The Trip of A Lifetime:
Perspectives from China

June 12, 2012 Evergreen Enterprises 0 Comments

In today’s society, some people are regular global travelers; others rarely leave their local communities. Our hard-working Territory Managers are certainly well-traveled within their state, as they each call on numerous customers in an effort to support these retailers through the sale of Evergreen’s home and garden décor products. Yet this past April, due to their exceptional performance, three of our salespeople got the chance to travel beyond the borders of the U.S. to visit the People’s Republic of China. While there, Elyse Ruben, Maggie Stewart, and Ed Pordash (pictured here with company President Ting Xu) were able to experience much of both the country itself and of the Evergreen facilities located there.


Evergreen Operations

Upon their arrival in China, our trio first journeyed to Ningbo, a city of industry and the location of Evergreen Enterprises’ overseas headquarters. During their visit to the large and impressive Evergreen offices, our trio of TMs found beautiful grounds with plenty of green gardens for recreation and leisure, remarkably refined meeting rooms, and attractive air-conditioned living quarters for factory workers. Our three salespeople all noted how the complex was filled with gracious and welcoming staff who were happy to walk with guests and proudly explain their role in the elaborate process of preparing Evergreen’s goods for market. It was clear that employees are treated well, both in their accommodations and in opportunities for development and advancement.

Our team also found the Evergreen factories to be equally impressive, noting how clean and organized they were—and how full of advanced equipment. Yet even with all the mechanical technology, Maggie, Elyse, and Ed all expressed their amazement at just how hands-on the production process can be. Seeing the number of hands that touch a single product as it is being made—whether flags or garden statuaries—gave them a better appreciation for Evergreen’s products and what it takes to create them. As Ed stated, “To watch the skill and time spent making each piece shows how special our product really is.”
 
Elyse and Maggie both took turns at setting up the fabric for embroidered appliqué flag designs while Ed tried his hand at painting a polystone shoe-shaped wine bottle holder. (We’ve always thought zebra print was a good look for Ed!)



Geography & Culture
The country of China contains an overwhelming wealth of ancient cultural landmarks. Our trio of tourists enjoyed witnessing such globally unique sights as the Great Wall, the myriad examples of old Chinese architecture, and the impressive archaeological site of the Terracotta Warriors, as they considered the dynasties of history that had passed long before they set foot on the same ground. And speaking of “setting foot”—as you can see below, Ed’s wine bottle shoe also made the tour as one of the stars of several photos across the landscape of China!
 
All among our trio of travelers noted the distinct juxtaposition of the old and the new, with ancient structures sitting right next to modern skyscrapers. Our group commented that they saw plenty of newly-constructed buildings, indicating the expansive growth that’s currently taking place in China.
 
Among the tightly-spaced buildings of China’s major cities lives an incredibly dense population of 20 or 30 million people (Beijing and Shanghai, respectively). Yet among the veritable sea of faces focused on their daily routine, our group continually found people to be gentle and respectful, gracious and ready to serve. Maggie commented, “we all felt like the Chinese people were honored to have us in their space and their city… like a quiet cloud that followed us everywhere we went.”
 
From jade factory to tea ceremony to acrobatic show to dinners that were as delicious as they were attractive, our tireless trio got a full taste of Chinese culture. Even amidst the vastness of the cities, they reported feeling very safe. Despite the obvious language barrier, they were impressed at how people remained friendly and helpful.


In Closing

Elyse, Maggie, Ed and their companions all returned back to the U.S. with a new-found appreciation for both a culture and a company that they had come to know more deeply. Even separated by thousands of miles, both the American and Chinese operations of Evergreen Enterprises share jointly in the benefits that result from each other’s talents and efforts. Though unique in culture, together we are one united company, working towards a common goal of improving the lives of all people who come in contact with Evergreen products.
 

To learn more about Evergreen or to shop all of our thousands of products, visit www.myevergreen.com

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