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Evergreen Industrial: Great People Providing Great Services, On the Cover
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 Just as cost, safety and reliability can affect a company’s bottom line, so can attracting and retaining great employees. Happy employees make for a successful business. That’s why Evergreen Industrial is committed to taking care of its employees.
Evergreen’s employees are committed to leading the industry whether it’s through hydroblasting, tank cleaning, chemical cleaning or other industrial services. Its employees are leading the industry while upholding the highest safety values and implementing continuous improvement processes.
A great place to work
Evergreen’s flat organization structure, which has only a couple of levels between the CEO and a field employee, makes it easy for the company to stay involved and give back to its employees.
"I’ve worked for big companies before that were multilayered and the decision makers were so far removed from the field that there were unintended consequences for decisions that they made,” said Evergreen’s Vice President of Business Development Paul Sievert. "They couldn’t see how one decision might have so many effects. I think we avoid that because we’re a flat organization. That avoids a lot of frustration for our employees and customers.”
According to Evergreen’s Vice President of HS&E and Human Resources Bill Shaw, "The relationship between the CEO and the employees is one that’s a lot different than I’ve seen in the past. He is more in touch with Evergreen’s employees.”
This is something Jon Hodges, president and CEO of Evergreen, takes great pride in.
"We see our business as a specialty business,” said Hodges. "It doesn’t run like other companies because our employees are our business. The happier the employee, the better their performance, which in turn reflects the quality service that Evergreen delivers. We’re a medium-sized company that keeps its focus on delivering the best quality service. We can do this because of the pride our employees have in Evergreen.”
Evergreen’s management team all make a point to spend time with employees.
"I like to get to the field, to see the work and hear about the challenges our employees are having,” said Evergreen’s Vice President of Operations Scott Flanagan. "It helps resolve the problems quickly while showing the employees that we place high importance on the work they are doing. They are the key to sustaining business with our customers.”
"I put a lot of effort into talking to the branch managers, the sales reps and as many of the customers I can get to,” said Sievert. "I try to listen and ask questions about what’s working and could be done better and try to make those things happen.”
Evergreen has nearly 400 employees and it is difficult to know everyone. So the company strives to create a family atmosphere by bringing the company together for recreational events.
"We have family events for our employees throughout the year and I try to attend each event,” said Hodges.
These family events include safety auctions where employees can bring their families and bid on different prizes, suite tickets to the Texans’ football games, tickets to Rockets’ basketball games, Houston Livestock and Rodeo tickets, and vacation accommodations.
Another company-wide employee event is the truck rodeo held every year at the San Jacinto truck driving school. It’s a family event where all employees show up in the morning for a barbeque with kid friendly events. The drivers competing in the rodeo take a written test in the morning and a timed driving test after lunch.
Along with employee events, Evergreen also hosts a number of customer events such as the "Lone Star Rally” in Galveston, Texas. Evergreen invites employees, customers and friends to meet at its corporate offices in La Porte, Texas. Everyone rides about 35 miles to Galveston as a group where the company has a reserved spot with music and refreshments. There are between 100,000 and 400,000 people that attend or participate in the rally, and last year, Evergreen brought about 300 of those participants.
"It’s my personal philosophy that if we focus on taking care of our employees, then they’ll take care of our customers,” said Sievert. "I put the employees first as a manager and trust that they will put the customer first.”
People make the difference
When customers first choose Evergreen, they know they’re going to get great services at a low cost. But it’s Evergreen’s employees who keep these customers coming back.
"We chose Evergreen because of their professional approach to tank cleaning and competitive bid,” said Ronald Renz, refinery manager at BTB Refining. "Evergreen made things easier because all of their people were certified for security as far as getting on the premises. They had a very good safety record on the job and their experience was excellent. After using them, we would definitely recommend them to another company.”
Treena Piznar, water and waste team leader for BP Products North America, agrees.
"We began using Evergreen in 2007 when they were doing subcontract work here,” she said. "The people at Evergreen are responsive and they definitely want to be a top performer on the job.”
According to Carlos Mata, maintenance director at Sterling Chemicals’ Texas City, Texas, plant, Evergreen’s hardworking employees and safety record make them the right choice.
"Evergreen is a very employee-oriented company and provides a high level of training for its employees,” said Mata. "Based on the contact I’ve had with Evergreen’s employees, they are very interested in getting the job done safely and done right. They are a hardworking group.
"Evergreen has been on our site for about 12 years and they’ve never had a recordable injury. I think this says a lot for their safety training and commitment because they perform high injury potential work. They perform it effectively and very safely.”
