FAQs for Retreat Guests
Our retreat series addresses the many challenges that second-stagers face, which run the gamut from understanding industry forces and building infrastructure to scale the business to engaging employees and creating a compelling company culture.
Getting started
Once you’ve selected your retreat dates, we’ll send you a contract that specifies payment terms and logisitical information. After we’ve received your signed contract, Dino Signore, our manager of entrepreneurial education, will schedule a phone call with you to discuss retreat content.
To place a “soft hold” on a specific retreat date, we’ll need a $900 deposit and a list of all potential attendees, including their email addresses and company names. If the retreat is for a peer group with participants from different companies, our staff will contact each attendee by email and ask them to register and pay any individual retreat fees. If this is a single-company retreat, we will work with the CEO or designated manager for registration and payment.
The fees for a standard three-day retreat include professional facilitation, lodging and meals. There is a maximum of 30 attendees and a minimum of 10 (you may bring fewer participants, but you will be charged for 10).
Your contract will also specify a date by which a minimum of 10 attendees must register and pay in full. As soon as registration has been completed and we’ve received payment, we’ll place your retreat date on a “hard hold” status.
Refund policy
The deposit will be refunded to the group leader at the conclusion of your retreat. (Cancellations will result in loss of deposit.)
Refunds for individuals registering with a peer group will be considered on a case-by-case basis if you notify us at least 60 days prior to the retreat date. Otherwise, you will be given a credit toward a future session.
For more information or to sign up your group for a retreat, contact Rita Phillips.
Arriving at Big Rock Valley
Participants can check in between 3 and 5 p.m. Eastern time on arrival day. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m., and the program will begin at 6 p.m. Departure is at noon on the final day of the retreat.
Travel
The foundation does not coordinate travel for guests. Retreat participants are responsible for getting to and from the local airports on their own. Please note: Although Chicago has the closest major airports to the foundation; Chicago is on Central time, whereas the foundation is on Eastern time. When making travel arrangements, please be mindful of our arrival window and any time zones that you may pass through.
Lodging and meals
Guests will be given their housing assignments on arrival. During the registration process we ask all participants to disclose dietary restrictions and/or food allergies so we can accommodate any special needs. Retreat meals are provided by our guest services department and are scheduled on your agenda. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided throughout the session.
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What people are saying
“The retreats have given me new ideas, challenged the way I think and manage my company. Even if we’re having a very difficult period due to the economy or changes in the digital world, I come back energized and ready to roll up my sleeves. I have a better mindset on how to attack problems. I’m also equipped with the right tools and information.”
—— Joan Auritt, founder of Auritt Communications Group in New York, New York
“Most learning events I’ve attended are not very interactive: You sit, someone talks, and you write a lot of notes. Yet retreats at the Edward Lowe Foundation are very different. Dino is an incredible facilitator and does a great job of engaging us. The process, the facility — even conversations around the fire pit — breathe life into program information, making it much more powerful. After the retreats I feel clear-headed, energized and ready to take on the world again.”
— Mike Otis, founder of Double O Supply & Craftsmen, Inc. in Byron Center, Michigan