ClassB was proud to be able to send several of our employees to visit the 2010 BSA Jamboree. As an official Boy Scouts of America® Licensee, we strive to give our employees the real-world experience we feel is necessary to provide the best possible service. Naturally, the Jamboree was the perfect avenue for us to gain that real-world experience.

As we hiked the miles of trails and explored the many different exhibits and presentations at the Jamboree, we soon realized that we were not the only BSA Licensee at the Jamboree this year. We found a couple of other proud BSA Licensees as well. Silver Creek Leather Co. and ArtCarved® both had booths set up to display their excellent products.

Silver Creek Leather Co. had a really nice product presentation and education area set up at the Merit Badge Midway. They had a section set up where Scouts could make all sorts of leather crafts, like belts and moccasins, and earn their Leatherwork Merit Badge. Greg Sartor, owner of Silver Creek Leather Co., is shown in the photo below with ClassB CEO, Eric Hilferding, along with more photos of their popular exhibit.









ArtCarved® also had an impressive and educational exhibit to see. ArtCarved® specializes in producing personalized jewelry that celebrates family, pride and love. They also produce BSA Licensed rings, which look just like high school and college class rings.

Their booth showed us exactly how the rings are made, from an initial carving in soft material, to a stunning piece of gold, platinum or silver jewelry. ArtCarved® is one of the most respected names in jewelry today, and we can see why. The pictures below show you the initial carvings and the finished product.



It was great to see our fellow licensees at the Jamboree. Make sure to check them out on Facebook too:

• Silver creek Leather Co. Facebook Page
• ArtCarved® Facebook Page
• ClassB Facebook Page

And for more information on BSA Licensing, check out their website here.

As we bring our coverage of the 2010 Jamboree to a close, you can bet we’ll be right back here covering the 2013 Jamboree from its new home in West Virginia. Thanks to all of you who have been following!

As the 2010 BSA Jamboree comes to a close and thousands of Scouts return home to share their experiences with their families, I think it’s safe to say that this year’s Jamboree was a huge success.

ClassB was proud to be able to send several of our employees to this year’s event. But what delighted us even more was the considerable amount of our T-shirts that we saw all over the campgrounds.

Every now and then we get to see our shirts in action when we visit campgrounds or gather with local troops, but seeing them on so many Scouts of every age and from every corner of the world got us truly excited. It made us feel like we were actually a part of the Jamboree experience. As our CEO, Eric Hilferding said in a previous post, “I walked away from this year’s Jamboree feeling like ClassB was a part of the Scouting movement, and I really want to thank our customers.”

Thank you so much to our dedicated and loyal customers and supporters! We know that we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.

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Even in the pouring rain!

It’s nice to see many aspects of the Jamboree haven’t changed since I attended as a scout many Jamboree’s ago. Just looking around you could tell that the Scouts were still having a great time, you could see it in their faces. They had been there for days tolerating the heat and dodging torrential rainstorms – and they were all still smiling.





The Jamboree spirit of pride, fellowship and common loyalty is just as alive today as it always has been.

Many of the Scouts still traded patches on a makeshift trading table, a towel or blanket, by the side of the trails, just as I had done. For those of you who have never experienced Jamboree patch trading, it’s just like the stock market, where the value of any particular patch changes day by day. Many of these “traders” are likely to be learning worthwhile lessons that will help them later in life.

The troop campsites had not changed at all, except that some of the tents seem to have gotten pretty high-tech. The gateways to each camp were an expression of the pride for each troop’s area, like the Utah troops having dinosaur and desert pioneer themes. Many troops had obviously put in a lot of time designing and building some very impressive gateways.

The lines at the concession stands were long, as I remember. If I had more time I would have waited in line for my Jamboree favorite of french fries with nacho cheese and jalapenos.

But it wasn’t all the same as I remember it. There were some things that were simply bigger and better than at previous Jamboree’s.

One thing was very new to me, and a welcome upgrade to the Jamboree experience. They had terrific 3G coverage from AT&T, so I was able to use my phone to navigate and write this post in the same spot where I used to lay my own patch trading blanket. The wireless coverage also alleviated the anxiety of many-a-parent, as the boys could call or text their parents every day.

Merit badge midway was moved to a much larger area, closer to the visitors point of entry. This gave every merit badge the extra room needed to really do a good job instructing the Scouts.

I also thought that the Venturing area was very impressive. In fact, most of the action areas were dramatically upgraded from my day. They had huge rappelling towers, mountain bike tracks and archery and shotgun ranges. Scouts were even snorkeling and learning scuba in many huge pools found throughout the Jamboree site.

It was great to find the Scouts having such a great time, knowing that they were all making memories that will last their entire lives. And while things may be a little bigger and a little better with each passing Jamboree, the core values and camaraderie remain the key, underlying qualities of the event.

