Best in Class Education Center Celebrates Its Corporate Team Through Annual Retreat
Best in Class Education Center, the Seattle-based leading education enrichment franchise with programs focusing on math and English, hosted its annual corporate retreat from June 18th to 25th. Corporate employees, along with friends and family, went on an Alaskan cruise where they had the chance to relax, connect with each other and celebrate the hard work that each team member has put in over the course of the past year.
Best in Class CEO Hao Lam and his wife Lisa decided to start the annual retreat for corporate employees seven years ago to encourage each team member to enjoy time together and to reward them for their hard work each year. The incredible incentive has included trips to Cancun and Riviera Maya, and now this year’s Alaskan cruise.
“I’ve had the pleasure of attending all of the retreats that we’ve done so far,” said Stephanie Zhu, VP of Business Development and Finance at Best in Class. “The idea behind the retreat is to set aside time to connect and bond, both as team members and as friends, away from the office and celebrate all the hard work everyone has put in the past year. One of my favorite parts is that we have many of our team members bring significant others, friends and family, so we get to meet and spend time with them as well.”
Each corporate team member is invited on the annual retreat. The first year, about seven corporate team members attended, and this year, 11 corporate team members joined, some of which brought friends and family. Prior years have also included franchisee attendance—Best in Class invites its local owners to join the trip so that they can get to know the corporate team a little better and network with other members of the brand’s family.
“I always look forward to the corporate retreat as an opportunity to catch up with our team and their families,” said Lam. “This year, I was especially excited about celebrating success stories we have already seen in 2017 among our entire franchise system. Everyone on the Best in Class team – from our franchisees to our corporate employees – is committed to creating a hard-working yet fun culture, and it’s important for us to take time to celebrate that.”
Beyond giving the brand’s leaders the opportunity to strengthen the Best in Class goals and missions, the retreat ultimately sets Best in Class apart as an excellent place to work in Seattle and across the country. The brand is growing fast, which is why it’s always looking to add enthusiastic educators, corporate executives, and franchisees to the Best in Class family.
With centers currently open in California, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Texas and Washington, Best in Class is confident that they will continue to evolve into a leading nationwide brand. Initial start-up costs range from $62,800 to $121,880, including the $35,000 franchise fee, and discounts are available for franchisees with education degrees as well as those who commit to opening multiple units.
For more information about opening a Best in Class Education Center in your local community, click here.