2019 ACE Summit: BUILDING A WINNING TEAM


November 14–16
Québec City, Québec, CA

Take your business to the peak of success.

The 2019 ACE Summit was a great experience. Check back here later for our plans for next year!

Designed exclusively for current ACE Peer Group members and alumni, this three-day summit is a rare opportunity to take a deep dive into a particular topic and to network with an incredible group of leaders who’ll dramatically broaden your perspective. This year we’re headed to the beautiful Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec City, Canada, where we’ll examine how to build a winning team from every angle. You’ll gain invaluable insight into improving your business while connecting with old friends and new—all against the backdrop of some of the most striking scenery on the continent.

In addition to interactive educational sessions led by Grow Group executive coaches, we’ll learn directly from the Fairmont Hotel’s staff how they’ve built a stand-out team in a highly competitive industry and market.

For the first time, we have also arranged for Tracy Wallingford, an accomplished speaker and facilitator, to lead one session for attendees and a second for spouses and significant others. Tracy is a leadership coach at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School in Raleigh and a former advertising executive, and we’re thrilled to have her share her insights with you.

Reward your right-hand man or woman by bringing them along for the experience.

The surest way to improve your team is to invest in their training, and this event is a great opportunity for your leadership team.
Invite your spouse or significant other too and make a vacation out of it. We have secured a special hotel rate that you may enjoy up to three days before and following the summit.


When I first signed up to go to the ACE Summit, I thought it would be a nice mini-vacation. It was that and a lot more. The time I got to spend with other ACEs was just as valuable as the presentations.”
— Brian Strathmeyer, Strathmeyer Landscape, Dover, PA


Agenda

Thursday, November 14

3:30 p.m.

Registration Opens



4:30 P.M.

Why the Team Experience Matters
Marty Grunder, President and CEO of The Grow Group and Grunder Landscaping Co.

 

5:30 p.m.

The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac: How One of the Oldest and Most Storied Hotels in Québec Built and Keeps a Stand-Out Team
Jim Cali and Jason New, Executive Coaches, The Grow Group

 

6:15 p.m.

Welcome Reception and Dinner
Spouses and significant others included

 

Friday, November 15

7 a.m.

Breakfast at your leisure
Spouses and significant others included

 

8 a.m.

Teams Are Built on Traditions: Tactics that Ensure Low Turnover
Jim Cali and Tommy Cole

 

9 a.m.

Think Like an Owner: How to Foster a Leadership Team that Creates Other Leaders, Not Followers
Jim Cali and Jason New

Building Your Personal Brand
For spouses and significant others
Tracy Wallingford, Executive Leadership Coach, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in Raleigh

 

10:15 a.m.

Break

 

10:30 a.m.

Giving and Receiving Feedback: The Head, the Heart, and the How
Tracy Wallingford

 

Noon

Group Photo
Spouses and significant others included.




12:15 P.M.

Enjoy Québec City on your own

 

5:30 p.m.

ACE Happy Hours
Spouses and significant others included

 

7 p.m.

Dinner in Québec City
Spouses and significant others included


Saturday, November 16

7 a.m.

Breakfast at your leisure
Spouses and significant others included

 

8 a.m.

Building Your Bench: How to Grow Your Team, Set Career Paths, and Avoid Losing Key People
Jason New and Chris Psencik, Executive Coach, The Grow Group

 

9 a.m.

The Fairmont: Team Activity

Bus Tour of Québec City
For spouses and significant others


10:45 a.m.

Break

 

11 a.m.

With Teams Come Responsibilities: The Legal Side
Vince Torchia, Vice President, The Grow Group

 

11:30 a.m.

The Wrap-Up
Marty Grunder

 

Noon

End


Event Details


Registration Fees
  • Current ACE Members: The registration fee is included in your annual ACE membership, but you still need to sign up for the event so we can plan accordingly. The hotel cost is not included.

  • ACE Alumni: US$1,495 per person

  • Right-Hand Man or Woman: US$1,495 per person

  • Spouse or Significant Other: US$495 per person

Registration includes the welcome reception, dinner both nights, and breakfast both mornings. Hotel, travel, and other meals are not included.

 

Hotel Arrangements

We have secured special room rates starting at around Can$219/night at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. If you are planning to stay longer in Québec City, you may enjoy this rate three days before and three days after the summit. The exchange rate from the Canadian to US dollar as of July 18, 2019, is about Can$1 to US$.76 and, like any other exchange, can fluctuate based on the market. Right now, Can$219 is about US$167. To reserve your room(s), please see below.

 

How to Sign Up for the summit and reserve your hotel room(s)

To help you O.H.I.O. (Only Handle It Once), our team will complete your registration and make the hotel reservations for you. To do this, we just need you to complete this short form. It only takes a minute.

 

Air Travel

There are two main options for getting to Québec City via air from the US:

The closest airport to our hotel is Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB). You can fly there through Toronto or Newark; we recommend flying through Toronto simply because there is only one flight a day from Newark to Québec City and if that flight gets delayed or canceled, you won’t have many other options. The Québec City airport is just a 20-minute drive from our hotel.

The other option is to fly into Montréal and drive about 2.5 hours to Québec City. This picturesque drive takes you along the St. Lawrence River and is a nice way to ease into the event.

We have officially partnered with Air Canada to provide you with a 10% discount on all Air Canada flights into Québec City. To receive the discount, visit aircanada.com and enter the code DF2UUA71 in the search panel. This discount applies only to flights with Québec City as the final destination (Montréal flights will not receive a discount) and it must be booked through aircanada.com. Expedia and other travel sites will not accept the discount. United Airlines is Air Canada’s partner, so the discount will work on United/Air Canada connection flights.

 

You Will Need a Passport to Travel to Québec City

Please bear in mind that you will need a valid passport to travel to Québec City. The US State Department currently estimates that it will take 4–6 weeks to process a passport application. Start the process now by visiting their website.

 

QUESTIONS?

We’re always happy to answer them. E-mail vince@growgroupinc.com, or call us at 1.866.6337.  

 


Enjoy All That Québec City Has to Offer

We have purposely built free time into the ACE Summit schedule so you can explore and enjoy Québec City. What’s more, you can extend your stay three days before the retreat and/or three days after at the reduced hotel rate and make a real vacation out of your trip.

Explore what the city has to offer here.

 See You in Québec City!