Awesome Program Experiences

Program is the product, program is the tool to instill character, fitness, leadership and duty to something bigger than themselves. I have led and been part of efforts that have brought awesome experiences to thousands.

Pipsico Awesome

Before the summer camping season of 2023, our District Executive who was slated as business manager for our ScoutsBSA summer camp resigned. Being it had been a while since I had been involved at summer camp, I felt it was time to get re-familiarized with camping operations, to prepare me for future council leadership. Our summer camp program was in the midst of an incredible transformation, that I wanted to be a part of. That is how an Assistant Scout Executive took on another big, important role in the Tidewater Council.

Pipsico Scout Reservation is our 920-acre camp on the James River. You can see the Jamestown settlement from our waterfront area. We run four weeks of ScoutsBSA camp and a week of Cub Camp, with a 75 person staff. In addition to Scouts from our own council, we attract Troops from Richmond, the Washington DC area, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Long Island, South Carolina, Charlotte, Raleigh and even parts of Florida. In 2020, we were prohibited from operating camp, due to COVID restrictions. In 2021, we restarted operations with 740 youth participants. Last year, we built up to 1002 youth.

This dynamic growth can be attributed to John Scheib, our Camp Director. He recently retired as the Chief Legal Officer of Norfolk Southern Corporation and took on Pipsico Scout Reservation as his passion project. John took his experience from serving as an executive of a Fortune 500 Company and extensive Scouting background to build what we call Pipsico Awesome. Everything from staff culture, program offerings to administrative operations were examined to create an amazing customer experience. He is now taking what he did at Pipsico and bringing it to our overall council as our current Council President. He even wrote a book about it: Awesomeness - Secrets to Camp Success.

Older Youth Specialty Programs run parallel to summer camp and they attract entire troops to Pipsico by giving their older youth adrenaline filed activities, beyond the classic summer camp experience. We offer a Scuba Camp, which is in conjunction with a local Scuba outfitter allows participants to earn PADI certification at camp, which concludes with an offsite open water dive at a specialty diving lake. Sail Hampton Roads is a week-long, live aboard sailing program, which is ran by our Camping Committee Charman. The Pipsico Experience (PEX) is a sampler Colonial Williamsburg, the Jamestown Settlement, Busch Gardens, high ropes course, whitewater rafting on class 4 rapids through Richmond, stand up paddleboarding in a cypress grove and special on-site activities. As business manager, they referred to me as "mission control" to these events. My role was to coordinate the vendors, transportation, admission fees, offsite meals, make sure they stay within our budget and insure they meet NCAP Standards.

Huskanaw, our unique, first class first-year camper program encompasses over one acre of camp. It features structures and attractions focused on essential Scotuing skills and rank requirements for Tenderfoot through First Class. The program teaches the importance of the Patrol Method and learning and applying the E.D.G.E. Method. Most of all, make it FUN, so they come back We make it a priority to recruit and retain our best staff for this area. First year scouts become second year scouts, second year scouts become third year Scout, and third year scout become staff! Huskanaw is considered our most important area.

These two years not only re-familiarized me with camp, but it also gave insight in how to make an effective turnaround on summer camp operations. All the moving pieces are important and failure of any one of them can impair the whole operation. Playing the mission control role with procurement, human resource management, food service, facility oversight, front line customer service and chief financial officer gave me the camp education I needed and more. I also took me back to my Scouting origin story and fueled my enthusiasm for Scouting.

Working with an active Camping Committee, a strong Camp Director and with the mentorship of Jamie Parnell, my Scout Executive, we were able to keep payroll and costs down and quality standards high. In 2024, we managed to net $235,716 over expenses.

the promise of adventure

As a young Scout, seeing the rafting, rock climbing, canoeing, backpacking, mountain biking and horseback riding on the cover of Boys Life kept me excited about Scouting. The promise of adventure was the carrot on the stick that kept me coming to meetings, weekend campouts and working on my rank advancements. Those aspirational activities are important to the program. I have been a proponent of these programs in the council's I have spearheaded or provided leadership.

Scouting America Wheels and Boards Committee - I am currently spearheading the working group making recommendations for updates to the Cycling Merit Badge. Also, I am leading the development of a proposed pilot program for e-bike instruction aimed at expanding outdoor adventure opportunities for Scouting America youth.

Uwharrie Wilderness Trek was an overnight, offsite backpacking Trek in the Uwharrie National Forest. It was an older Scout program running tandem with summer camp. As program director in 1999, I created this program for Camp John J. Barnhardt. Along with an experienced staffer we enlisted for the program, we created 4-night adventure where along with backpacking, Scouts were able to climb and repel on natural rockface, kayak on Badin Lake, and shoot black powder rifles. We ran it for two weeks and I was even able to lead the group for one week,

Philmont Contingents are important in providing this bucket list Scouting experience to all Scouts, regardless of their Troop's ability to send a crew. I was the staff advisor for a 48 person Philmont Contingent with the Blue Ridge Council. As a District Executive, I provided the logistics and budget control for this $76,000 event. I spearheaded Philmont contingents again for the Indian Waters Council, Daniel Boone Council, and twice for the Tidewater Council. Philmont Contingents are important in providing this bucket list Scouting experience to all Scouts, regardless of their Troop's ability to send a crew.

Chief Logan Archeology Dig was a summer camp program, where I coordinated archeologists from Mound City Group National Monument with our summer camp to create a dig site on an abandoned 19th century homesite, on Chief Logan property, Scouts got to take a field trip to Mound City to see Hopewell earthworks and see the archeologist's worksite.

Jamboree Contingents - I was the staff advisor for two Jamboree Contingents. Each had four troops and around 36 Scouts and Leaders. In 2013, Vance Stiles and the rest of our contingent from Asheville, NC made national news as the first Scouts to arrive at the first Jamboree at The Summit.

Cope and Climbing - I have been the COPE and Climbing director at Camp John J Barnhardt, where our team was the cast members for BSA's "Climb On" training video. I have a current Camp School certification for Climbing and serves as the staff advisor for climbing in the Tidewater Council.