get ready – it’s TBG retreat time
At TBG we have a tradition of gathering all our employees, from interns to the principals, and spending a day and a half learning and socializing with one another. We take this time to celebrate being one firm with many voices and individual passions. This year, we had three great retreats for each employee to choose from.
The Central Texas Retreat was the first of the season and kicked off in San Antonio on Friday, October 11. The group gathered at the new San Antonio studio for a welcome lunch and workshop. This year’s workshop theme focused on balance in five areas of our firm – Practice, Knowledge/Learning, Work Life, Stewardship and Culture. After the workshop, the retreaters traveled to the San Antonio Botanical Garden for a tour led by Board Member John Troy and ended the night with food and drinks at Burleson Yard Beer Garden. On Saturday, the group met at Confluence Park for a tour with San Antonio River Foundation’s Frates Seeligson and Kelley Phillips. From there, the group traveled to the Lexington Avenue Bridge for the last activity of the day – a river boat tour to The Pearl. Whew!
The Gulf Coast Retreat was up next in Houston on Friday, October 18. TBGers met at the Houston office for a welcome lunch and team workshop. After great conversation, they traveled to The Glassell Studio School for a tour lead by Kendall/Heaton Associates Principal Saman Ahmadi, PE AIA. The group then traveled to McGovern Centennial Gardens for a tour with Cheryl Quinn of White Oak Studio Landscape Architecture and ended the night with dinner and drinks at Beer Market Midtown. On Saturday, the group headed out to The Groves Community and divided into teams to take on a photo scavenger hunt. Teams covered a lot of ground, with some walking multiple miles!
The North Texas Retreat was the last of the Fall Retreats and took place in Dallas on October 25 and 26. The group gathered at the Dallas office for a welcome lunch and team workshop, discussing the same topics that the Houston and San Antonio groups did. That afternoon, they walked to the Federal Reserve and were given a regional economic update as well as a tour of the building. Afterwards, the group did a walking tour of Klyde Warren Park before ending the night with dinner at Wild Sala. On Saturday, the retreaters toured Pacific Plaza with Rob Rider and Todd Strawn of SWA Group and John Reynolds from Dallas Parks & Recreation and ended the retreat with a walking tour of the Dallas Arts District.
All-in-all, we ate, we saw lots of great work and we got to know one another better. This tradition has been around for many years so we were excited to keep it going this year and hopefully many more years to come!