My career has been rewarding and varied. Below is a narrative for my working years with some of the successes I enjoyed.
During my last 3 years of college, I worked at Dart Dry Cleaners, with the title of Assistant Manager when I graduated from Texas Tech. I learned a lot about customer service, prepared nightly deposits, ran laundry deliveries, and handled basic repairs and alterations. I was the only employee working in the evenings and most Saturdays.
Boy Scouts of America Professional Career in Local Councils
District Executive, 1986 – 1989, South Plains Council – Lubbock, TX
Served parts of 7 rural counties with 750 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Explorers in 30 units
Set a council “speed” record my third year, achieving my Friends of Scouting goal of $20,000 in April. Launched a multiple-year Friends of Scouting pledging program
Achieved an 11% increase in FOS, 8% increase in local United Way allocations, and a 23% increase in Council Scout Show income
Achieved a 60% membership increase over my 3 years with balanced growth; School Night effectiveness was up 50%; Founders’ and Winners’ Circle achiever
Achieved a 300% increase in Quality units, 500% increase in top leaders trained, and increased Cub Scouts in Day Camp by 100%
Organized units for Career Awareness, young men on probation, and the mentally handicapped
Launched Family FOS, popcorn sales, Scouting for Food, and Tiger Cubs for the first time in the council
Wrote a weekly column for the Sunday newspaper for over a year
Community involvement included Church, Optimist Club, Babe Ruth Baseball, United Way, Alpha Phi Omega, American Cancer Society, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Scoutmaster of a Troop at a sheltered workshop for the mentally handicapped
Senior District Executive, 1989 – 1991, St. Louis Area Council
Served 5 rural counties with 1600 Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Explorers in 50 units
Set a council “speed” record my first year, achieving my Friends of Scouting goal of $25,000 in March
Doubled School Night for Scouting in my first fall
Organized an Explorer Post for the mentally handicapped, and increased Day Camp attendance by 25%
Community involvement included Church, Lions Club, United Way, and Advisor of a Post at a sheltered workshop for the mentally handicapped
Senior District Executive Multiple-Person (known as District Director today), 1991 – 1994, Greater St. Louis Area Council
Served suburban and urban neighborhoods with over 5200 Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in 140 Packs and Troops, with 75 elementary schools
Managed $175,000 in the annual Friends of Scouting which included corporate employees and vendor campaigns, community-based giving, and family FOS
Launched Tiger Cubs and popcorn sales in the council, and refreshed Family FOS
Served as Summer Camp Director at Swift Explorer Base, running customized weeks of camp for a large troop, Varsity Scouts, deaf scouts and Explorers, and High Adventure Explorers
Gave leadership to over 70 Commissioner Staff members, and a District Committee with over 50 active members
Increased Day Camp attendance by 15%, organized 12 units in Scoutreach areas, and introduced Rallymaster Training for volunteers to help with school visits, previously only done by District Executives.
BSA Professional Career, National Council
National Sales Representative, 1994 – 1995, Supply Division, Irving, TX
Managed the appointment, cancellation, and relationships of a network of 167 licensed local distributors and Council Scout Shops in the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota
Increased the number of licensed outlets by 8%, and exceeded my sales goals by 8%
Buyer – Handicrafts, Flags & Awards, 1995 – 1997, Supply Division, Irving, TX
Managed the development, specifications, sourcing, packaging, inventory, and profitability of a line of merchandise representing approximately 15% (or $15 million) of total sales
Initiated many new projects including a new product packaging program, camp craft vendor catalog program, and many new craft kits for scouts that targeted fun, learning, and advancement
Provided the leadership to successfully change manufacturers of several major products including the Grand Prix Pinewood Derby® Kit
Managed the Snack Bars at the 1997 National Scout Jamboree
Chaired the Supply Division’s Annual Giving Campaign (very similar to Friends of Scouting)
Senior Buyer – Apparel & Insignia, 1997 – 1998, Supply Division, Charlotte, NC
Managed the development, specifications, sourcing, packaging, inventory, and profitability of a line of merchandise representing approximately 45% (or $45 million) of total sales
Directed the redesign of the official Boy Scout trousers and shorts to provide a more comfortable fit (we called it “Action Fit”), and re-introduced popular utility pockets
Assistant Supply Director – Merchandising & Manufacturing, 1998 – 2001, Supply Division, Charlotte, NC
As the Assistant Director – Merchandising &Manufacturing, from 1998 to 2001, I provided the leadership to a staff of 8 professionals and 14 hourly employees to create/select, forecast, purchase, and price over 5,000 SKU s of quality merchandise. Our gross profit in 2001 was over $64 million, or 50.02% of sales.