The day was amazing! We saw scores of Scouts wearing shirts from ClassB. At one point I was trying to count as I walked through the crowd, but I gave up – the numbers were staggering! I stopped to talk to the first dozen or so and everyone was very pleased with their shirts. My t-shirt had our ClassB logo on it and many people recognized the company right away.









I walked away from this year’s Jamboree feeling like ClassB was a part of the Scouting movement, and I really want to thank our customers.

The Jamboree was very well run and I was hugely impressed just how much BSA had done for the event.

Our Vice President, Gregg Hilferding, who is also an Eagle Scout, has been a licensed amateur radio (also called HAM radio) operator for the last 15 years, so he was naturally drawn to the HAM radio area at the Jamboree. Here are some pictures and information that Gregg sent back to us.

If you’re looking for a hobby and you enjoy electronics and communications, then I think I have the perfect activity for you.

It’s called Amateur Radio and it’s really cool.

One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how HAM radio still has so many practical uses, even with today’s advanced technologies. And in some very critical times, amateur radio is actually much better equipped to handle and transmit information than any other method out there.

When the phone lines are down and the power is out, you can pretty much put everything else on hold. But with amateur radio, you can still communicate over a broad area and over very long distances. This makes amateur radio the perfect communication system in times of emergency or natural disaster.

This is an awesome advantage which I think is going to allow amateur radio to stick around for a very long time. It saves lives and helps people in times of need, and it is used to provide reliable communication for civil defense officials and the Red Cross.



Above left: ClassB CEO, Eric Hilferding with a tornado spotter truck, which utilizes HAM radio to broadcast tornado warnings and locations. Above right: Scouts learning about HAM radio and watching actual operators.

But it is not just for times of disaster. It can be fun too!

The ARRL, the national association for amateur radio, is at the Jamboree this year offering licensing classes for Scouts to get their HAM Radio licenses right here at the Jamboree. The staff have been broadcasting on-site since July 26th and will continue until August 4th. And those who earn their licenses while they’re here (or bring them from home if they already have a license) can join right in and operate on the air.

Every year, Scouts who have earned their licenses can participate in a fun event called “Jamboree On The Air,” or JOTA. It is a worldwide event that usually lasts a couple of days. Scouts from all over the World talk to each other by way of amateur radio. They discuss scouting events, experiences and ideas all via the radio.

If you’re interested in learning about picking up amateur radio as a hobby, or if you want to find more information about it, check out the ARRL website today. You can learn all about it there.

Amateur radio is an awesome and interesting learning experience that I would definitely recommend to anyone. And from the looks on the Scouts faces here at the Jamboree, they love it too!

If you have experience with amateur radio, whether on the transmitting or receiving end, make sure to leave a comment and let us know what YOU think!

ClassB Artist, Rachel, who sent us this great story about Brownsea Island, also got the chance to visit the Armed Forces Adventure Area at the Jamboree.

According to Rachel, the U.S. military had a remarkably impressive exhibit area, where military personnel gave presentations and displayed some of their respective branch’s equipment. You could even challenge one of the soldiers to a push-up or sit-up competition (but Rachel respectfully declined).

Her favorite section was that of the National Guard, home of the BSA Patch Wall, which is actually two walls. The full US map was done in 2005 and had many of the patches we designed for the contingents. The second map they were currently putting together was being filled out as scouts came in with their patches to add to the wall for 2010.









“I took some pics of our home state of Florida and zeroed in on our closest council – our good friends from Gulf Ridge Council. I designed the Sheikra Busch Gardens patch for GRC. It was a cool thing to see some of my work represented on the wall from 5 years ago!”

After the patch wall, my favorite part of this exhibit was their incredibly cold tent AC during their presentation! After days in the heat, I’m sure the Scouts couldn’t get enough of it. The presentation, on the National Guard, was actually quite impressive and motivating.

The Coast Guard had a display area that was pretty neat as well. I stopped there to see an exhibit of some of their communications equipment. They also had thermal scopes you could look through which allow our soldiers to “see in the dark.” The quality of the thermal image was unbelievable.

Another interesting booth was about awareness of unexploded ordinance, well worth attending, since I have personally come across military rounds in the woods near my home and was not sure what to do with them. Now I know!









The U.S. Military is a formidable and awesome force to be reckoned with, and they put on a great exhibit this year at the Jamboree. I learned a TON about our Armed Forces and was very impressed by the entire area. I’m sure the boys loved it too.

Oh, and they were passing out free t-shirts, of course I couldn’t pass on one!

If you had the chance to visit the Armed Forces Adventure Area, let us know what you thought about it and leave a comment below.

As we go through our daily lives, we’ll usually come across something that we consider to be a hassle or that, because it happened to us, is unfortunate or just plain unlucky. And we all know that sometimes those little things can add up to one pretty bad day.

