Reviewed by: Callie Morrison
Employees are jumping off the roof of one company’s building—find out why
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When Bham Now’s Trey Huie jokingly volunteered to rappel down the 11-story Regions Center in downtown Huntsville, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. Turns out, this annual community giveback event is just one of the many things that makes employees love working at Regions. To learn more, we got an inside look at Evergreen Week—a cross between homecoming, employee appreciation and a family reunion. Here’s what we discovered.
Evergreen Week is a chance for Regions to celebrate its associates
When we first heard about Evergreen Week, we were a little skeptical. A whole week for a company to celebrate the people who work there? But when we saw it in action, it was something else. There were incredibly creative decorations, touching moments and the kind of deep appreciation usually reserved for the holidays.
Rappelling Over the Edge for Kids to Love
Madison-based nonprofit Kids to Love hosted its sixth annual Over the Edge, an event that raises money to meet the needs of children in foster care, and Regions was proud to be one of the sponsors.
Lee Marshall, Executive Director of Kids to Love, explained the relationship:
“It’s such a neat thing to say that we shut down the streets in downtown Huntsville, and that the state of Alabama comes out to support our work. We love the fact that the event is experience-based, where our community can rappell down the Regions Center. We are grateful for Regions’ support.”
While technically not a part of Regions’ Evergreen Week, this Huntsville event serves as the unofficial kick-off to the annual celebration, and we just had to show how much fun it is.
On Saturday, September 16, two Regions associates went “over the edge” with our own Trey Huie. Check it out in the video above.
Want to work for a company that sets aside a week each year to celebrate their associates and the communities they serve? Join Regions’ Talent Community today.
Huddling with the Alabaster Kent Stone Way branch office
While Evergreen Week is a 20,000-employee, 15-state-wide effort, each manager puts their own unique spin on it. To see it from a different angle, we joined the Tuesday morning huddle at the Alabaster Kent Stone Way branch before customers arrived.
The first thing we noticed was the decorations, including hand-written compliments from each associate to their co-workers along the walls. Breakfast was laid out, with gifts to honor associates for their years of service.
Branch Manager Daisy Mendoza opened the meeting with a smile, bringing the team together for a moving display of gratitude and appreciation. Afterward, she presented service awards before a game.
When the group ate breakfast, we spoke with Uriel Arceo and Jared Yarchak about their experience working at Regions.
Arceo has been with the company for one year and works as a financial relationship consultant. As such, he teaches the community about financial literacy and goals, often in his native Spanish. This was his second Evergreen Week, and he loves how the week is all about appreciating the people who work at Regions.
“They really do care. You can see it throughout the whole year as well, not just by this week.”
Uriel Arceo, financial relationship consultant, Regions
Jared Yarchak is a senior financial consultant who has been with Regions for two years. At the start of his second Evergreen Week, he said it was great to see “how the company pours into the associates and the teams.” He loves that the company carved out a time of year for celebration and was most looking forward to seeing what surprises were in store for the week ahead.
Blasting off with the Marketing + Consumer Strategy Departments
Regions HQ Marketing department goes all out for Evergreen Week (Bham Now)
Word on the street was that the Marketing department is a must-see spot every year, so we connected with Madison Terry to learn about the department’s 2023 game plan. While the company-wide theme for the week was Regions United—People, Purpose, Power, this group came up with its own theme of innovation, teamwork and communication.
When we went to their floor at Regions Center in downtown Birmingham, we could see the innovation theme everywhere, with a Space Shuttle, Mars Rover, satellite and a few alien contaminations making it clear this was not business as usual.
Because most of the marketing team is remote, Evergreen Week provides a unique opportunity for them to build teamwork. They got to know each other in new ways, by playing games such as Two Truths and a Lie, Pictionary and bingo.
In addition, they brought in outside speakers to share the latest tools and trends in their industry, and everyone participated in a group community service project.
This year, they collected gently worn clothing and new toiletries for My Sister’s Closet. This “resale boutique with a high-end feel” provides new and gently used apparel, shoes and accessories at no cost to women and girls escaping domestic violence, living in shelters or facing extreme life transitions. Women of all backgrounds are invited to shop there—proceeds benefit YWCA Central Alabama.
Now imagine multiplying this creativity and energy across 20,000 people in 15 states. What a great way for a company to give back to the people who make it successful.
Longing to work for a company that cares about its associates? Regions is hiring.
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Bring Your Whole Self to Work: Regions has a passion for creating an inclusive environment that promotes and values diversity of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sex, pregnancy, and many other primary and secondary dimensions that make each of us unique as individuals and provide valuable perspective that makes us a better company and employer. More importantly, Regions recognizes that creating a workplace where everyone, regardless of background, can do their best work is the right thing to do.
