The Camp Owners Podcast

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Find full links and show notes at: Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/future-proofing

What are you doing to be intentional about AI, Climate Change and all the other things changing around our industry?

Join Travis Allison, camp industry veteran and Co-Owner of Go Camp Pro, as he explores the future of camping in this exciting episode. He dives deep into how AI will revolutionize camp operations and experiences, as well as the challenges posed by climate change. 

This episode is filled with practical marketing strategies and insights into the future of the camp industry. Don't miss out on this enlightening discussion!

Tune in to hear about

• AI's Impact on Camp Families
• AI's Impact on Camp Operations
• Climate Change Preparedness and Communication
• Climate Challenges for Camps and Outdoors
• Empowerment and Problem-Solving in Camps
• Practical Marketing Strategies and Inspiration

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Travis and Joanna Warren Smith have created the ultimate guide to Camper Recruitment and Retention.

It’s coming soon and you won’t want to miss out.

Interested? Get notified here.

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

• Howie: Inspired by the next-gen, leaning on them to navigate some of the issues we discussed today
• Kelly: Nature vs Nurture Podcast Episode
• Travis: Disney Plus show “The Bear” and Unreasonable Hospitality 

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• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Travis Allison, Summer Camp Consultant - Go Camp Pro

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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

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Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey

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Find full links and show notes at: Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/succession-2024

We are thrilled to kick off this season of the Camp Owners Podcast with Steve and Susie Baskin from Camp Champions! Like everything they do, Steve and Susie have an extremely intentional approach to thinking about succession and what that means not only for them as Camp Owners, but as family members as well!

Welcome back to another season! We’re glad to have you here.

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

Find these at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/succession-2024 

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• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Steve Baskin, Executive Director - Camp Champions, Camp Pinnacle, Partner - Everwood Day Camp
• Susie Baskin, Executive Director - Camp Champions, Camp Pinnacle

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CampBrain’s Camp Managment 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

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Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey

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Today we are talking staff training and what our guest thinks staff need to learn this summer to be successful at your camp. 

We are happy to have Scott Arizala as resident expert and guest for today.
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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!) (click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)
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Things that inspire our hosts and guests to be the best Camp Owners they can be.

• Howie: Books “The Power of Habit” Charles DuHigg
• Kelly: Jack Schott/Summer Camp Society: Making Outsiders Feel Like Insiders & The Hidden Curriculum 
• Scott: Book “The Creative Act, The Way of Being” Rick Rubin - Book “Dilla Time”  Dan Charnas

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• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Scott Arizala - founder and CEO - The Camp Counselor

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CampBrain provides management and registration software to camps and conference centers. Serving 1300+ camps since 1994, with a dedicated staff of 50+ providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
For more information visit them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

In a year where you’re juggling so many changes, let’s take activity scheduling off that list. Camptivities is specifically designed for camps by camp people. Save time, money and resources to create your best activity schedule yet! Find out more at camptivities.com

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Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey

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Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/kitchen-staff-and-the-culinary-experience

If you’ve been following the Camp Robindel social media over the past year you might have noticed a new trend in how they feature their kitchen staff and highlight their culinary experience.  We were curious to hear more about their motivation to do this and what they’ve learned in the process that other camp owners and directors can learn from.  

We are happy to have Jolly Corley from Camp Robindel as our guest for today. 

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!) (click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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

• Howie: Inspiration from working with senior leadership
• Kelly:  “The shared meal elevates eating from a mechanical process of fueling the body to a ritual of family and community, from the mere animal biology to an act of culture.” Michael Pollan 
• Jolly: “The good food revolution” by Will Allen and “The Kitchen Brigade” - French Film about food and community

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

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CampBrain provides management and registration software to camps and conference centers. Serving 1300+ camps since 1994, with a dedicated staff of 50+ providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
For more information visit them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

In a year where you’re juggling so many changes, let’s take activity scheduling off that list. Camptivities is specifically designed for camps by camp people. Save time, money and resources to create your best activity schedule yet! Find out more at camptivities.com

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Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey

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Find full show notes and links at:
 https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/belonging-for-trans-youth

Today we are talking about how we can move from creating a place of “inclusion” at our summer camps to a place of “belonging” for trans youth campers. 

