SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
RETREAT!
Corporate team building in the Sierra foothills
by Jessica Laskey
As businesses in Northern California
navigate the changing
restrictions ordered by the
state due to the coronavirus
pandemic, reconnecting with our
colleagues could be more crucial than
ever. According to a 2018 survey by
Robert Half Management Resources, 22
percent of professionals reported that
“more frequent social outings with their
team members would increase their
engagement at work.” Safe company
outings may play a role in reigniting
workplace interactions as we enter into
the new economy.
Corporate retreats have long been
a business mainstay when it comes to
getting employees out of their office
habitat and into a new environment to
brainstorm, acquire new skills, learn
more about each other and generate
out-of-the-cubicle ideas. And if that
new environment is spacious and
easily accessible, all the better — which
makes the Sierra foothills a promising
retreat location for businesses based in
Sacramento and the Bay Area.
“Getting here is pretty easy, and
being here is incredibly beautiful,” says
National Real Estate Market Advisors
CEO John Krueger, who counts
the county of El Dorado as one of his
clients. “Gold Country is the perfect
environment for a corporate retreat —
you can drive to the gorgeous American
River, dozens of vineyards, South
Lake Tahoe, even Nevada for gambling.
There’s something for everyone.”
The diversity of options in the Sierra
foothills include physical activities like
hiking and mine tours and more relaxing
ventures like wine tasting and strolling
the picturesque streets of downtown
Placerville. Jody Franklin, executive
director of tourism for the El Dorado
County Visitors Authority, likes to think
of her community’s offerings in “three
buckets: outdoor adventure, gold rush
history (at gold discovery site Sutter’s
Mill in Coloma) and agricultural-culinary
experiences.” And because everything
is relatively close together, “you
can do one thing in the morning and
another thing at night,” which ensures
every team member will have something
to look forward to, no matter their
personal preferences.
Off-site retreats also offer diverse
intangible benefits — chiefly, says
human resources technology company
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