OPN converges in Cedar Rapids for Retreat 2025
This year, OPN returned to where it all began for the annual retreat. OPN’s first studio was established in Marion in 1979 before putting down roots in Cedar Rapids and expanding to Des Moines; Iowa City; Madison, Wisconsin, and most recently Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Famous for Captain Crunch cereal, “American Gothic” artist Grant Wood, and its laid-back Midwestern vibes, Iowa’s second largest city was the ideal location to connect our past to our present and future.
Day 1
This year, the Pickle Palace was our one-stop shop for retreat presentations and entertainment. Food, drinks, pizza, a martini bar, and late-night cookies were all close at hand at Cedar Rapids’ developing Kingston Yard. And many staffers found time for a quick game of pickleball between events!
OPN’s retreat is a celebration of our people and design excellence. Intended to reinvigorate and inspire, we honor some of the best work of our team and seek speakers who will challenge us to consider how and why we do what we do each day. This year’s speakers were no different.
Dwayne Oyler is a partner at the Los Angeles-based architecture firm, Oyler Wu Collaborative, which he founded in 2004 with Jenny Wu. Oyler Wu Collaborative is recognized for its innovative design work that spans multiple scales and project types, ranging from small scale urban activations to large scale infrastructural projects. The office has been published globally and is recognized for its experimentation in design, research, and fabrication.
Evan Troxel is a licensed architect in Oregon and California, founder of TRXL Media, and host of the industry-leading TRXL and Archispeak podcasts, where he interviews the AEC industry’s most innovative thinkers. His work sits at the intersection of design, technology, and communication. He brings over two decades of experience in architecture, education, and digital practice leadership, which gives him a rare blend of real-world leadership experience and deep knowledge of emerging technologies.
The day ended with dinner at the Pickle Palace, as team members had all evening to congregate, socialize, eat, drink, play games like duckpin bowling and ping-pong, and enjoy the great city views on a warm, late summer evening.
Day 2
The second day of OPN retreats always feature tours of our host city’s architecture … and this year focused on some of the best, most recent projects completed in the area by OPN Cedar Rapids.
The staff split into two groups for staggered tours of the new Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust headquarters, then continued on to visit the new Marion YMCA and Marion Fire Station No. 1 for one group, while the second visited the Boys and Girls Club of the Corridor, Linn County’s Harris Public Health Building, and the Ellis Golf Course Clubhouse.
The day ended at our OPN Cedar Rapids studio for lunch. Two days of inspiration, friendship, and fun. OPN is truly Better Together.
