Throughout the end of June and early July, Skagit Farmers Supply employees participated in employee retreats in North Idaho and Western Washington. In June, eastside employees enjoyed a day out cruising Lake Coeur d’Alene. July brought westside employees to Bellingham, where they embarked on a cruse of the San Juan Islands in search of whales.
Each year, SFS gathers employees from its four divisions (energy, retail, agronomy and wholesale) for a day of company updates and fun. The retreats lead to some beautiful days out on the water. Employees in both regions enjoyed relaxing and enjoying the scenery, good food and conversations, and for some, playing a few exciting games of cards!
Towards the end of both days on the westside retreat transient pods of Orca whales came out to give us a show! Our captain explained that whales get excited around feeding time. The orcas jumped in and out of the water, splashing around and swimming together. It was amazing to see them in their natural habitat, along with the occasional porpoise, seal and different varieties of marine birds.
During the morning portion of our retreats, attendees gathered for coffee and pastries. Management shared department updates, concluding with Greg Kettner, an entertaining and comedic motivational speaker. Greg shared his experiences as a standup comedian (he once shared the stage with Robin Williams) and how his “WorkHappy” approach to talking about mental health in the workplace helps people navigate through some of life’s hardest challenges. He reminded attendees to take pause to laugh and breathe through difficult times. As Greg stated, “When we laugh, we connect.” This is evident most places we work within the Co-op. When we connect, we create positive professional relationships. Through the years, professional relationships like these have formed a cultural cornerstone of the Co-op’s success!
The retreats were a wonderful time to network with others from different locations, foster new work relations, enhance team spirit and take some time to relax. We already look forward to next year’s retreats!
