FASTG8 is set apart as a digital marketing agency by our multi-tiered programmatic approach, in house marketing software, extensive attribution modeling and of course, our home in the Rocky Mountains. Our commitment to serving the outdoor industry is best symbolized by our commitment to sending—whether it be down the Monarch Crest trail, through the Silver Bullet on the Arkansas river, or during a midnight game of all-terrain light up bocce ball.
Our summer offsite, a summit of sends if you will, had a twofold mission. First, our team nearly doubled in the past 6 months, so bonding and camaraderie were high on the list. Second, with internal growth comes client growth, making discussions on culture, structure, and performance a top priority.
Hammocks and tents were setup quickly at camp!
We arrived in Buena Vista around 5 o'clock, and before setting up camp we took a ride on the trails in town, building up an appetite for dinner at the Surf Hotel, a local favorite. At dinner we shared pizzas, salads, and delightful Spanish sparkling rosé while getting to know each better and discussing how we can make FASTG8 even better.
We each tried the “chambong” at the Surf Hotel!
Conversations about increased communication, cross-training, and onboarding continued over the campfire back at camp. We discussed what culture means to us, a few said trust, a few said shared values and interests, others pointed to transparency and, finally, the comment that “everyone here is someone I’d be happy to hang out with on the weekend,” kicked off a light-up frisbee game.
The next morning the team woke to fresh coffee and headed into town to fuel up on breakfast burritos before a ducky kayak trip down the Arkansas river. This is certainly a crew that hoots with the owls and soars with the eagles! The initial rapids seemed daunting, but like anything at FASTG8, we simply sent it! The crescendo of the float was the Silver Bullet, a narrow rapid squeezed between the river bank and an old dam. The team took a look and, after some trepidation, one by one we paddled through the class IV rapid.
A serene stretch of the Arkansas River
In the afternoon, some opted for another bike ride in town while others fished, and we reconvened at the campfire to expound on some of the conversations had the night before. We agreed to monthly departmental meetings, and planned our next offsite to preserve the stoke. Concepts became action items and, as a technically minded team, we recognized our progress would be iterative.
On our final night the team invented a new game. Sort of a combination of between frisbee golf and bocce but, in true FASTG8 style, the game was made extreme by the blinking bocce balls and, you guessed it, long throws of the pallina (target ball). We didn’t stay up quite as late, as the Monarch Crest awaited in the morning.
Views from the Monarch Crest Trail
The team caught the shuttle to the iconic trail, and crushed the 36 mile ride, capping off the offsite with a sense of great accomplishment, not only in our outdoor adventures, but in our satisfaction with the conversations about the company. When you’re staring down a scree field on your bike or a class IV rapid on a ducky kayak, sharing what you think will make your company perform better suddenly seems less intimidating.