but how do we grow?” Tibbs said. “We grow with training and development! Using the resources available, and working with Evergreen and BlueVolt, we can ensure we set a consistent path for learning companywide.”
Total Tool Supply has a Training Department and offers courses through Evergreen University, which connects distributors with suppliers’ training. According to Tibbs, employees earn Evergreen Certifications—a convenient way to ensure employees are current on their latest training. When employees are up to date, they’re able to provide the best experience for their customers.
“We see that return in investment every day—with each customer experience, we get to see that training come to light where a customer has a good experience,” Tibbs said. “We owe that thanks to the training.”
But it’s not just the customers who feel supported—according to Tibbs, the more training employees have, the more supported they feel.
“We hear a lot from our people, ‘we want to learn and grow,’ so we set them on a path to do so,” Tibbs said. “Our training environment is active and it’s an awesome experience. It truly is an honor to be part of it.”
“Now what we really see is employees taking the initiative and being proactive and growing within their roles—we’re leaning into Evergreen and BlueVolt so we can build everybody within their role, and there’s that upward trajectory of learning.”
Conclusion:
By offering the training available on Evergreen University, Total Tool Supply employees are not only able to better serve their customers, but also feel more supported in their roles. By making training a cornerstone of their business, Total Tool Supply has increased completions and seen the returns of that knowledge.
“I can't recommend it enough for everybody to hop in there and give it a try,” Tibbs said. “There's so much to learn, and as long as you're hungry to learn and grow, Evergreen and BlueVolt have a platform to do so.”
