Navigating the Summer Camp Business Landscape

Connor McCarthy and Caroline Matthews are not only a married couple and new parents, but they’re also funded searchers turned co-CEOs at Canyonlands Camps. The outdoor recreation industry is little explored in the world of search and their ETA journey is also distinct in that, through the acquisition of summer camps and travel programs, they’ve taken ownership of business-to-consumer businesses, which constitute only a minority of search targets. In this conversation, the pair reflect on the experiences of buying and then operating businesses with a spouse; how they approached investors with their unique thesis; the characteristics that they look for in acquisition opportunities; and the extra complexities involved in the buyer-seller relationship, particularly in cases where multiple generations of one family have been involved in camp operations. They also share steps they’re taking to upgrade facilities and professionalize their camps; how they’re thinking about repeat customers and the progression of programming; along with thoughts on the advantages that have now come with being preferred buyers in the space, ones with a reputation of honoring family legacies. This is an episode about human relationships in ETA, and listeners will learn a great deal from the journey that Connor and Caroline are on.