We are happy to have Chris Rehs-Dupin from Transplaining as our guest for today. 

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!) (click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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

• Howie:  “Be Kind for Everyone You Meet for Everyone You Meet is Fighting A Battle You Know Nothing About” from the site Leadership First. A basis for staff training and what we create as a culture at camp
• Kelly: Book - “Nervous Energy - Harness The Power Of Your Anxiety” by Dr. Chloe Carmichael
• Chris: Ted Talk - “The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage” by Susan David

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• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Chris Rehs-Dupin - Founder - Transplaining for Camps, Executive Director - Camp ReImagined
  
  

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CampBrain provides management and registration software to camps and conference centers. Serving 1300+ camps since 1994, with a dedicated staff of 50+ providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
For more information visit them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

In a year where you’re juggling so many changes, let’s take activity scheduling off that list. Camptivities is specifically designed for camps by camp people. Save time, money and resources to create your best activity schedule yet! Find out more at camptivities.com

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Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/we-bought-a-camp

Today we are talking to experienced camp pros who partnered up to buy a well-established overnight camp. We are lucky to have Tia Wintre and Elijah Geller from Camp Wahanowin join us to discuss their camp journey, their process for purchase and transition to their new roles at their camp and for them to share any tips they have for anyone looking to buy a camp and take the plunge into camp ownership. 

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!) (click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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

• Howie:  Adam Grant Quote “Great mentors are learners as well as teachers. Data: when mentors value insights from below, they're more engaged and effective—and their mentees are more successful.
• Mentoring is not a transfer of wisdom from one to another. It's a relationship where two people grow together.
• Kelly: “The 5am Club” by Robin Sharma
• Tia: Quote from rent “No day like today” as a mindset
• Elijah: Quote from plaque at camp from founder of camp “there is a place where good things happen, where people care,

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

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CampBrain provides management and registration software to camps and conference centers. Serving 1300+ camps since 1994, with a dedicated staff of 50+ providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
For more information visit them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

In a year where you’re juggling so many changes, let’s take activity scheduling off that list. Camptivities is specifically designed for camps by camp people. Save time, money and resources to create your best activity schedule yet! Find out more at camptivities.com

Send us Fan Mail

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/vibe-check-2023

We are happy to welcome Andy Pritikin, Owner and Director of Liberty Lake Day Camp and host of The Day Camp Pod with Go Camp Pro to share his perspective on where we are in the camp industry and where we need to go from here to have a successful 2023 and beyond!

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

• Howie: Book “How to Begin”: idea of worthy pursuits by Michael Stanler  - “my primary pursuit”
• Kelly: Current workforce in Gen Z
• Andy:  Book “Strength to Strength”  by Authur C Brooks - how to go from Grinder to Yoda

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

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CampBrain provides management and registration software to camps and conference centers. Serving 1300+ camps since 1994, with a dedicated staff of 50+ providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
For more information visit them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

In a year where you’re juggling so many changes, let’s take activity scheduling off that list. Camptivities is specifically designed for camps by camp people. Save time, money and resources to create your best activity schedule yet! Find out more at camptivities.com

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Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey

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

Staffing, staffing staffing.  It’s the topic of conversation in the camp profession right now, especially for camp owners: retention, salaries, recruitment, flexibility… it’s a multi faceted issue and one of the biggest pieces is how do we entice our staff to return each year.  Especially if we are struggling to compete with the current wages offered to young people for other summer job opportunities.  While we can all argue with passion the value of being a camp counselor, sometimes that’s not enough, and money talks.  If your money isn’t talking as loudly as others, what are other ways we can increase retention?  Our guest today shared his approach to retention by creating a program progression for staff.  Opportunities for leadership as they continue to return each summer to camp.

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We are happy to have Matt Kaufman, Director at Camp Ramaquois, a long time camp professional here to tell us more about the staff program progression he created and what he’s learned in the process.

