The Camp Owners Podcast

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/j-gold-crossover

In this crossover episode from the Day Camp Pod, Join Andy Pritikin, Sam Thompson, and Justin Pritikin as they delve into the inspiring story of Jonathan Gold, a successful operator of three large private day camps in New Jersey. In this episode, Jonathan shares his journey, the risks and challenges he took on, and the lessons learned along the way. The second half brings in Justin to discuss how the next generation of camp operators can succeed. The conversation covers everything from financial planning in the camp business to the evolving career paths for young camp professionals. Plus, get insights into the current state of the day camp industry and valuable tips for prospective camp owners and directors. Tune in for an episode full of wisdom and practical advice.

Highlights:

• 01:41 Meet Jonathan Gold
• 05:29 First Steps in the Camp Industry
• 13:06 Taking Over Meadowbrook Day Camp
• 17:46 Acquiring Oak Crest Day Camp
• 26:17 Expanding to Multiple Camps
• 27:12 Reviving a Dormant Camp
• 32:50 Financial Realities of Camp Management
• 37:11 Entrepreneurial Drive in Camp Ownership

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• Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp
• Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor - Crystal Lake Park District
• Jonathan M. Gold, MBA, PhD, Camp Owner/Director - the Arbor Group of Camps
• Justin Pritikin, Director of Staff - Everwood Day Camp

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Celebrating 30 years, CampBrain camp management software not only provides a great tool and caring support for your best ever workdays, but a delightful registration experience for parents. Discover what more than 1800 camps know and how you can love your software too, visit https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Staffing Retention and Recruitment Success: 37 Proven Strategies for Camp Directors is a comprehensive email course designed to help you attract, retain, and develop a high-quality camp staff team. This course is packed with practical tips and strategies that you can implement right away.

Find out more at gocamp.pro/staff and use the code GOCAMPPOD10 at checkout!

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/new-owner-jason-samuel

Join Kelly and Howie on the Camp Owners Podcast as they delve into the journey of Jason Samuel, the new owner of The Nature Place. Jason shares insights from his transition from a sailing instructor to camp owner, the rich history of The Nature Place, and the challenges faced, especially during the pandemic. Discover the importance of networking, financing strategies, and leveraging support systems within the camp industry. Learn about the complexities of transitioning leadership, maintaining camp culture, and overcoming financial hurdles. 

Tune in for valuable lessons and advice on navigating camp ownership, enhancing camp experiences, and sustaining legacies.

• 00:00 Introduction to the Episode
• 00:30 Podcast Overview and Sponsors
• 02:25 Introducing Jason Samuel & Jason's Journey into Camping
• 07:27 The Appeal of Day Camps
• 09:07 Purchasing The Nature Place
• 15:30 Networking and Finding Camps for Sale
• 21:56 Financing the Camp Purchase
• 30:53 Navigating Lease Agreements
• 34:23 Making Improvements and Investments
• 37:26 Transition Challenges and Communication
• 46:42 Lessons Learned and Advice
• 52:46 Rapid Fire Questions
• Host Links:
• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Jason Samuel - Owner & Director - The Nature Place

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Celebrating 30 years, CampBrain camp management software not only provides a great tool and caring support for your best ever workdays, but a delightful registration experience for parents. Discover what more than 1800 camps know and how you can love your software too, visit https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/all-in-on-ai

In this episode of the Camp Owners Podcast, Howie and Kelly kick off Season 5 with a deep dive into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on the camp industry. 

Joined by special guest Travis Allison, co-founder of GoCampPro, the discussion covers how AI can streamline camp operations, enhance communication with parents and staff, and provide valuable insights into effective practices. Travis shares practical examples and future projections for AI's role in camp management, emphasizing how these technologies can save time and improve overall efficiency without compromising the personal touch that defines the camp experience. Tune in to discover innovative ways to leverage AI in your camp's daily operations and beyond.

• The Google NotebookLM conversation Travis talked about
• Travis’ Camp AI Tool - https://campbot.org/
• Howie’s AI Music Tool - https://suno.com/

• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch

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Celebrating 30 years, CampBrain camp management software not only provides a great tool and caring support for your best ever workdays, but a delightful registration experience for parents. Discover what more than 1800 camps know and how you can love your software too, visit https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/season-4-recap

On this last episode of The Camp Owners Podcast season 4, Howie and I are putting a wrap on the season. We are talking about some of our biggest takeaways from some of our guests. We're also talking about some of the new things that we're trying this summer, whether they are from things that didn't go well for us last year, whether they are from conferences and speakers, or some of the speakers or guests we had on our podcast so tune in for our reflections, what we learned, what we’re trying and what we are looking forward to for this camp season. So give it a listen and have a GREAT SUMMER!

