Plex’s Troubled Corporate Retreat

Plex, a tech company, recently spent $500,000 bringing 120 remote employees to Honduras for a “Survivor”-themed retreat that faced numerous issues right from the start, according to accounts from attendees.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, several participants shared their experiences nearly a decade later. CEO Keith Valory typically liked to get a jumpstart on preparations but found himself incapacitated due to a severe stomach infection as the first employees arrived.

Valory admitted he disregarded advice to avoid fresh produce. “Don’t eat the vegetables. Don’t eat the vegetables,” he recounted being told. Despite this, he insisted on having “just one little salad” and ended up contracting E. coli. He lost almost 10 pounds and spent the retreat hooked to an IV in his room while a doctor took care of him.

With Valory unable to lead, co-founder and Chief Product Officer Scott Olechowski stepped in. He described how the kickoff included a challenge where employees had to eat whatever was served. Shawn Eldridge, Plex’s head of business development, lifted his cover only to find a dead tarantula on his plate. “I just grabbed it and did it. Pretty horrible, not going to lie. Those hairs,” he recalled.

The retreat took another turn when a former Navy SEAL was brought in to lead military-style drills on the beach. Senior product manager Greta Schlender recalled the intense heat, stating, “It was 100 degrees.” During one exercise, she unwittingly landed on a fire ant hill. “I was sitting on a fire ant hill. I was wearing shorts, OK?” she noted, also mentioning that the resort didn’t have standard antihistamines when they had to treat her for the bites.

In another strange occurrence, a porcupine fell through the bathroom ceiling of Rick Phillips, a senior software engineer. He discovered it while preparing for a shower the next morning. “I called the front desk. I said, ‘There’s some sort of large rodent thing here,’” he explained. The hotel staff responded by taking the porcupine away but did little else.

The trip concluded with an excursion to Utila, where complications arose. According to Olechowski, they tried to return more than 100 employees on small planes before sunset, as the runway was unlit. However, two planes failed to take off, leaving a group stranded overnight. They made the best of it, despite the situation.

Reflecting on the mishaps, Valory remarked, “You get really close bonds on these trips. It’s like the life-sustaining force of the company.”