For Dale Saffold, returning to the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute is more than a routine conference booking. It’s a tradition built over decades, shaped by relationships, setting, and a sense that this place simply works.
Dale is a former president of the Arkansas chapter of the FBI National Academy Associates. While his own history with the Institute spans 20 years, the organization’s connection goes back even further. As Dale explains, the group has been meeting at this location since “probably into the 80s or 90s,” dating back to a time when Winthrop Rockefeller’s son, Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, first hosted them.
Over the years, Dale has watched the Institute grow alongside the organization. One of the most significant changes, he said, was the addition of the President’s Lodge. “The addition of the President’s Lodge was huge in being able to accommodate our group,” he notes, especially as attendance has increased to the point that “just about every room you all have is booked up” during their annual three-day, two-night conference.
But capacity is only part of the story. What keeps the group coming back year after year is the experience of being fully present. “We love the fact that we can go to a place that is off the beaten path,” Dale said. “You can relax, you can learn, you can fellowship, you can network, and you can do it all right here.”
That setting matters. Unlike a standard hotel conference in a busy city, the Institute offers something different.
“It’s the only venue that I’m aware of in the state of Arkansas where you can actually go and you are not in the middle of thousands of other people. Because everybody stays on-site, that allows everybody to connect with other attendees. Many lifelong relationships between our members as well as our vendors are made because of the setting here at the Institute.”
Dale Saffold
Our intentional hospitality reinforces that experience. Dale doesn’t hesitate to praise the accommodations and service. “You have excellent housing facilities. You have a great staff. The food is second to none.” In fact, he laughs that first-time attendees may enjoy the training and fellowship, “but they really love the food that you all put out.”
He’s equally quick to credit the people behind the scenes. Dale describes staff members as “friendly” and “kind,” noting that “you can tell that they take pride in what they’re doing.” He adds, “I don’t know of any issues we’ve ever had with any of the staff that works at the Institute.”
When asked what he’d say to someone considering the Institute for their own event, Dale doesn’t hesitate. He points to decades of loyalty. Each year, the group votes on whether to move the conference elsewhere.
“We have never had any objections to leaving the conference at the Institute. The fact that this organization has continued to go there year after year after year is probably the best selling point.”
Dale Saffold
Even the remoteness, sometimes seen as a drawback, is a strength. “It’s off the beaten path, but that’s a plus,” Dale said. “You are there, and you can take time to build relationships, build friendships, and enjoy the beauty that Arkansas has.”
After 20 years, his conclusion is simple: “Why would you not go to the Institute?”
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