• Unreasonable Hospitality
• Book: “Anxious Generation”
• Steve Baskin article re why kids need camp

• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch

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CampBrain’s Camp Management Software not only provides a great management tool for your best ever workdays, but is a delightful registration experience for your parents. They take pride in building long-lasting relationships through their incredible support and love they show to each client. CampBrain is not only focused on your needs for summer 2024, but for the next 25 summers and beyond. To learn more about how they help 1700+ camps and how they can help you, visit with them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/initiative

We are really excited to have Emily Golinsky on the Podcast. Emily is a long-time camp professional, and now a trainer and consultant whom many of us in the industry are familiar with from Tri-State and other ACA events and someone who consistently brings wonderful energy, insight and expertise to important topics that we are all dealing with as camp owners and directors. 

This episode, we are going to continue our discussion about setting up our staff for success by talking about initiative and how we can foster it in this generation of staff.

1. Get your orders in - engage your vendors now, don’t wait
2. Labor compliance posters - get them ordered - they’ll be the best $30 you ever spent to ensure you cover all of your bases
3. Check your camper balances - collections - if they haven’t paid yet, make sure they do or you’ll need to fill those spots.
4. Don’t forget Grandma - keep track of the people out of your camp life - write those cards now and have your office staff mail them this summer.  You’ll thank yourself later.

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• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Emily Golinsky - Camp Consultant - Bright Moose Training

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CampBrain’s Camp Management Software not only provides a great management tool for your best ever workdays, but is a delightful registration experience for your parents. They take pride in building long-lasting relationships through their incredible support and love they show to each client. CampBrain is not only focused on your needs for summer 2024, but for the next 25 summers and beyond. To learn more about how they help 1700+ camps and how they can help you, visit with them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/staff-engagement

While we have spent a good portion of the season on the various ownership and leadership models in the industry, we have decided to jump into a topic that is always on our mind, staffing and the staff experience. Today, we have someone who has some great thoughts and ideas on combating the staff challenge by viewing it as a year-round strategy. We first got to meet Shoshi Rothschild in Liverpool at Camp Collab, a staffing conference held in Liverpool last fall. Shout out to Camp Leaders for putting the event on! 

It is there that we found Shoshi’s ideas really relevant and I think super helpful and excited to have her on the show.

In this great episode, we cover:

1. Shoshi’s camp journey and how she went from camp staff to consultant
2. Why this topic? Why is staff engagement so pressing in this day and age of staffing?
3. What do you think are some of the biggest challenges that camp directors are facing when it comes to the staff experience between September and June?
4. What are some tips you can offer to help camp directors ensure their staff actually show up come arrival day?
5. During your session at Camp Collab, you mentioned organizational culture models, and how we can look to them to improve the staff experience. Can you tell us more about this?

What are some other ways we can look at the staff experience more holistically, instead of just focusing on the summer experience?

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Find these, and links at https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/staff-engagement

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• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Shoshi Rothschild - Camp Consultant - www.workwithintent.ca 

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CampBrain’s Camp Management Software not only provides a great management tool for your best ever workdays, but is a delightful registration experience for your parents. They take pride in building long-lasting relationships through their incredible support and love they show to each client. CampBrain is not only focused on your needs for summer 2024, but for the next 25 summers and beyond. To learn more about how they help 1700+ camps and how they can help you, visit with them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Find full links and show notes at: Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/next-gen

This season of the Camp Owners Podcast, we’ve been focusing a lot on the future. From AI, climate change and succession, we’ve been encouraging Camp Pros to think about the intentional decisions they can make now to set their programs up for success.

In all of this future-planning, we can’t forget about the people that will take on the mantle of owner/director!

This LIVE episode of the podcast is dedicated to those people!

Howie sits down with Jordanna Grossinger and Jesse Kronick, two next-generation camp professional to discuss how they have navigated the waters of growing up in camp and their paths towards taking on the mantle of their parents and mentors. 