In addition to safety, having the right people on the job can make all the difference.
"People want to excel in their jobs,” said Flanagan. "Evergreen provides the opportunity for our people to advance. That high level of job performance benefits everyone.”
John Timmons, turnaround planner for ExxonMobil’s Beaumont, Texas, refinery, knows he can count on Evergreen’s employees to get the job done.
"I learned about Evergreen in 2008 when they were a contractor out here at this refinery,” he said. "They were on our approved contractor list, which is a process that has many requirements including safety. We look at several different factors.”
Timmons pointed out the reason Evergreen was his first choice.
"The people at Evergreen make them our first choice. In particular, Mike Burton, who does an outstanding job,” he said. "He’s experienced at what he does and is very customer oriented. During this last job, we asked him to make some additional changes and he’s come through meeting all of our expectations.
"I would give Evergreen my highest recommendation. There are many companies out there that are good, and we could’ve chosen them, but I chose Mike and Evergreen over anybody else.”
According to Jeff Harper, turnaround/project planner for Arkema Chemicals in Beaumont, "Evergreen is a good choice because of their people and services.”
Harper and Arkema have been using Evergreen’s services since 2006.
"Thanks to Tina Reeves, Evergreen account manager, and Alton Joiner, Evergreen field supervisor, we can always depend on them to provide the equipment and people we need to get the job done quickly and safely,” he said. "We have plans to use them at more plants in the future.”
George Thomas, maintenance supervisor at Pasadena Refining, has been using Evergreen’s services for about 15 years and thinks its employees are "top notch.”
"I’ve dealt with Abel Bella for many years,” he said. "Anytime I have a problem, I call him and he takes care of it just as quick as he can.”
Thomas would give Evergreen his highest recommendation.
"Evergreen is an exceptional company,” he said. "There are a lot of companies out there that say they can do a lot of things, but Evergreen comes through for us when we’re in a bind. They have a good reputation out here.”
Rising ‘Star’ in safety
Recently, Evergreen received a VPP "Star” award at its Texas City branch.
"This VPP ‘Star’ certification is a true testament to Evergreen’s employees,” said Hodges. "Without the hard work and dedication from all, we would not have achieved this prestigious distinction. Many thanks to all who contributed an enormous amount of effort in our journey to be VPP ‘Star’ certified.”
According to Shaw, the "Star” award was the result of a group effort that began before Hurricane Ike and was slowed down during the hurricane and recovery.
"It took management’s commitment and additional funds to get the industrial hygiene monitoring done that is required for VPP as well as a lot of employee involvement,” he said. "We made some changes a few years back when we first started with VPP at Valero Houston. The changes trickled down to Texas City, making it a lot easier this time around.”
In order to receive this prestigious award, the company has a commitment to safety from all its employees.
"We emphasize we’re going to do the job safely, no matter what it takes,” said Shaw. "On top of our training, we actually have in our safety commitment that if any employee feels like there’s a hazardous situation at hand, they can shut down anytime. They have the authority and the duty to do so.”
Reflecting on the past to brighten the future
Despite the economic recession, Hodges has a positive outlook for the future of Evergreen.
"I’m hoping the worst was in 2009,” he said. "What I thought was unique about Evergreen was that we grew in account base so we had more new customers, but our existing account structure did lessen like everyone else, mostly in refining.
"We had a great first quarter this year. We’ve seen a rise in the business and the numbers of employees are increasing. We made it through the recession without any layoffs. We kept our people busy and got caught up on training.”
According to Evergreen’s CFO Charleen Jones, "The recession’s impact on Evergreen was mild. We reacted to the economic downturn immediately by managing and controlling costs. We felt that retaining our employees, equipment improvements and new equipment purchases would allow us to continue to provide existing customers and new customers the quality service that they are accustomed to from Evergreen in 2010. Our first quarter of 2010 reflects the benefits of our strategy by gaining new customers in new locations.”
Hodges said that Evergreen has been hiring new employees at its locations in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Lake Charles, La., where the company is very busy.
"We came together more as a unit with our Deer Park, Texas, and Texas City offices by bringing on new employees there and loaning them out to other locations,” he said.
For Hodges, it’s of utmost importance to keep the company and its employees focused on being the best in class by providing quality services while the company is experiencing this growth. He hopes to continue the company’s success in the future by keeping the employees in the forefront.
"After 29 years, a light bulb went off that this is very much a people business and the way we treat our people is a direct reflection on our safety records and quality of services,” he said. "Anybody can buy the equipment, but it’s the people doing the work who are going to make the difference.”
For more information, visit www.evergreenes.com or call (281) 478-5800.
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