OUR STORY

It all started with a college assignment and no budget.

In 1997, Team Concepts founder Josh Erickson was a junior in college when his professor gave the class an unusual challenge: teach a lesson using only materials you could find for free. So Josh went looking. He found an old plastic planter sitting on a curb, drilled twelve holes around the rim, threaded rope through each one, crumpled newspapers into a ball, and created his very first team-building activity. It wasn't polished. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.

As he watched his classmates struggle, communicate, fail, laugh, adapt, and eventually succeed, something unexpected happened. A quiet student sitting in the back, someone few had noticed, held the key to solving the challenge. The team only succeeded when they learned to listen to every voice. That moment changed everything. Josh realized that people don't grow simply by being told what to do. They grow when they are given the opportunity to work through challenges together. In those moments, leaders emerge, trust is built, confidence grows, and relationships become stronger.

That single college assignment became the foundation of a lifelong mission. Over the next several years, Josh kept saying yes. He scavenged sewer pipe from a mobile home junkyard to build another activity that teams still enjoy today. He loaded homemade equipment into his vehicle and led workshops for church groups, Fellowship of Christian Athletes camps, schools, and athletic teams. Every dollar he earned was invested back into improving the experience.

One workshop became another. Then another. Schools began calling. Businesses followed. Organizations discovered that the activities were never really about games. They were about people. They created conversations that mattered, revealed untapped leadership, strengthened relationships, and inspired teams to work differently long after the workshop ended.

In 2006, that vision was given a name: Team Concepts. While our equipment has evolved from homemade projects to professional experiences, our purpose has never changed. Today, we partner with businesses, schools, universities, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and teams across the country to develop inspired leaders and build cultures where people thrive.

Because we believe something simple, yet incredibly powerful. When people feel seen. When they feel valued. When they feel connected to one another and to a purpose greater than themselves. Everything changes. Organizations become stronger. Teams become healthier. Leaders become more intentional. People become more inspired.

That has been our mission since one college assignment in 1997, and it continues to guide everything we do today. Our mission is to provide every human with the opportunity to spend a significant portion of their day in a life-giving, inspiring environment. Because when everyone leads, everyone wins.