Each year, Derek and I head to Big Sur, California, for Hipnic, an annual music festival (and our wedding anniversary!!) featuring one of my all-time favorite bands: The Mother Hips.
Over the last decade-plus, Hipnic has been my “Christmas;” my big event of the year. Not only is it a great way to connect with my best friends in the world, but the reset, the music, and the collective energy of the crowd reminds me of the why behind what we do in service to the AOA safety industry.
Fernwood Resorts and Hipnic—like our AOA—is a place of good
A place of people who care about one another and have created deep, meaningful relationships. Our team is a solid group of people. Over the years, through set lists and setbacks, we have gotten to know one another and created a bond unlike anything. I’ve heard it from countless people: Hipnic is magical.
When Derek and I pack up our camper on the last day to leave the camp, I’m always surprised to think about how much I’ve learned. This year, I reflected a lot on my leadership style, how I can best serve my teams, ensuring safety and well-being for anyone who works with us.
I’m sharing with you a few of my favorite parts about Hipnic and how they translate back to how we do things a bit differently at Alder, including why it’s helping me see our vision with fresh eyes and open heart.
Through all kinds of weather
Weather is always the main competitor here. The festival is located in an area that can be prone to flooding if it rains too much, and many times we show up wondering if our campsite will be under water (thankfully, I missed Hipnic III – fun, but floody).
In other words, the weather can turn on a dime. For the band, this means being ready to take shelter if it starts to rain or storm. The Mother Hips need to be a team, flexible in their set lists, able to improvise and play to the conditions they’re handed.
It helps to have a reliable crew all around, too. Festival aide extraordinaire Diana Ballentine, manager of Fernwood Resorts, knows just what to do should the “tides turn” in any situation … so similar to our own practice on the AOA.
Diana ensures:
- Proper fire lanes at the campsites and fire marshal tours are in play
- The “do not cross this line” is also there. (Holding Position Marking, anyone?)
On the AOA, you can’t just throw an “Escort” magnet on your truck and call yourself an expert in safety and safety communication. Just like you can’t strum a few chords and call yourself a band!
Don’t forget the bass player
Most people do until they go missing.
Our team on the AOA gets it: what we do isn’t glamorous per se, but it’s damn hard work— and so damn important. We get the crew to their job safely while saving contractors potentially millions of dollars in accident-related incidents and delays.
And yeah, kinda like the bass player, we’re an excellent foundation to have in the band.
Is Hipnic perfect?
Helllll nooooooo. There’s “things” like anywhere (after all, this isn’t Instagram): personality, injury, campground issues, but we work through it.
And there’s such growth!
But, what matters at Hipnic is that everyone matters.
Whether you’re the headliner or the person running the merch tent, you’re part of a huge circle, and that keeps me, Derek, my friends Shari, Joseph, Rich and others coming back year after year. It’s our time, but it’s also time with a community full of respectful people in harmony with shared experience.
Just what we strive for at Alder, too.
Flagging, barricading and other safety roles on the AOA are certainly not luxurious careers. Listening to Mother Hips live among the redwoods gave me time to remind myself that advocating for worker rights at any level of an organization is important work and that hopefully Alder is a great example for other companies.
Hipnic.
It’s welcoming. It’s warm. It’s home. It’s culture that comes from years of consistently showing up for everyone who’s invited and treating them with kindness.
With all of Alder’s experience in safety management, maybe we can moonlight at next year’s festival.
Maybe I’ll learn bass.