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!) (click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)

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

• Howie: “Done is Better than Perfect” - Sheryl Sandberg
• Kelly: New Adam Grant Podcast “Rethinking”
• Matt: “Turn the Ship Around” by L. David Marquet

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

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CampBrain provides management and registration software to camps and conference centers. Serving 1300+ camps since 1994, with a dedicated staff of 50+ providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
For more information visit them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

In a year where you’re juggling so many changes, let’s take activity scheduling off that list. Camptivities is specifically designed for camps by camp people. Save time, money and resources to create your best activity schedule yet! Find out more at camptivities.com

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Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey

Send us Fan Mail

https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/internationalstaff 

It appears that a major topic at conferences and small circles of camp owners is the state of staffing. Today we are exploring the role international staffing is playing in the camp landscape, how to make it successful and the things that Camp Owners should be thinking about to either start pursuing this avenue of staffing or to fine tune and improve on what you are already doing.

We are happy to have Bethany Wright, a long time senior camp leader and someone who has made it part of her mission to encourage international staff to embrace summer camp, give them the insider information on how to make it successful and now looking to help camp professionals do the same.  

Listen in as we discuss:

• International Staffing 101 
• The Onboarding Process
• Staff training 
• In Summer support 
• Staying connected all-year round

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Do you read the show notes? Let us know - click the following link to receive 10% off a lifetime subscription of Go Camp Pro's 5-Minute Fridays. (psst. Even if you don't buy anything, clicking this link will still help!) (click here - https://bit.ly/pod-notes-discount)
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Things that inspire our hosts and guests to be the best Camp Owners they can be.

• Howie: Dare To Lead Podcast - Brene Brown with Adam Grant and Simon Sinek - Parts 1 & 2
• Kelly: “Permission to Feel” by Marc Brackett
• Bethany: Followers who are considering coming to camp for the summer - so many exciting messages and interest

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

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CampBrain provides management and registration software to camps and conference centers. Serving 1300+ camps since 1994, with a dedicated staff of 50+ providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
For more information visit them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

In a year where you’re juggling so many changes, let’s take activity scheduling off that list. Camptivities is specifically designed for camps by camp people. Save time, money and resources to create your best activity schedule yet! Find out more at camptivities.com

---

Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey

Send us Fan Mail

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/ownerspod/the-summer-that-was-2022

We made it! Another camp season during COVID. Yet for some of us, it felt very different. Were we back to pre-pandemic camp? Was it more challenging than the previous two summers? And what about the staff? Are we looking pessimistically or optimistically at what the next 3-5 years have in store for us camp operators?

Kelly and I are happy to have returning guest Adam Baranker from Jeff Lake Day Camp in New Jersey and new guest to The Camp Owners Podcast Adam Kronick the Owner/Director of Camp Whitepine in Haliburton Ontario Canada.

Listen in as we discuss:

• So how did it go?
  • Covid - a thing/not a thing? 
  • How were the kids?
  • How were their parents? 
• Let’s talk staff?
• How’s 2023 looking?
• What’s on your mind for 3-5 years down the road?

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

• Howie: 25th Anniversary of the book “Tuesdays With Morrie” 
• Kelly: Dr. Becky: Good Inside podcast and book - great resource for parenting and camp professionals
• Adam Baranker: Adam Grant: quote on Twitter “candor is an act of care”
• Adam Kronick: Adam’s Father and his time in camping

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• Kelly Schuna - Owner - Hidden Pines Ranch
• Howie Grossinger - Co-owner/Director - Camp Robin Hood, Partner - Camp Walden & Madawaska Camps
• Adam Baranker - Assistant Director - Jeff Lake Camp
• Adam Kronick - Director - Camp White Pine

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CampBrain provides management and registration software to camps and conference centers. Serving 1300+ camps since 1994, with a dedicated staff of 50+ providing personal, caring support and building beautiful, intuitive software.
For more information visit them at https://www.campbrain.com/ownerspod

In a year where you’re juggling so many changes, let’s take activity scheduling off that list. Camptivities is specifically designed for camps by camp people. Save time, money and resources to create your best activity schedule yet! Find out more at camptivities.com

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Fill out the 2026 Podcast Survey by February 28th and enter your email for a chance to with a $250 gift card from our friends at Gopher Sport. Find it at gocamp.pro/podsurvey