Team building is focus of this month's workforce training program with city of Williams and Coconino Community College

WILLIAMS, Ariz. — Building a team is like building a house. First, you start off with the foundation. Then, you get up the framing, flooring, plumbing, electrical, drywall and more. Finally, you can start personalizing.

Team building was the topic of discussion during a workshop at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel in Williams Jan. 24. The workshop is part of a larger series of workshops made possible through a partnership between the city of Williams and Coconino Community College’s noncredit Workforce Training program.

“The leadership in the city, including former mayor John Moore, realized that with such a prominent tourism industry, training in the realm of hospitality and customer service would be a benefit to the community,” said Alexis Knapp, CCC Workforce Training Coordinator. “Thanks to the financial support from the City Council, these monthly trainings are free to those working in Williams and the surrounding areas.”

Tanya Christie, Williams Branch Manager of the National Bank of Arizona, attended the training with a colleague and said, “We’re always trying to improve the positivity in our branch, and we came here for some new ideas and a new perspective. We have an amazing team, and we want to keep it that way.”

The workshop was led by Tommy Newsom II, Assistant Director of Campus Living at Northern Arizona University. He focused on practical strategies to help the participants in building strong teams – from formation, to establishing roles and normalizing those roles so that the team members can perform well.

Employees at the training came from several sectors – government, tourism, public safety and financial services among them.

Also at the training was the new Williams Fire Chief, Chase Pearson, who said of the 30 new volunteer firefighters under his command, “I want to promote a strong, positive work culture.”

Knapp said the training was originally scheduled to begin in 2020, but the pandemic delayed the start until 2022. The trainings are typically 1 ½ hours and are offered during the week either in the morning or afternoon. All the trainings are hosted by the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel.

“We discuss a variety of topics, all with the intention of supporting businesses, owners and employees in Williams to thrive and to create the best experience for those visiting or living here,” Knapp said.

In addition to January’s workshop on team building, training topics have included: “Customer Basics” with Joell Crittenden in July; “Why Visit Williams” with Pimi Bennett in August; “Great Listening, Great Service” with Kay Leum in September; and “Customer Service: Your Leadership Matters” with Amanda Henry in October.

Knapp added that CCC is always interested in hearing from Williams residents on what other workshop topics would be of interest to them. To offer input, or for more information about future Williams workshops and other noncredit workforce training opportunities at CCC, visit https://www.coconino.edu/workforce-training.

Larry Hendricks is the director of public relations and marketing at Coconino Community College.