But as we get home and settle into our sofa and start watching our favorite TV show, it gets very easy to forget that even though we had a bad day, there are millions of other people in the world who would have given anything to experience the rotten day that we just had.

Able-bodied people take things for granted all the time that others would consider a blessing to be able to do without the aid of a special tool or the help of someone else.

Just last weekend I went to dinner and a movie. I can only imagine how difficult it would have been if I was confined to a wheelchair or was unable to speak. These things that we consider simple and easy can be monumental tasks for those with disabilities.

And that is exactly what the Disabilities Awareness section of the Jamboree teaches the Scouts and Jamboree visitors. One of our Customer Service experts, Missy, was there and experienced some the challenging (but fun) activities, and here’s what she told us about the experience. ___________________________________________________________________________________ They had 18 different challenges to participate in. They were playing basketball from wheelchairs, doing archery from a wheelchair (and you had to load the bow and arrow with one hand!) Scouts were walking on crutches while going through an obstacle course of tires and barrels to get over. One of the challenges showed the difficulty of getting a wheelchair up and down a curb. They even had scouts bowling from wheelchairs. They also had braille compass reading and basic sign language, and there was a course that had to be navigated while the boys wore glasses they could not see out of and could only use a walking-cane to guide their way. The challenges were done respectfully, and I felt that the boys actually got a good understanding of what it would be like to be in a wheelchair, or blind or disabled in any other way. A lot was there to be learned. There are many different types of disabilities too…its not limited to physical conditions. Some people are blind or deaf, some people were born with a congenital disease like Muscular Dystrophy, some people have learning disabilities, psychiatric issues or speech/language problems. The focus of Disability Awareness is not simply to teach people about disabilities, but how to communicate and empathize with those who have them. Like I said above, it’s easy to forget about those with disabilities if it is not present in your life, but when you do come across someone with a disability, it is important that you treat them with respect and allow them to maintain their dignity. They are human just like you – and they deserve the respect that you would give anyone else. Remember that tomorrow, you could be the one with the disability. ___________________________________________________________________________________ In addition to giving those with disabilities fair and respectful treatment, education is perhaps the most important thing we need right now to get the word out about those with disabilities. If you have the time and wish to help spread the word, you can visit Disability.gov to see how you can help. Please leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

Brownsea Island is the historical location of the very first Scout camp conducted by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907.

One of our talented artists, Rachel, is at the Jamboree and was able to do a little time traveling! Here’s what she experienced at Jambo’s Brownsea Island Camp.

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It’s crazy to think that just 50 years ago there was no such thing as the Internet, no cell phones, no IPads or mp3 players. These were nothing but fantasies – if they were even thought of at all!

In today’s world, all these things are looked at as, well…ordinary. AT&T has even set up wireless Internet stations around the camp for those of us who need to get our technology fix.

Given today’s amazing technology and the ability to connect with others anywhere on the planet in an instant, it’s almost impossible to believe that there used to be no Internet…no wireless connections…no email.

But thanks to the excursion I participated in today, I know what it was like to be without all of that technological stuff – to live in the early 1900’s and visit the first ever scouting camp at Brownsea Island.

The sign above the entrance to the Brownsea Island exhibit reads: “Brownsea Island Ferry” (Brownsea Island is only accessible by boat or ferry). As we walked in, a young man in period clothes and a British accent respectfully asks everyone who enters to “ring the bell to the right” as you enter a re-creation of what was the first boy scout camp set up in 1907 by Robert-Baden Powell.

All the actors stayed in character the whole time and really felt as if you were walking into Scouting’s past.









Set up on the right was a plywood cutout of a whale and boys had the chance to try out their harpooning skills. They also had a basketball hoop, ball toss game and a classroom where scouts learned about the different flags and their symbolism.

There were actors there who played the parts of Charles and Florence van Raalte who bought the island in 1901. They allowed Baden Powell to use the property to hold the first scout camp. I spoke with the actress who played Florence van Raalte who was a kind enough to offer me some water from a glass pitcher and she showed me some of the drawings she was working on of the castle where she lived nearby.





The actor playing Robert-Baden Powell began blowing a kudu horn, signaling the start of the camp. The greater kudu is a woodland antelope and he captured one during the Matabele campaign in Zimbabwe.

It was very interesting seeing first hand how things were, and how the Scouts passed their time back in the early 1900’s. But the time travel came to an end as the day quickly drew to a close. It was back to 2010 and the end of another great day at the Jamboree.

As we hopped into the van and rode back to the hotel, I started getting the urge to check my cell phone messages and my Facebook account, wondering where technology would be in another 20 years.

But then I started thinking about those kids on Brownsea Island. Wow, what a difference 100 years has made.

It kind of puts a dropped cell phone call into perspective, huh?

Make sure and leave a comment below and tell us what you think!

