Co-Owner, Head of Retail at Kanga Coolers
Years as a Camper: 4
Years as a Staff Member/Positions held: 3, Events Coordinator, Space Chief. Cabin 21 and Manor Boy 4Life
Current Profession and Title/Years in Role:
Co-Owner, Head of Retail Sales at Kanga Coolers
Can you provide a brief overview of your job responsibilities?
I am in charge of our entire independent retail operation. Being in over 2,000 stores, I’m directly responsible for overseeing, managing, facilitating relationships, and helping our clients succeed on a day-to-day basis.
Do you have any career advice for members of our Camp Community?
We started our company while in college and during the later part of my Kanata career. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t start a successful company with your friends regardless of age, background, or experience. If you’re passionate about something, go for it and give it all you got!
What do you believe have been some of your greatest personal and professional accomplishments? Is there a goal toward which are you currently working?
Our Co-Founders making it onto the Forbes 30 Under 30 List as well as being named FedEx’s small business of the year is something we couldn’t accomplish without the entire team showing up day in and day out. One of the things I’m most proud of is the grind of working long hours, weekends, and holidays to make our business last up to this point and reaping the benefits with my coworkers who I’m lucky enough to call friends. From a personal standpoint, the amount of connections and people I’ve made from this job is endless and will help me for the rest of my life.
How do the values or skills you learned at Camp show up in your everyday work and/or personal life?
The values I’ve learned at camp translate into my work life daily: waking up early with a positive attitude, doing your part, helping others, and showing real empathy and compassion in the workplace goes farther than I could have ever imagined. Forming personal relationships and being yourself will open more doors in the world of business than you could ever imagine.
Is there a person or a situation that had a huge influence on you while you were at Camp? How and why did they/it impact you?
Kevin Mateer had a huge role in my camp life, especially realizing that I wanted to join the staff and give back to a place that has given so much to me. Without his guidance early on, I don’t think I would have had as successful of a camp career as I did.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t be afraid to go for it, make your job as fun as humanly possible, be your own boss, if you’re going to do something, do it right, and cherish every moment and relationship along the way.
Favorite Camp meal: Chicken Cordon Bleu
Favorite dining hall or flagpole song: S-P-A-R-T-A
All-time favorite skit memory: Family Feud Sparta edition- please include this
Favorite evening program at Camp: Talent Show, Duh
Devotion you best remember from Camp: Man alone
If you had to have an intro song every time you walked into a
room what would it be? Turn my swag on- Soulja Boy
Do you have a hidden talent? Really good at landing on .00 when filling up my tank of gas
What three words best describe you? Manor Boy, Booling, Swag
What profession other than your own would you like to try? Camp Director
What would you eat if you could only have one food for the rest
of your life? Camp mac and cheese triangles and corn puppies
