ReTreat Yo' Self: A Savas Labs Team Summit

Austin, TX March | 2019

Periodically, the Savas Lab team gathers at a voted-upon location to work in person together, participate in team-building, and prepare for the upcoming year. Most recently we packed our bags, hopped on planes from all over (from as far away as Boston, Rapid City, Reno, and of course, Durham), and touched down in beautiful Austin, TX!

After everyone arrived, we cooked a meal together and settled in our beautiful Airbnb before jumping into the two-day, action-packed festivities. Chris and Ben led breakout exercises and team sessions like “Looking Back” – which reflected on Savas Labs as a company and each of our time spent with the company so far (spoiler alert: this was Maddy’s FIRST DAY of work with the team—what a way to start!)

Ro talked about the philosophy and tenants of Project Management at Savas, and how our style as a team is ever-evolving. We ended our team meetings with an exercise and discussion on personal fulfillment and work-life perspective. After a full afternoon of learning we hopped in a couple of Lyfts and headed to a quick dinner at Rainey Street Food Truck Lot. Then, off to what was listed on our agenda as “Secret Evening Plans”. All we knew about the secret up until that point was what was written on the schedule: “NOTE: Pack shorts & sandals that can get wet.”

Turns out, the secret surprise was an [on-brand] palindromic team kayak excursion to the Congress Avenue Bridge to see Austin’s popular sunset bats! It was a huge hit!

The next morning some of us fit in some exercise ?‍♂️, and we all caught up on email and individual work before gathering for lunch. Afternoon team sessions were around the theme of “Looking Forward”—what’s in store for the future of Savas, trends in development from Anne, Dan, and Oksana, and a look into what marketing plans we have in store for 2019 and beyond (spoiler: that involves me!) . Ideas were pitched, concerns brought to light and addressed, and excitement built! There was an energy at this meeting. An energy of anticipation, excitement, and togetherness.

We topped off ReTreat Yo Self 2019 with (probably too much) Bufalina Pizza (if there is a such thing as too much pizza?) and fellowship.

Here’s to the future of Savas Labs! We are excited to be growing (come work with us!), taking on new and impactful projects, and have the opportunity to work together each day. Until next time, Austin!