April, one of our ClassB representatives, has spent a lot of time in the Conservation area at the Jamboree. Earlier we posted a great story she wrote about the “Leave No Trace” program. Today, she learned about another great program that the Scouts can participate in called Conservation Good Turn.

Here are some more great pictures from the Jamboree along with what April has learned about Conservation Good Turn.

Conservation Good Turn

Another popular conservation program is called Conservation Good Turn. This program not only allows Scouts of all ages and populations to help conserve our planet’s natural resources, it also allows them to help spread the word to their local communities. Here’s how it works. The Scouting Unit locates and contacts a local Environmental or Conservation Agency. They let the agency know that they want to carry out a “Good Turn” project. The agency then finds a local project that the Scouts can do. Working together, they set up all the details and complete the project. These local agencies usually have a long list of projects for those wishing to perform a “Good Turn.” Some examples include:

• Organizing a Recycling program for the local community
• Create a Natural Resource Conservation Awareness Program for the local community
• Plant trees, grass, plants and shrubs to help prevent soil erosion
• Arrange a beach or lakeside cleanup to support the natural wildlife
• Adopt a park, road or highway to keep clean and free of litter

The Scouts are always finding new ways (and continuing with the documented, proven ways) to help conserve energy, forests, soil, water, fish and wildlife. There is even anawards program for individual Scouts, teams and/or adults who have contributed to conservation efforts and have met specific goals and requirements for the awards.



The idea of conservation is alive and well all over the Jamboree grounds. You can see it everywhere – and it’s contagious. Hopefully one day, the entire world will see, understand and participate in conserving our natural resources and our lands.

What The Future Holds

More needs to be done and more people need to be doing it. If we want to conserve our natural resources for future generations, then conservation efforts and education need to be stepped up.

ClassB is a strong advocate for Recycling and Conserving our resources. Our Eco-T program is thriving and, 6 months ago, we started a new paper recycling campaign that has also been a complete success so far.

We even brought in a Greenfiber recycling dumpster and encourage local residents and businesses to help us recycle. And inside our building, our employees have made it a personal mission to recycle every possible item they can.

We are also involved in a tree planting project to help rebuild the habitats at Scout camps across the country that have been damaged by hurricanes and wildfires.

Have you ever done a Conservation “Good Turn” or know somebody who has? Are you doing your part to help conserve our natural resources? We want to hear about it. Leave a comment below and let us know all about it!

As you know, ClassB has several representatives visiting the Jamboree this year. Although they are having a great time, it has been a little hot in the Virginia hills.

Well, today they got a little break from the heat – a solid downpour, courtesy Mother Nature. Fortunately one of our reps had the camera and snapped a few pictures to share with us in this picture post.

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At first it was just a light rainshower:

But then it got pretty heavy!

But one thing we’ve definitely learned while we’ve been here is that Scouts can be VERY resourceful!

Then the rain stopped and we captured this beautiful sight…

And it was right back to business!

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Keep checking back because we have a lot more pictures, stories and awesome Jamboree coverage on the way. Make sure to bookmark this page We’re bringing you daily coverage of the many different events at the 2010 BSA Jamboree. So much more to come!

For as long as I can remember, the Boy Scouts have been advocates for the conservation of our natural resources. And it is apparently as strong today as it ever has been.
Conservation is a big topic here at the Jamboree, and today April, our executive assistant, got the chance to visit the Conservation Center and learn more about how we can all help to conserve our natural resources.

Leave No Trace

Today I learned a lot about a program called “Leave No Trace.” Leave No Trace is a worldwide, not-for-profit organization dedicated to teaching people how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly, for the benefit of all people and the natural environment.

At the Jamboree, Leave No Trace has a large area set up which showcases several different ways that Scouts can help the environment by leaving no trace. Things like how and when to build a safe campfire, how to store greywater and dispose of it properly later at home, and how to ward of critters in an eco-friendly manner.

Here are some other things they suggest:

• Stay on trails and do not damage the local vegetation.
• Use a coffee mug instead of paper cups or Styrofoam.
• Respect wildlife (a fed animal is a dead animal).
• Shut off electronics at night and when not in use.
• Keep and use reusable shopping bags.

“Leave No Trace” Links: Official LNT Website | LNT Blog | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

If you’re interested in joining the Leave No Trace mission, click on one of the links just above and get started now.



Agata and her husband Jason have traveled over 33,000 mi. and they give around 20 presentations every month. They have about 500 partners right now and are increasing their numbers as the Jambo continues.

Thanks April – great story. Hope you’re having an awesome time!

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If you want to find out more about what ClassB is doing to help our environment, check out our Eco-T Roadmap. We’re very serious about conserving our resources and helping our environment. Make sure to bookmark this page now, because April is sending in an additional story about another great conservation program that we will be posting a little bit later.