Saving the Galaxy at our ‘26 Company Retreat

A New Hope Awaits

Our team traveled from all across the galaxy to meet, for the third year in a row, at the GENEVA Camp & Retreat Center in Holland. While we would have loved to travel in the Millennium Falcon, we had to settle for our Earthly transport ships and ground vehicles.

Zoom is often our gateway to building relationships and strategies with one another as a fully remote team, but nothing compares to being in person.

The Saga

The retreat theme was Star Wars: A New Hope. A big part of the week went into building a new process for our strategy plans so we can move at the speed of light without sacrificing quality, clarify which tasks belong in each phase, and know who owns them. Along the way, we relaunched our StratPlan, posed for new headshots, recorded marketing videos, reflected on our progress since last year’s retreat, and introduced community engagement efforts like Avalanche Impact Day and a pro bono package for nonprofits. Courage, initiative, and unwavering commitment to our shared mission earned plenty of recognition all week.

Sara, our Senior Director of Operations, designed a training mission to prime us for the week. She gave each team a game board with multiple pathways, some dead ends, and instructions for each stop our game piece took. The activity reminded us that different paths can lead to the same result, that it’s okay if a task takes you longer than someone else, and that collaboration matters most when the path is unclear.

In preparation for Operation StratPlan Relaunch, one lucky landscaping company was selected to receive our new strategy plan for FREE. Throughout the week, we worked with the Account Directors, Jennie and Taylor, to set a vision for the process, review each phase, set clear expectations for every task, and work through any confusion. By the end of the week, the team built more trust in the new system and uncovered opportunities and areas of improvement for the landscaper. They were so impressed with our work that they signed for ongoing!

Most nonprofits lean heavily on sponsors, volunteers, and followers in order to keep providing their services. To better support them, we’ve highlighted nonprofits on our socials, sponsored events, and keep exploring new partnerships. Searrah and Sara presented what our Committee has been up to, along with the new Avalanche Impact Day initiative that encourages the whole team to volunteer at an environmental organization in July. We also asked the team to help us build a pro bono package we can offer to nonprofits. We’re still figuring out the details, but more to come on that late this year.

Using the Force for Good

Volunteering at Kids’ Food Basket

On the last day of the retreat, we volunteered at Kids’ Food Basket, preparing and packaging bean burritos to feed families across West Michigan. Spending a morning at one of their facilities has been a core component of our retreat for years. Being able to further support our community is something our team looks forward to.

Side Missions

All work and no play leads to the dull side. That is why we blocked time off to step away from our laptops and simply enjoy each other’s company.

We spent a couple of evenings out in Holland. The conversations flowed as we ate dinner at New Holland Brewing and Reservoir.

Before we departed back to our sector of the galaxy, we paired up and played the games you all know and love at The Grand Rapids Game Show Experience. Rayanne and Stephanie came out on top after fighting hard through Family Feud, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, and so much more. 

Mission Debrief

Throughout the retreat, we rewarded one another with Medals of the Alliance for completing missions and being generally awesome. During the debrief, everyone received a special Order of Yavin Avalanche Alliance Award. We reflected on how far we’ve come since last year and set expectations for the year ahead. 

We showed up as a fully remote team and left feeling like a united crew on one ship. A new hope, a new StratPlan, and a galaxy’s worth of bean burritos behind us. On to whatever adventures await us next. 

Searrah Herendeen

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