Once a year, Schaefer sets aside the deadlines and day-to-day demands of agency life to make time for something just as important: each other. BooneDoggle is an annual tradition that brings the team together to celebrate how far they’ve come, strengthen relationships and make a few memories along the way.
The tradition began in 2017, when 13 team members headed to Gruene, Texas, for river floating, a visit to Gruene Hall and time together outside the office. The idea was simple: Schaefer’s people work hard, and they deserve an opportunity to slow down and enjoy one another’s company.
The History
The name is a playful combination of two things:
- Boone, the beloved dog of founder Ken Schaefer.
- “Boondoggle,” a word often used to describe a frivolous project or an excursion.
The tongue-in-cheek name captures the spirit of the event, but the purpose behind it has always been meaningful.
“Work hard and play hard is such a cliche’ – but it’s also really true. This team works incredibly hard, so it’s nice to stop and take time to just enjoy and appreciate each other,” says Ken Schaefer.
Over the years, BooneDoggle has grown alongside Schaefer. Earlier days were held in New Braunfels, where employees floated the river and stayed at the Gruene River Inn. Eventually, the tradition shifted closer to home, with lake days featuring pools, docks, game rooms and plenty of food. Today, BooneDoggle brings together around 40 team members, including remote employees.
Through every change, the purpose has remained the same: time with the people behind the work.
The Stories that Stay
That spirit has produced plenty of stories over the years, too. There have been floating kegs that disappeared beneath the river, a phone and wallet that went missing, and a spontaneous gymnastics performance on the bus ride back from tubing and, perhaps most notably, a pair of blue jean shorts that became an unexpected BooneDoggle staple.
One favorite memory dates back to BooneDoggle in 2018. On the first night in Gruene, the group spontaneously wandered across a highway to a bar with live music. There was no elaborate plan, just a team enjoying the moment together.
“The experience revealed something important about Schaefer’s culture. Even as people let their guards down and stepped outside their usual workday routines, the kindness and camaraderie that defined the team remained.” says Jake Yarbrough.
Culture wasn’t something that existed only in the office. It carried over into the moments when no one was trying to make an impression.
Another year brought a different kind of souvenir. During a river float, Jake spotted a flash of bright blue in the water. He retrieved a pair of jean shorts, put them on and wore them for the rest of the float. The timing was particularly fortunate: his water shoes were falling apart, with the sole of one shoe coming loose, and his original shorts weren’t exactly photo-worthy. The borrowed denim even made it into the group photo.
Other years have featured goat yoga, trivia, scavenger hunts, puzzles and spirited competitions for prizes. One memorable gathering brought the entire team to Gruene Hall for a live performance by Citizen Cope. For music lovers, getting to share a concert with colleagues he might never have expected to see at a show made the experience especially memorable.
From river wipeouts and flat tires to late-night conversations and games for cash prizes, the people and stories are what make each year memorable. The details may vary, but the laughter carries from one year to the next.
BooneDoggle gives teammates a chance to connect beyond their roles, get to know people they might not work with regularly and share in one another’s lives. Those relationships matter long after everyone returns to the office.
A New Chapter, the Same Purpose
This year, BooneDoggle came home to Schaefer’s new office for a backyard-themed celebration. After a long journey to the new space, the gathering offered an opportunity to celebrate a new chapter for the agency, including its new home, growing team and new client partnerships. It was also a chance to welcome the team into a space designed for collaboration and connection.
Alongside the games and shared meals, the team celebrated a soon-to-be newlywed by sending him off in true BooneDoggle fashion: rolling him away in his office chair, complete with cans dangling from the back.
Moments like these are a big part of what makes the tradition special. BooneDoggle creates opportunities to celebrate milestones and share in one another’s lives outside of work.
Creativity in the Details
Each year comes with custom branding, themed swag and programming designed specifically for the event. From the look and feel to the activities themselves, the details offer another opportunity for the team to flex its creative muscles.
Rather than simply displaying what the agency believes in, the team builds programming around what those values look like in practice.
As Brett Yanoski explains, BooneDoggle brings Schaefer’s six core values to life.
- Authentic: Lifting each other up.
- Tenacious: Celebrating our progress and looking towards our growth.
- Collaborative: Encourage connecting, listening and sharing.
- Exploring: Stepping out of our comfort zone.
- Expert: Finding ways to challenge our team, compete for prizes and solve problems.
- Grace: Sharing gratitude for one another, bond and grow our relationships.
Whether people are working together to solve a challenge, competing for prizes or trying something new, the activities create opportunities to connect in ways that go beyond everyday work.
The event also provides time to reflect on the business, share recent wins and talk about where the agency is headed. It offers a reset from the usual pace of work, giving the team room to celebrate what they’ve accomplished and consider what comes next.
Ultimately, BooneDoggle is a reminder that strong teams depend on more than working well together; they depend on people who care about, respect and understand one another. The culture and the experience are difficult to separate because BooneDoggle isn’t something that exists outside Schaefer’s everyday identity. It’s an expression of what’s already there, brought into focus for a moment.
The Takeaways
Jake Yarbrough describes BooneDoggle as “an organ inside Schaefer’s body,” an integral part of what keeps the agency operating. The business, the work, the people and the structure all contribute to the whole. Just as one part of the body can’t do everything on its own, neither can one part of an agency. Each plays a role, and the strength comes from how all the parts work together. BooneDoggle has an important role, but it doesn’t stand apart from everything else Schaefer is.
BooneDoggle is one way Schaefer invests in those connections, giving people time to step away from their individual responsibilities and appreciate what they’re building together.
Reflecting Schaefer’s Purpose to “Make Life Better”
Strong teams are built on more than shared projects and deadlines. They grow through trust, understanding, respect and the relationships that develop when people have the time to truly know one another.
“I hope people leave feeling more connected—to each other and to where we’re headed as an agency. It’s a chance to recognize what we’ve accomplished, talk about what’s ahead and remember the people who make it all possible,” says Charlie Howlett.
As Schaefer continues to grow, the event will undoubtedly take on new forms, bring new stories and create a few more legendary moments.
But its purpose will stay the same: to give the team a chance to slow down, reconnect and appreciate the people alongside whom they work every day. And sometimes, that means finding a pair of dirty jean shorts in the river along the way.
