Ivy League launches corporate training

“Culture impacts everyone in the organization,” said Fleming, who in June moved to Springfield from Connecticut after retiring from United Technologies Corp. as a training manager.

While the main business for Ivy League Corporate Services, 1949 E. Sunshine St., Ste. 2-105, is corporate gifts and special event planning, Obeidat had been anxious to offer training, too. She met Fleming in October at Springfield’s Business & Technology Expo and a business partnership developed.

Obeidat is president of Ivy League Training Services, and Fleming is director of training and development. The duo is targeting long-term contracts with midsize companies, offering workshops, seminars, on-site training, consulting and ombudsman services. The new division kicks off with a free luncheon March 9 at the Executive Conference Center, 910 W. Battlefield Road. Individual tickets to subsequent seminars will be $149. Registration for the free seminar, which is limited to 100 attendees, is available at www.ivyleaguecorp.com, and must be completed by March 7.

Fleming, also a SCORE counselor for the U.S. Small Business Administration, said he’s gained valuable experience in corporate training roles for United Technologies and General Motors Corp.

“I’ve been one of those people who have been very fortunate to have worked in so many different business sectors over my 40 years that it just gives me more of a rounded view of business,” he said.

Debi Harper, spokeswoman for American National Property and Casualty, said her company would consider using Ivy League Training Services because ANPAC already is a client of Ivy League’s gift program. Ivy League leases space from ANPAC at Corporate Centre.

“I think we would look at it,” Harper said. “We’ve had a lot of good luck with the gifts.”

Obeidat said companies with 50 or more employees face tougher communications hurdles than small businesses. ANPAC employs 826 in Springfield.

“We’re all for helping smaller companies if we can, especially if they want to form a good, healthy culture,” she said. “But, I think the real gist of what we’re trying to do is to get into companies (that) already have somewhat of an established culture and (are) feeling that it is not going in the direction they want it to go.”

What is corporate culture?

Ivy League’s Brenda Obeidat said effective corporate culture means that everyone at a company is on the same page, and that they’re happy to be on that page.

“Corporate culture is ‘the way we do things around here’ – the way we dress, the way we behave, the attitudes, the philosophy,” she said.

“Effective corporate culture is making sure that all of that runs clear through the company, from top to bottom, so that everybody understands the missions (and) the values. … You do it in a way that everybody is not only willing to participate but happy to participate.”

Corporate trainer John Fleming said effective corporate culture could be measured by higher revenue growth.

He points to companies on Fortune magazine’s Top 100 Best Companies to Work For list – which he said are good examples of effective corporate cultures – that have experienced 18 percent revenue growth over the last 10 years versus 12 percent revenue growth for the average Standard & Poor’s 500 company.