We also hold more irregularly scheduled summer retreats. These are almost always big social events with our families present. Retreats must have an atmosphere helpful to accomplishing intended goals and it helps to bring people to areas set apart from their normal routines and habits. We have retreats about once a year and they help us build the solid working relationships we couldn't do without. Tree Top's senior management and board go on retreats every June.
Participants go on field trips, too.
During Tree Top retreats, short excursions to connected businesses and suppliers are often just the ticket to increase corporate awareness of business realities. We have visited supermarkets, glass manufacturers and cereal makers to better understand our product and business relationships. Our retreats always serve a number of purposes. One of the most valuable aspects, though, is the opportunity to get our board members and management together. Our company is a little unusual.