About Me

My earliest memories are set outdoors. I loved to explore our large yard and once I could ride a bike, the neighborhood. As I grew older I began to attend summer camps. That I would work as a camp counselor once old enough was a given. When that first summer on staff finally rolled around, I was in heaven. At camp it was not only helpful but required that I sing silly songs, exercise camp craft skills, practice leadership, entertain kids and play. Every moment of my existence had been preparing me for this. I had found my life’s calling.

At the end of that summer my family moved across the country. Every May for the next 6 years I traveled back to work at camp. The year I turned twenty-one I moved near the camp hoping to work my way into a full-time job. Given that the director herself was part-time, this might have been a tad over ambitious. I worked another summer or two until a friend offered me a year-round job at another camp. I began my work at the new camp just as they were kicking off an expansion campaign. After being there a couple of seasons I was given the opportunity to become the camp’s first Guest Services Director.

Working with retreat groups expanded my love for camping. I discovered camp was a great place for adults to get away from normal environment and gain a fresh perspective on their life and work. I learned about the power of temporary community and story. I also had to begin learning the hard facts of economics. If too many beds went unfilled, we struggled to pay the bills. This was a disturbing challenge but one I was sure my boss could handle.

Shortly after I began working in camping full-time, I met a beautiful young woman who loved kids even more than I did. We married and soon had a couple of our own. As the years passed, I longed to put my growing abilities to use in a position of greater responsibility. We grew restless and began to dream of other places.

I applied for the directorship of a beautiful old camp located near my parents in Oregon. The camp’s board were very gracious toward me. They flew my wife and I out for the weekend to allow us to see the camp and participate in a series of interviews. At the end of the weekend they told me they had chosen not to offer me the job. They liked what they had learned about me but needed someone who was more experienced. They suggested I find a place where I could learn fiscal management, board development and fund raising.

A few months later an even better opportunity surfaced. I applied for and received the director role at the small summer camp where I first worked as a counselor. Initially it was very satisfying to be back. I had a blast rediscovering the traditions of the camp and the great group of people who support it. It wasn’t all roses though. Those pesky economic worries that I liked to leave to the boss at my old job were now mine to own. Ever one to rise to the occasion, I leaned into the work.

After we had been there a couple of years it became clear that no amount of my time and energy would be enough. If I were to continue as director, something would not survive. Either the camp or my young family would die. Instead, I chose to kill my career. At the end of my third summer I left my role and the camping industry. A friend graciously invited me to the management team of his Chick-fil-A restaurant. We loaded the moving van and headed to Hot Springs to start a new life.

I spent the next 2 years wrestling with questions I thought I’d never have to answer again. What are my gifts and abilities? What can I do that meets people’s needs? What do I want? If not camping, what is a Step built to do? While it didn’t answer the questions for me, my time at Chick-fil-A was an extremely helpful experience. It gave me the opportunity to practice basic business skills over and over. In a single day I would interact with a number of people that it would have taken weeks or even months to serve in a camp setting. I also was given access to the behind-the-scenes systems that make Chick-fil-A the company it is. The value of the education I received serving chicken and waffle fries is incalculable. Nevertheless, it was clear my role in the restaurant would not be a good long-term fit.

During my time managing the restaurant I was privileged to form a relationship with a large number of people from the community. One of these people was the CEO of the largest hospital in town. Toward the end of my time at Chick-fil-A, he invited me to submit a proposal to him to help with a project he wanted to undertake. Working with his team was the perfect capstone to the transformation I went through at Chick-fil-A.

Today I partner with business leaders to improve the effectiveness of their organisation by helping the individuals within see the goodness of their work, renew their motivation and find satisfaction.