2021 Leadership Immersion

Thrasher Group prides itself on living out our purpose, mission, and values daily. 

Purpose: to redefine our industry

Mission: to deliver a wow experience and challenge the status quo

Values: One Team, One Experience, One Passion, One Community

We are believers, and through action, we demonstrate each of these. Our Leadership Immersion program is a prime example of how Thrasher strives to live out the One Community value. To us, this means being an advocate for our community and giving back all the blessings we've received. Additionally, the Thrasher family is devoted to developing internal leaders to grow personally and professionally.

Each year, through the Leadership Immersion program, Thrasher Group selects 8-9 employees to participate. Throughout the 6-month program, these internal leaders are coached and mentored by our Leadership Team to learn the tools they'll need to exceed in their roles.  One week is dedicated exclusively to learning the internal workings of Thrasher from Dan Thrasher, our CEO, and Nick Rohe, our President. During this week, they choose an impactful non-profit organization from one of our local communities to be improved. The Leadership Immersion team is tasked with helping the organization determine a specific goal and then work to help them achieve it.

This year, 8 individuals were selected:

·      Dylan Hagan, Wichita, System Design Specialist

·      Drew Johnson, Omaha, Team Leader

·      Jake Erichsen, Omaha, Team Leader

·      Sean Robinson, Wichita, System Design Specialist

·      Monica Fairbanks, Omaha, Customer Care Coordinator

·      Mike Scherer, Omaha, Team Leader

·      Jessie Erickson, Omaha, Recruiter

·      Josh Cochran, Omaha, Financial Analyst

Drew Johnson explained Leadership Immersion in his own words, "As a team, we accomplished more than I ever thought we could. I feel amazing to have learned and grown physically and emotionally. It feels good to be a part of something bigger. We got involved, we listened to what was needed, and we had the opportunity to be a part of that change! This is who we are, and this is what we're about, every day in the community. I'm a better person because I'm doing my job with purpose”. Josh Cochran echoed what he had to say, “Leadership Immersion is the perfect example of the importance of the One Community value at Thrasher. The work you do to help the non-profit is not for show or PR. It is purely to be doing good in the community. It is hard work but seeing the impact you can have in a short period of time is an incredibly rewarding experience. It creates a drive to continue giving back after the program is completed.”

Together, they partnered with an Omaha non-profit, inCOMMON, which works to alleviate poverty at the root level by uniting and strengthening vulnerable neighborhoods. The 2021 Leadership Immersion Class had the opportunity to assist with the demo and clean out of inCOMMON's newest building with the help of our employees and their significant others who volunteered on the weekends. Everyone was then brought together through a hosted block party to help unite the local neighborhood with the new facility. Additionally, they partnered with Mustaches for Kids (M4K), a non-profit fundraising group that advocates for “dudes to grow mustaches" for 30 days to raise money for local youth charities. Six of our Thrasher internal leaders joined the cause and rallied with their dazzling lip hair to help our team reach their fundraising goal for inCOMMON.

Jake Erichsen stated the following about the impact of the program: “It was amazing getting to experience the bigger picture. It put into perspective how selfless our company is, redefining in my opinion, is something bigger than what we do for work. It’s what working for Thrasher means. What Thrasher is willing to do to help others in need is truly admirable, and I’m proud to say I got the chance to be a part of it!”

At the end of this year’s 6-month project, our group raised over $32,000 for inCOMMON. Although some strange-looking mustaches disappeared, these internal leaders were inspired to continue their path of growth with the company. Our Leadership Immersion program boasts a 46% internal promotion rate. If you are looking for a company dedicated to giving back and helping you grow, we're hiring and would love the opportunity to meet you: https://thrasher.group/careers.