Dear Evergreen Journal readers,

Happy New Year! As we head into 2019, we are grateful for the learnings and experiences we shared in 2018. We are excited by the momentum in the Evergreen movement.

The Year in Review

Tugboat Institute membership grew by 30 percent in 2018, broadening our membership to include new industries and new geographies.

In January, we launched Evergreen Journal Quarterly, a print publication that includes Evergreen Journal articles and additional content we create each quarter. The magazine allows us to regularly curate the expertise and experience of our community in a new way, offering members and a wider audience a valuable, Evergreen collection of best practices, insights, and information.

In June our members came together in Sun Valley, Idaho for Tugboat Institute Summit 2018. I was happy to launch the week’s talks by sharing the story behind the phenomenal success of In-N-Out Burger, an exemplar of Evergreen principles, including Private, Paced Growth, and People First. Talks by members ranged from heartfelt experiences of personal development to tactical growth strategies to best practices in building culture for the long-term. Across the talks, conversations, and activities, we found inspiration, lessons, and valued connections.

In August, we moved our headquarters from Palo Alto to our new office in Sun Valley. We are spoiled to be working with a view of world-famous Bald Mountain from our conference room, and we welcome any visitors who venture to our peaceful mountain town to stop by and say hello!

We also launched our first online Tugboat Seminar in August, expanding upon member Joe Motz’s Summit talk, and we followed that with two additional seminars in September and November—hosted by member Tom Rosztoczy and Tugboat Fellow Spencer Burke, with Kim Sheehy, respectively. The seminars were met with enthusiastic support, and we are happy to be planning six additional seminars for 2019.

In October, we traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, where members were graciously hosted by Andy Taylor, Executive Chairman of Enterprise Holdings, at the company’s headquarters for our fall Tugboat Institute Exemplar visit.

Our inspiring days at Enterprise were followed by a wonderful opportunity—facilitated by Tugboat Institute Fellow Spencer Burke—to share the Evergreen story with the wider community of St. Louis at the Olin Family Business Symposium at Washington University.

Looking Ahead

We are heading to Chicago, Illinois in April, where Tugboat Institute member Robert Pasin, Chief Wagon Officer of Radio Flyer, will host us for our Tugboat Institute @RadioFlyer Exemplar event.

In June, members will again gather in Sun Valley for Tugboat Institute Summit 2019. We are excited to be hosting the event at the recently completed Argyros Performing Arts Center, an amazing new venue perfect for our group.

New in 2019, we have launched a Tugboat Institute YouTube channel, and I am in the beginning stages of launching a personal blog to offer Ideas and perspective about Evergreen practices.

In addition to these programs, experiences, and new content platforms, we are investing time and resources to expand the Tugboat Institute experience to members’ key executives and family members. The Evergreen Conference, developed at the request of members, is planned for Dallas, Texas in spring of 2020 and will be open to members’ families and leadership teams. We have also been working to expand and enhance our Certified Evergreen program to offer a rigorous certification process, based on the Evergreen 7Ps. While both the Evergreen Conference and Certified Evergreen program will initially be offered to members, we anticipate both will be made available to other Evergreen companies.

Final Thoughts

As we head toward a new year, we are optimistic about the positive impact of Evergreen companies on their employees, their communities, and on society. While this past year has presented some uncertainty—through this past fall’s downturn in the stock market and concerns over trade—we feel confident that the year ahead will offer Evergreen companies ample opportunity.

At Tugboat Institute, we are looking forward to continuing to support members and the Evergreen movement. As we navigate the year ahead, we will continue to embrace the long-term view.

With Gratitude,

Dave Whorton & The Tugboat Team