The Ultimate Employee Appreciation Bash: FISH-A-PALOOZA

Thompson Creek has a long history of taking standards and exceeding them. When it comes to employee appreciation, no standard land-based celebration would properly reflect our company’s intention of EXCELLENCE, so each year in April, we head to the Kentmorr Marina for a company celebration like no other.

“Thompson Creek culture is about fun and about competition. And nothing is better than a fishing contest here in the Chesapeake Bay.” – Rick Wuest, President and CEO

Wuest believes that it is awesome to be able to bring the team together for a one-of-a-kind party to celebrate a year of hard work. He never imagined that the celebration, which started as a competition between the installation team and the sales/marketing group, would grow to its current size. In 2003, 11 people participated in the competition and returned to Wuest’s backyard for a barbecue. The event stemmed from an intention to foster a fun and competitive spirit between the teams.

Now, in 2017, twenty five boats carry the teams during the event. We set out before sun rise for a three hour tour. No wait, it was six hours. Many teams caught big fish. But, one group had an enormous catch.

The winning angler, Sultan Williams, was shocked to win the competition. After the unexpected catch, he noted that “the “Big Fish” is a term you use when describing an immense success. “It relates to what we’re trying to achieve here at Thompson Creek and the direction we’re going.”