This past weekend we had the privilege of joining more than one hundred and twenty professionals at the 2026 Nines Retreat, held at Ashbourne Farms in La Grange, Kentucky. For those unfamiliar with the property, Ashbourne Farms is a working family farm and event venue spanning ~2,250 acres, and it turned out to be the ideal setting for a weekend built around the same idea that brings a household system to life: everyone doing their part, in sync, without anyone working in a silo.
As a company that helps clients implement their Nines household management systems and discuss it as a tool in our educational and professional development programs, we came to this retreat with a dual agenda, insights on how others are using it and to connect with my private service family. I was not disappointed, and neither were the 120+ others.
I think I can speak for everyone in expressing deep gratitude for the effort the Nines team put into curating this experience. Jacco held down the “standing around looking great” department with admirable consistency, Mohamed worked the room with fitness expertise and effortless charm, Kristin seemed to be coordinating from everywhere at once, no surprise given her media background and clear command of the moving parts, Shelby provided the real-world implementation and development insights, which only reinforced what many of us already suspected, she may be the brains. Meanwhile, Arend and Nicolas were happy to geek out on the backend of the system and soccer. However, as Private Service Professionals, we know that none of that would have appeared so flawless if it weren’t for the support from Madison, Beth, and Leith, making magic happen in the background.
From Left to Right
- Mohamed Elzomor, Co-Founder and SVP
- Shelby Boudreau, Estate Management Director
- Beth Langly, Estate Manager Consultant
- Melissa Miller, Chief of Staff, Ashbourne Farms
- Kristin Twiford, Director of Content and Brand
- Madison Morgan, Director of Client Success
- Leith Gray, Marketing & Events
- Jacco de Bruijn, Co-Founder and CEO of Nines
But now, on to the good stuff ...... The Event
Friday: An Easy Beginning
Friday set the tone for the entire retreat without trying too hard to do it. Guests were welcomed with passed hors d'oeuvres and a selection of specialty bourbon cocktails, a fitting nod to the Kentucky setting. The evening built into a multi-course, wine-paired dinner delivered with impressively executed American Plated Mirrored Service. It was an elegant, unhurried opening, and it gave everyone in the room a chance to reconnect before the real work of the weekend began.
Saturday: Systems, Trust, and a Working Farm
Saturday was the heart of the retreat, and it delivered. The day opened with an impressively detailed look at how Ashbourne Farms itself operates: a highly complex, working luxury farm and event venue that manages property, tasks, and staff across dozens of moving parts without falling into the trap of siloed departments. Watching a property of that scale run inside Nines was a genuinely useful case study for anyone who works in household or estate operations.
From there, the day moved into a series of short sessions showing how different Nines implementers set up their clients' assets inside the system, and how fractional management services use Nines to coordinate care across multiple households at once. A Principal client also joined to share his own perspective on how the platform has improved operational trust across a household staffed by people with very different communication and involvement styles.
There were seven sessions demonstrating different use cases and resources. Between each of these, Shelby stepped up to offer deeper insight into structural and setup best practices, her contributions threaded the whole session together. Great content, but it ranks a 4 out of 5 on the butt-numbing meter.
There was a ton of great information, but two use cases stood out in particular. The first is the ability to grant an insurance broker or agent limited access to Nines, showing them only the assets themselves, with no personal or operational details attached (highly granular access control). That access can notify the broker automatically if a new asset is added with supporting documentation (art, jewelry, collectibles, furniture, appliances, residences, etc.) or if an asset's location changes. It is a simple way to provide continuity of coverage without opening the door any wider than it needs to be. The second is one-way calendar syncing based on permissions. A Property Manager can receive a calendar built entirely from Property and Grounds tasks and duties. The facilities department can receive one built around maintenance schedules. The culinary and events team can receive one built around the Chef's calendar. Each department sees exactly what it needs to be successful and prepared.
In the afternoon, EMS had the pleasure of joining a small group touring several of the property's facilities, guided through a detailed history of restoration efforts across the farm's long history. One detail in particular stayed with us: the way the team at Ashbourne has managed flood risk by intentionally flooding certain low-lying areas with fresh water, keeping contaminated floodwater out in the process. It sounds counterintuitive until you see it explained on the ground, and it is a good reminder that the best operational solutions are not always the obvious ones.
My jaw hit the ground when I heard that cleanliness standards were maintained by four housekeepers. Now, full disclosure, I may have misheard this, and I will confirm, but I’m confident I heard our hostess say “Four” before I fainted. Structured efficiency and cross-departmental support at its finest.
Sunday: Sunshine, Self-Care, and Genuine Conversation
Sunday brought a lighter pace, with a well-scheduled variety of short educational and wellness sessions throughout the morning. For those of us who wandered from the schedule now and then, the reward was time spent outdoors in beautiful surroundings, in a peaceful atmosphere that made room for real conversation rather than the kind of small talk that usually fills a conference weekend. Some of the most valuable exchanges of the retreat happened in those unplanned moments.
The People Behind the Property
Setting the Nines platform aside for a moment, the retreat left us with something else worth writing about: the staff who run Ashbourne Farms. From the person pulling weeds to the Chief of Staff (Melissa Miller) overseeing the entire operation while bringing the owner's vision to reality, the team there genuinely loves what they do, and it shows. Anyone who spends time talking with leaders and employees across this industry can usually tell the difference between service performed out of obligation and service that comes from the heart. At Ashbourne, it comes from the heart, there are no silos between departments or levels of the organization.
That culture starts at the top, with the Principal family and the environment they have built. Employees there go well beyond what their job descriptions ask of them, not because they are told to, but because they feel genuinely valued and are treated with respect every day. You do not have to take our word for it. Stories from about the staff's response to the 2025 area flooding were a tangible demonstration of how happy and appreciated employees can save you millions. For Principals and family offices dealing with consistent staff turnover, there is a real lesson in that. Fair pay, respectful treatment, and genuine appreciation, supported with structure and accountability, earn the kind of loyalty that leads employees to go above and beyond without being asked.
Thank you for inspiring memories and creating connections!
Peter Colt Van Ryder
Founder and CEO
Estate Management Solutions
Final Thoughts
There are so many that I want to express gratitude for meeting and spending time with, I won’t list anyone for fear of leaving someone out of the jam-packed weekend.
We’ve been teaching our Essentials Course since 2011, designed to teach professionals how to build operational systems, establish service continuity, and remain largely systems agnostic. We help our Principal Clients identify the right systems for their homes, but can implement in most SaaS environments. We are also a Nines customer and a Nines implementer, and we have become genuine advocates for systems that improve operational trust and efficiency in the private service industry. We were skeptics when we first encountered Nines, but they have proven to be a highly flexible and valuable tool with staying power. Nines is the only industry-specific software platform we use or support in our own client work. This article is not a paid advertisement. It is a thank you letter and acknowledgment of the effort that brought together more than one hundred and twenty industry professionals for a weekend of learning, connection, personal development, and genuine hospitality.
Many conversations were had over the course of the weekend, and I look forward to continuing those that were started, and starting those that didn’t get a chance.