We’re grateful to Joe Richards, the Ontario Camps Association and the team at the BMO IFL Conference Centre for capturing the audio and bringing it to the pod and for Jack Schott from The Summer Camp Society for joining Howie as co-host!

Back next episode!

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• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Jordanna Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Jesse Kronick - Assistant Director - Camp White Pine

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CampBrain’s Camp Management Software not only provides a great management tool for your best ever workdays, but is a delightful registration experience for your parents. They take pride in building long-lasting relationships through their incredible support and love they show to each client. CampBrain is not only focused on your needs for summer 2024, but for the next 25 summers and beyond. To learn more about how they help 1700+ camps and how they can help you, visit with them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Find full links and show notes at: Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/full-time-pipeline

We’re grateful to have the opportunity to share the Camp Owner’s Podcast feed with our good friends over at the Day Camp Pod. In this episode, host Andy Pritikin speaks with Taking over an existing camp operation is no small feat, and today we’re joined by Sam Borek and Gregg Licht - two seasoned, self-made camp professionals who have each had unique challenges. 

It’s a great podcast for anyone looking to one day become a day camp operator, as we also explore the challenges of just getting into the camp director pipeline.

Back next episode!

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• Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp
• Sam Borek, Owner - Woodmont Day Camp
• Gregg Licht, Director - Elmwood Day Camp

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CampBrain’s Camp Management Software not only provides a great management tool for your best ever workdays, but is a delightful registration experience for your parents. They take pride in building long-lasting relationships through their incredible support and love they show to each client. CampBrain is not only focused on your needs for summer 2024, but for the next 25 summers and beyond. To learn more about how they help 1700+ camps and how they can help you, visit with them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Find full links and show notes at: Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/succession-2

When people think of succession, it’s easy to think of it being a familial thing - a director’s kids taking over the family camp and moving it into the next era.

But what happens if your kids aren’t the right next step for camp? What happens if they aren’t interested?

What is your succession plan if it doesn’t involve a clear predecessor at all and a new owner would be a big compromise?

Adam Kaplan and Stephanie took a different approach to succession and we’re delighted to welcome them to the podcast to share their journey of moving Camp Nebagamon away from private ownership to a non-profit.

Things that inspire our hosts and guests to be the best Camp Owners they can be.

• Howie: Adam Grant’s Rethinking podcast with Becky Kennedy called “bringing out the good in kids”. 
• Kelly: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
• Stephanie: “True Stories of Good People” Podcast
• Adam:  “How to Be Perfect” by Michael Schur and the new version of “Wonka” 

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• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• David Malter aka “Professor Dave”, Speaker, Trainer and Consultant - Gratz College

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CampBrain’s Camp Management Software not only provides a great management tool for your best ever workdays, but is a delightful registration experience for your parents. They take pride in building long-lasting relationships through their incredible support and love they show to each client. CampBrain is not only focused on your needs for summer 2024, but for the next 25 summers and beyond. To learn more about how they help 1700+ camps and how they can help you, visit with them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com

Find full links and show notes at: Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/building-the-best-team

All of us are constantly looking to make our teams better whether it's the addition of personnel who add fresh ideas, the re-organization of our team structure and roles or an examination of how team members interact and communicate. 

Ultimately our goal is to create the highest functioning team possible. We are excited to have Dave Malter, who is an educator, trainer and life-long camp guy to share his thoughts and insight on this topic.  

Things that inspire our hosts and guests to be the best Camp Owners they can be.

• Howie: Clifton Strengths Assessment
• Kelly: Jim Collins “Good To Great” - 7 Questions When To Keep Or Fire 
• Dave: “Teaching for Success: Developing Your Teacher Identity For Success” - exercise on developing your personal narrative and history - the matching of values and developing professional identities

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• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• David Malter aka “Professor Dave”, Speaker, Trainer and Consultant - Gratz College

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CampBrain’s Camp Management Software not only provides a great management tool for your best ever workdays, but is a delightful registration experience for your parents. They take pride in building long-lasting relationships through their incredible support and love they show to each client. CampBrain is not only focused on your needs for summer 2024, but for the next 25 summers and beyond. To learn more about how they help 1700+ camps and how they can help you, visit with them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

Activity schedules are the backbone of every camper’s experience. If there’s a staffing change, it’s really hard to find a person that knows your camp and the nuance your schedule takes. Come check out Camptivities to learn more about our scheduling tools,  designed for camps by camp people. Find out more at camptivities.com