Inspirational setting
Located in Southwest Michigan, Big Rock Valley’s peaceful setting enables entrepreneurs to unplug from hectic schedules, recharge and gain fresh insights into their businesses and themselves.
In addition to educational programs, Ed and Darlene Lowe wanted to create a place where entrepreneurs could both relax and generate new ideas. Big Rock Valley is where Ed did much of his “pondering” (his word for quiet reflection) and conceived many of his biggest innovations.

Nature
Because of Big Rock Valley’s diverse landscapes, it is home to a wide variety of wildlife, plants and insects, including many threatened and endangered species. To maintain this biodiversity, we use innovative conservation practices. We also make the property available to academic researchers.

Heritage
Our Billieville retreat center (named after Darlene Lowe’s middle name) reflects our founders’ creativity and affinity for repurposing materials. Case in point: the transformation of several pole barns created a turn-of-the-century small town, complete with its own tavern.

Facilities
Our main meeting facility, the Tower of Tomorrow, honors one of Ed Lowe’s dreams — to construct a high-rise headquarters building at BRV. Although not apparent from its entrance, the building resembles a tower when looking at the rear exterior from the bottom of the hill.
Expect the unexpected
Ed Lowe’s orange caboose has been in various locations at Big Rock Valley, but now resides near Billieville. It was one of his favorite pondering places.
“There’s nothing like sitting in an orange caboose in the middle of the woods to get your inspirational juices flowing.”
— Bryan Croft, president and CEO of Holmes Custom in Jacksonville, Florida
Along with our cutting-edge content and state-of-the-art facilities, the natural beauty at BRV enhances the retreat experience. Our 2,000-acre learning campus in southwest Michigan is surrounded by woodlands, wetlands, farm fields and prairies. The peaceful setting enables participants to unplug from hectic schedules and focus on growing their businesses.
Inspirational environment
“Being offsite definitely helped, not only getting away from the day-to-day churn, but also taking advantage of the unique setting at Big Rock Valley — the woods, talking around the campfire at night, sleeping in the boxcars. Being in a great environment always helps when you’re trying to generate new ideas.”
— Jeff McWherter, owner of Gravity Works in Lansing, Michigan


























































The history of the church dates back to the Quakers who settled in Cass County in the 1820s. Many were strong abolitionists, active in helping slaves escape along a major route of the Underground Railroad that went through Cass County. The Penn Friends Meeting House stood at the corner of Penn Road and Quaker Street in the village of Penn about two miles east of the foundation.





In 1873, Richmond’s second to the oldest child, James Madison Lake, who was born in New York in 1842, married Anna Tripp. They purchased the property from his father and took up housekeeping there. The property was known as the “Stone Abutment Farm.” They had one child, Grace, who was born in 1879, and died in 1894, two years after Anna died.





The property was originally owned by Richmond and Hannah Lake, who came to Cass County from New York in 1843. Richmond and Hannah Lake’s daughter, Hannah Rosetta Lake married Benjamin Franklin Slipper in 1875, which is where the Slipper House got its name. The Slipper’s raised six children in the house: Archie, Maud, Blanche, Glenn, Hannah Nevada, and Grace.





Preserved features include handhewn beams, the remnant of a shed roof, barnwood walls and doors, and animal-worn stanchion poles. The fireplace in the conference room was made from half of an industrial steam boiler; (the other half has become a barbecue grill at the Pavilion overlooking Sharkey Lake).





Transforming the old barn to a home was not a simple process. It involved removing the siding (which they retained to use various places on the inside), adding insulation, and the boards were replaced with poplar planks cut from trees on the property.





An addition was built on the side of each car to accommodate a large bathroom, entry, and utility area, and the main space of each car has been partitioned into a sitting room and two bedrooms. The interiors are tongue-and-groove paneled, and bunks, dressers, and closets are built-in, using wood harvested and milled on the property.










Although guests do not currently use the caboose for lodging, the foundation maintains this location as another way of honoring Ed’s creative process and his unique sense of style when he brought this out to be part of the Billieville complex.





The oil cans and tools were Ed’s finds, usually at auctions and antique shops. The levels that used to hang on the wall now hang at the Tower of Tomorrow. The doghouse, wine cellar, and outhouse have been there for years.





This building also has the distinction of being certified by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which encourage good environmental practices and energy conservation.




For the full virtual experience visit BRVs Virtual Tour page.