Case Study

How Mile Marker launched a new agency as one team.

Mile Marker merged two marketing firms and had less than two months to bring everyone together. Wilder planned a four-day retreat at Skytop Lodge in the Poconos.

Firms United

Days Together

Months to Plan

Client

Mile Marker

Duration

4 days

Location

Skytop Lodge, Poconos

Number of people

73 people

The Challenge

What Was Getting in the Way

Mile Marker, a new independent media agency, was formed by merging two marketing firms with different locations, age mixes and workplace cultures. One team skewed younger, the other more experienced, and the merger was announced internally in late November 2024.

Leadership needed a retreat that would make employees feel like one company instead of two. The final stages of the merger kept them from committing until late, so they needed a partner who could plan and run the whole thing in under two months, on a firm budget.

The Approach

What We Did Together

Mile Marker came to Wilder on a referral from a company that had booked a last-minute retreat to Iceland with us. Wilder proposed Skytop Lodge in the Poconos, an easy trip for employees in New York City and Connecticut, with cozy indoor spaces and plenty to do outside in winter.

The four-day program included a welcome reception, small-group dine-arounds that paired people who hadn’t met, a keynote speaker and strategy sessions, an Amazing Race-style team competition and a choice of ice fishing, snow tubing, a painting class or a cocktail class.

Wilder staff ran everything onsite, and a professional photographer captured the week, so leadership could stay focused on the new company’s vision.

The Outcome

What Changed

Employees left Skytop feeling like one team instead of two companies. New relationships formed across the legacy firms, and Mile Marker started 2025 with momentum and a workforce aligned behind its new brand.