NO SURRENDER Know Retreat.

• Author: Kimball, Suzanne
• Position: Mixing play into corporate activities - IOMEGA Corp. - Ultradent Products Inc.

Inspiring and reviving employees oft site

For most people, getting the job done means, buckling down to 40 or more hours per week in the office. While success is usually measured by numbers of hours worked and dollars generated, many Utah corporations see the value of taking just the opposite approach and retreating from the battle to regroup.

Six Utah companies take a paradoxical approach to work by mixing play into their corporate activities. These businesses show how corporate retreats can inspire, promote change, and set the mind free to create new ways of working away from the actual work itself.

Change of Venue

Three important words to anyone planning a successful corporate retreat are: location, location, location. Pamela Maughan, director of corporate events for Iomega Corporation, took these words to heart when planning the company's four-day executive retreat at the Big EZ Lodge in Big Sky, Mont.

"The location of the Big EZ is really conducive to strategic planning and creative thinking," says Maughan. "You're out in the middle of nowhere, 55 minutes from the Bozeman airport, and miles from any kind of civilization. This seclusion was very important to us because at the time we were working on some major events which required an extremely tight focus, absent any distractions."

The Big EZ operates exclusively as a high-level, off-site corporate planning facility. It provides an environment designed to conduct serious business, yet also provided Iomega executives with guided activities including fly-fishing, gondola rides and horseback riding.

Of course, traveling to Montana isn't necessary if businesses just want to give their employees a change of scenery. Orem-based PowerQuest took advantage of just one of Utah's many. solitary locations by planning its 1999 retreat at the Stein Eriksen Lodge and the Goldener Hirsch Inn in Deer Valley.

"The main purpose of the retreat was to mix a bit of strategic planning with lots of rest and relaxation," notes Leena Rogers, executive assistant to the CEO. "We wanted to thank executives and their spouses for their sacrifices during a very hectic and fast-paced year. The location was fabulous, very secluded and the accommodations were luxurious."

Attendees participated in relaxing activities including horseback riding, hot air ballooning and mountain biking. To top off the experience, Rogers had gift baskets delivered to each room containing food items ranging from popcorn to chocolates. "Utah...