Why would the CEO of a Northbrook-based financial services firm take his employees all the way to California for a team-building exercise?

SBB Research Group is far from your typical financial services firm.  The $150 million early stage research and investment firm, run by 24-year old Sam Barnett, eschews traditional market research for a style that merges theories from many different disciplines not normally associated with finance—engineering and science for example.  He has also built a uniquely collaborative corporate culture, so it should be no surprise that when it comes to his firm’s team-building activities, Sam takes a similarly creative approach.

On May 23, a group of 17 SBB Research Group employees flew to San Francisco to embark on a four-day, 150-mile bike ride through California wine country and up the Pacific coast. This exercise, whose magnificent scenery belied its intense physical and mental demands, actually began six-months earlier, when the team began training for the ride.

At times, the ride was grueling. The sweating: profuse. But the SBB Research Group team rallied bonding over the challenge they were all facing together, as well as over great food (and wine) at the end of each day.  There is no doubt that the team came out stronger on the other side.

Barnett believes that a strong company culture is essential to the success of the firm. As part of the firm’s team building, charity and wellness programs, SBB Research Group sponsors an annual youth chess tournament and a University of Chicago trading competition. Other wellness activities include seminars on ergonomics, muscle recovery seminars and a CPR course. 

This is not the first time the company has gone off the beaten path in order to strengthen the bonds between its team members.  For the previous teambuilding trip, several SBB Research Group staffers trained for and ran a half marathon in Amsterdam. They plan to continue their annual program in 2015 and are working to craft another successful trip.