How Schellman's Corporate Trip Evolved & Why It's Important to Us

Are you big on traveling? Do you get excited about planning a trip to a new location, usually with friends or family? Once you arrive at your destination, are you all about trying new things? 

At Schellman, one of our employees’ favorite traditions (and benefits) has always been the annual Corporate Trip. It gives our employees the chance to explore a different destination each year and an amazing opportunity to spend time outside of work getting to know our coworkers and their significant others. 

Schellman has been offering this creative and adventurous benefit to its employees since its inception and every year it gets bigger and better. 

In this article, we’ll discuss all the ways the trip has expanded and grown since it started, and why it is so important to our firm and employees.

How Has Schellman’s Corporate Trip Evolved Over the Years?

The trip has evolved extensively: from the number of people that attend to the activities we include. If you’re interested in an employer that offers creative benefits that support our employees in stepping away from work to recharge, the trip is an excellent way to do so.

Here are all of the different aspects in which the trip has evolved:

1. Size

Started in 2002, the Trip has changed considerably over the years. The first event consisted of dinner and a showing of the Lion King in Tampa for three employees and their significant others. Fast forward to 2022 when roughly 400 employees (and their plus ones) will meet from across the country for four days.

2. Location

The location has varied over time and while the Trip stayed local to the Corporate Headquarters in Tampa its first few years, Schellman travel destinations have included:

• Mexico (three times),
• West Coast (Las Vegas and Scottsdale)
• Key West (three times) 

3. Activities

In the beginning, the firm was small enough to do a white elephant gift exchange. Once it took three hours, we switched to other activities. Now, we hold a town hall to give our employees the opportunity to ask questions of leadership as well as a team-building event. In 2022, the event will be tied to giving back to the community. 

If you are someone that likes to be updated on the direction of the firm, the town hall will give all employees visibility into leadership’s plans and vision for the future. If you’re interested in being involved in a great cause while also still connecting with team members, the event will be a great chance for both

In addition, there are options for different types of excursions the team can take. Some choose to take advantage of that downtime and chill by the pool--others might head out on a fishing excursion.

4. Competition

There’s also some friendly competition involved in the Trips. One year, we had a race to see what team could build the best boat from cardboard, duct tape, and plastic tubing. Our Principal, Matt Wilgus, and his team won that with flying colors. In 2019, we did a costume contest for a Day of the Dead party. 

We’ve also added an app that gives or deducts points when you scan another team member's bar code on their phone, resulting in the winner with the most points at the end of the trip receiving a prize. All of these activities serve to introduce team members that might not work together over the course of the year.

5.    Feedback

After each trip, a survey is sent to poll our team and what worked for them and what they would like to see on future trips. Many of the ideas for future trips have come directly from feedback in terms of what we include and where we’ll go.

For those that are looking for a new opportunity in which they can have a say in where and what we do on future trips, the survey is great to be able to submit their thoughts.

Why is the Corporate Trip Important to Our Firm?

What hasn’t changed over the years is the importance of the Trip. Not only does it give our team time to relax and recharge, but also to connect- not just with their current teams but with other employees from across the country and lines of service. It’s a great chance to meet new firm members and also get to know the people that are important to our employees.

And according to Michael McKeown, our longest-tenured employee, no matter where we go, what also remains the same is that the trips are “always a fun gathering of unforgettable memories with our colleagues and their significant others.”

Now that you’ve learned all about how Schellman’s Corporate Trip has changed over the years, and why it remains so important to our firm, read our article about our benefits and how they have evolved over the past years.

Schellman remains committed to offering creative benefits to support its employees in performing their best, both at and outside of work.