Dear Johansen Baseball Family,
In 2018 Initiatives:
As we wrapped up our first full year in our building we had several initiatives we hit on, some that we missed on, and some that are still on track for 2019 and 2020.
Development:
1. Work to create the very best all-inclusive player development system not only in our immediate area but our entire region that included development for hitting, throwing, and strength training.
a. With that we knew that we needed to add not only data collection technology but also functional technology and additional equipment to allow us to test and train in realistic environments.
2. We wanted to create the very best training environment and culture for SERIOUS players ranging from Middle School to professional. The use of technology and feedback loop combined with our competitive atmosphere is extremely unique especially in South Elgin and DeKalb IL. It took time to perfect the groups, and based on the time of year we found that the group size, and specific focus is fluid, and different for every athlete. We’ve found a way to individualize in group settings with our new assessment process.
These will be ongoing projects of course, but will ALWAYS be at the forefront and foundation of our company, even at the expense of investing in additional technology, or limiting our hours to allow more time for testing, R&D, and more.
Content:
1. We wanted to target specifically why we are different, how we are different, and how we are “ahead.” Being ahead we wanted to simplify our message on social media. “We teach players to hit the ball further, throw the ball harder, and get faster/stronger” Explaining all of the technology and programs we run from Bat Fitting to Arm Care will be another challenge and is why we specifically offer one-on-one player/parent intro meetings where families can tour the facility ask questions, allow us to build context and more. We want people to not only be comfortable with where they are training, but we want them to understand the expectations of what it means to train at Johansen Baseball.
2. We wanted to solidify a consistent platform where we could give as much free information out as we possibly can. We know that not everybody has access to what we do here at facility, but we wanted to be able to help families at home, or out of the region who either rent tunnels to work with their kids, hit in the garage or backyard, or are just looking to learn more about baseball development. We also wanted families to know what to expect if they are looking online at 3am, and are interested in hiring us when we aren’t awake to be reached. 2018 gave us a good start, we added a Drill Library to our website, grew our blog, started a podcast, got back on Twitter and sent some information via e-mail every so often. We expect to increase and mainstream this process greatly in 2019.
Content is something I think will help continue to drive the industry, not just us but more and more people putting out great content to share will only drive the industry further and further ahead and create more learning opportunities for everybody.
Products:
1. We wanted to be a resource for teams, families, and players to know what products to buy, where to buy them, offer discounts, and be able to offer them all in one place. We have built a great online store that is packed with products we believe in, everything from Frost cold/warm gear to various technologies. We will only carry a product if we believe in it.
In 2019 we want to:
1. Continue to improve the PARENT experience. Video streaming for parents to see, ease of scheduling, additional individual feedback, faster e-mail response time and more. We know that while our business NEEDS to be player driven, the parents are a huge support system for the athletes and for us. With additional manpower being added we are excited about some of the improvements that will be made over the course of the year.
2. Solidify the type of athlete that trains in which program. We know that some players are SERIOUS about baseball, and that some players LIKE baseball. We want to solidify our offerings so that we can continue to connect with players all around the community at the level they wish to be involved. Our onboarding process from our first online interaction, meet and greet, assessment, and training session should all help with that.
3. Continue to stay on the cutting edge of technology and player development (Stay Tuned, 2019 is going to be a fun one)
4. Increase our staff, continue to be a hub for employees and coaches to use our company as a stepping stone into something else, create a lasting position here with us, or at the very least have an enjoyable experience impacting the lives of players that we do here on a daily basis. In 2018, our Softball Instructor Delani Johansen was scooped up by Blast Motion, Ryan Johansen was hired by the Chicago White Sox, and Tony Seabase was promoted from a part time instructor to Business Operations Manager, and facility Coordinator at our DeKalb location. We hired two additional floor trainers, and this is barely scratching the surface to what we think we can do for others and job creation in our industry.
5. Improve information sharing about our company with the families that train with us. Newsletters that talk about our new hires, new technologies, methods, etc. We want to keep you in the loop!
Any suggestions are always welcome, while we can’t always integrate things right away we take everything into consideration and if we can improve your experience let us know! Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Johansen Baseball Staff