Chaired the 1999 Supply Division 10-year Strategic Plan Task Force
Initiated several new projects including BSA Supply’s first website Scoutstuff.org, as well as our first commerce-enabled website, Jamboreestuff.org that generated $2.55 million in sales with 18,000 orders in 90 days
Other projects included an authenticity backing for embroidered emblems, and the Scout Stuff Classics ™ product line
Reduced cost increases, as demonstrated by the price of full uniform from 1999-2001 increased at the lowest rate since 1987 for Cub Scouts and 1992 for Boy Scouts
Directed the product licensing program, increasing annual revenues 257% in 3 years
Delivered better customer satisfaction by reducing back orders by 32% from 1997 levels
Re-invented the National Jamboree Pre-sale, adding a 48-page catalog, website, and expanded product line, doubling sales in 2001 over 1997 to over $3.2 million
Directed the BSA Contingent Supply Staff for the 1999 World Jamboree in Chile
Directed the efforts of over 500 volunteers and professionals operating the Trading Posts at the 2001 National Scout Jamboree with $3.7 million in sales, a 16% increase over 1997
Director – Supply Sales, Store Planning, and Business Development, 2001 – 2010, Supply Group, Charlotte, NC
As the Director – Sales, Planning & Development, from 2001 to 2010, I provided the leadership necessary to achieve all financial objectives and serve the uniform and equipment needs of the members of the BSA through a network of 700 licensed local distributors, 230 Council Scout Shops, 140 National Scout Shops, and scoutstuff.org. Our sales in 2009 were over $140 million. My teams included 60 professionals, 300 staff, and 300 part-time employees located in over 100 cities with their goal to deliver great customer service within budget limits. Our division’s expense budget was about $32 million in 2009. Teams included: Sales Administration, Scout Shops, Store Planning & Development, E-commerce, Licensing, and Custom Design.
National Scout Shop same-store-sales continued to run ahead of prior year, even with consistent National annual traditional membership declines
Licensing and e-commerce revenue out-paced prior year results each year
Contributed significant leadership to the development and launch of new products, most notably the multi-million dollar Switchbacks™ and 1.4 million Centennial World Crest Ring emblems
Directed the BSA Contingent Supply Staff for the 2007 World Scout Jamboree in England, and the 2003 World Jamboree in Thailand
Increased Average Sale per Member by 14.85% in 2005 vs. 2001
Opened, relocated, or remodeled 60 National Scout Shops within a $3.1 million capital budget
Initiated several new projects including a Territory Manager program, National Sales Training Conferences, Customer Service (a.k.a. Pickle) training, Mystery Shopper programs, Store Manager classification system, and employee cross-training
Increased productivity with targeted staff-reductions and closing poor-performing Scout Shops
Directed the efforts of over 500 volunteers and professionals operating the Trading Posts at the 2005 National Scout Jamboree with $4 million in sales, an 8% increase over 2001
Director – Supply Business Development, 2010 – 2020, Supply Group, Charlotte, NC
As Director of New Business Development/Licensing, Supply Group of the Boy Scouts of America, I provide the leadership for executing initiatives that improve service to our members and councils as well as enhancing business growth opportunities for National Supply and the BSA.
Licensing product sales grew from $3 million in 2005 to over $43 million in 2017. In 2012 through 2017, the BSA was selected as a top 150 international licensed property be ‘License! Global’ magazine.
We launched the 2012 Edison Nation Boy Scouts of America Innovation Challenge. This contest generated 197 original product submissions, with most submitted by youth members of the BSA. The BSA and the inventors of the two winning products will receive royalties from sales.
Developed and executed “West Virginia Licensee Initiative”, identifying licensees in WV to support the Summit and 2013 Jamboree needs while also supporting the local retail economy
Organized a direct marketing campaign targeted at the four major “stick and ball” sports leagues as well as Minor League Baseball providing information about creating “Scout Night” giveaways through the BSA’s trademark licensing program
We initiated the nomination for the BSA’s eventual selection as 2011’s Outdoor Retailer-of-the-Year by Backpacker Magazine
Responsible for directing the efforts of over 500 volunteers, employees, and contractor personnel executing the Food Operations for 35,000 youth and staff at the 2013 and 2017 National Jamborees within a $6 million budget
