Goat Quest

How does one even begin to tell the Codelation cultural victory that was Goat Quest? Nowadays, people think of the word goat as an acronym for “greatest of all time.” This story is probably the Codelation greatest cultural event of all time, but realistically this story has more to do with just normal animal goats. This adventure has been a long time coming. The easiest way to tell you about it would probably be by starting at the very, very beginning.

Three years ago, new Codelation employees Erick and Suman were having lunch, talking about each other’s hometowns and families. It’s fall, so they chatted a little bit about Thanksgiving. Suman talks about being from Nepal and the fall Hindu celebration of Dashain. Dashain symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Traditionally, they eat a goat during the celebration. Erick shared that he had never tried goat before, so the pair decided to go to India Palace, where he could try a goat dish. They both enjoyed the food and eat there pretty regularly to this day.

Fast forward to a couple of years later. We hire our newest employee, Laura Backhaus. She lives on a small farm just north of Bismarck with her family. They grow things a plenty as well as raise livestock…including goats!

Fast forward again to last week. With a couple of new team members sprinkled in and overall Codelation goat enthusiasm at an all-time high, our crew decided to hop into a car. The end goal? Journey north of Bismarck to visit Laura, her farm, her family, and their goats!

The team that milks goats together…_____ together. We aren’t exactly sure how to finish that phrase yet. The team got the first part of that sentence figured out last week. A small group of our crew was able to get together at Laura’s farm, meet their family, eat some of Laura’s famous French Dip Sandwiches, and most of the people in attendance milked a goat for the first time. We even had someone try s’mores for the very first time! It was an incredibly unique team-building experience.

Overall, this trip was a cultural win for us. We got together, traveled, shared experiences, built relationships, and got a little out of their comfort zone. Those characteristics are everything we look for in a team-building event. Sadly, Erick wasn’t in attendance, but the team still came together to milk goats and had fun without being forced. Thank you so much, Laura and family, for being so accommodating and welcoming. Goat Quest was years in the making, and we’re looking forward to the next one!