There’s no denying we work hard at Tallgrass Freight Company. So when we have an opportunity to get together and have fun, like at our annual holiday party, we’re all in!
We were thrilled to host our Tallgrass Freight employees and agents at the beautiful Kansas City Marriott Downtown for a half-day event that kicked off with what we jokingly refer to as our “State of the Union” address: a chance to recap the year’s highlights, celebrate our accomplishments and look ahead to 2018.
Our COO, David Barnes, delivered the remarks, and there was no shortage of good news to share! Among the highlights:
- Tallgrass Freight added more than 20 new agents and employees since last year’s holiday party. This year, the company welcomed attendees from Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, California, Quebec, Florida and the Kansas City area. Next year’s goal: add 40 more people!
- Jason Putthoff, named Tallgrass Freight’s head of recruiting at the end of 2016, received congratulations for a job well done.
- The company keeps growing! At the time of last year’s holiday party, Tallgrass had just moved into new offices with 4,600 square feet to grow into. One year later, the company filled that space and expanded into another 4,600 square feet just last week.
- To gear up for a busy 2018, Tallgrass added outside marketing and finance experts. The new partners include TriMoxie Marketing and Alverson Consulting Partners.
- Tallgrass Freight experienced 150% growth since the end of 2016 and, in 2018, will double the company’s revenues from 2017.
As if all of those updates weren’t enough to celebrate, David’s remarks also included two annual awards: Agent of the Year and Employee of the Year.
Jeremy Wright was recognized as the company’s 2017 Agent of the Year for an incredible performance that earned him the distinction of Tallgrass Freight’s top-generating revenue producer. What’s more: Jeremy has only been with Tallgrass Freight for a year, so he accomplished this significant growth in a relatively short period of time. To say we’re glad to have him with us is an understatement!
David also recognized Melissa Peacher as the 2017 Employee of the Year. She handles all of the payables and processes close to 12,000 carrier invoices valuing $10 million. She juggles so much more, too, and all with a smile on her face.
“She comes to work every day and just gets it done,” David says. “No complaints. And she spots opportunities for improvement. She’s the employee anyone would love to have.”
After those celebratory announcements and a mouthwatering dinner, the party kicked into high gear! This year, the holiday party received an exciting addition: live music provided by local favorites, Disco Dick and the Mirror Balls. Tallgrass employees and agents, their guests and valued customers and vendors danced the night away—except when they were taking selfies, of course!
The only downside to this year’s holiday party? The next one is a year away! But that gives us plenty of time to plan festivities that will be even bigger and better. Want to get a coveted golden ticket to our 2018 holiday party? Join our team and we’ll celebrate together!