The Official ClassB Blog

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 an awards 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 or subscribe to our feed. 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, or subscribe to our feed because April is sending in an additional story about another great conservation program that we will be posting a little bit later.

Venturing is a Boy Scouts of America program in which young adults, both boys and girls, from the age of 13 to 21 can participate in activities that give them a positive and satisfying experience - all aimed at making them a more responsible, ethical and caring adult.

Venturing teaches the kids leadership skills, how to pursue their personal interests, grow and become upstanding members of society.

On Tuesday, Josie, one of our customer service representatives, visited the Venturing area at the Jamboree. There, she met up with a very intimidating rock climbing wall and a HUGE rappelling tower.

But Josie didn’t hesitate to give them a shot…

“Climbing on a rock, never done that before, very exciting and scary at the same time. After getting to the top, getting down was the next hard thing.

The next project was the Rappelling Tower. This was just ropes and clips - it was all up to me to make sure I got down safely. Rappelling wasn’t bad, I just could not look down!

Not only does this teach the Scouts balance, technique and the simple fact that rock climbing and rappelling are just plain fun, it teaches them several things that responsible adults need to master, like self-confidence, trust, communication and concentration.”

Way To Go Josie!

Venturing is a great way to give today’s young adults the ability to learn what they need to know for the future, so that they can avoid mistakes and use the experience to blossom into a courteous and responsible adult.

One of the most powerful tools used by the adult leaders in the venturing program is “ethical controversy.” These are controversial scenarios presented to the Venturers which force them to consider all risks involved and how it will affect others as they work toward a solution. This helps the young adults develop problem solving skills, empathy and consideration of others during the problem solving situations.

If you have children and they are interested in Scouting, or if you think they could benefit from Venturing, then this is a tremendous opportunity that you should present to them. There are Venturing organizations all over the country, so there is one close to you that is ready to welcome you into the program.

This is truly an opportunity of a lifetime - don’t let it slip by, your children deserve it! If you or someone you know has ever been involved in Venturing, please leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

The 2010 BSA Jamboree has been nothing short of amazing, and it’s only the first day! The 100th anniversary fever has hit Virginia and it’s highly contagious.

Not only are there tons of things to see and do here, there is electricity in the air and on the airwaves. Jamboree Radio, aka, The Eagle’s Voice, hit Virginia’s airwaves yesterday at 102.9 FM on the radio dial.

One of our artists, Robyn had the opportunity to visit the station today where she discovered what goes on behind the scenes at the production. Here’s what she had to say.

Running 24 hours a day, QBSA is heard throughout the Jamboree, across Eastern Virginia on FM radio and all over the world via their live Internet feed, providing music, news, weather, announcements, giveaways and on-air parties.

As has been done many times in the past, this year Scouts are allowed to sign up for a 15 minute time slot to make their radio broadcasting debut.

Because of the huge audience, they must participate in a “training station” before they go on air. The training gives the scouts a quick rundown on the specific radio terms they may be using, what is expected of them and what they can expect when they are on the air.

The station has a temporary license with the FCC, so they have to follow all of the regulations that are required by the FCC. When a Scout is on the radio, they are required to provide proper station identification, and are obviously not allowed to broadcast distasteful comments or songs.

They are also given a format to follow by the producers. They were required to pick three songs, do public service announcements, conduct an interview or do a skit, and give a “shout out” to their troop.

The experience has made for some very interesting radio!

Thanks Robyn!

If you live anywhere around Ft. AP Hill, Virginia, try finding “The Eagle’s Voice” on your radio at 102.9 FM. If you can’t get it, or you live anywhere else in the world, you can listen to QBSA 24 hours a day via their Internet feed. You can find a link and more information here, or check out the QBSA Facebook page. Or, if you operate an Amateur Radio, you can find that information here.

ClassB is at the Jamboree! Make sure to bookmark this page now, or subscribe to our feed because we’ll be bringing you lots more over the next several days!

Have you had a chance to listen to Jamboree Radio yet? We love it, but we want to know what you think too! Let us know in the comments section.

Similar to last year, this summer proved to be another record-breaker for ClassB. As we continued shattering previous records for in-house orders, our employees didn’t skip a beat. Early mornings, late nights and weekend work was the norm as they delivered order after order, on time and complete!

We appreciate, so much, the dedication and hard work that our employees give us every day. Family Fun Day is one of the ways we want to give back to our staff and their families, by taking a break as a company and spending some relaxing time together.

On Saturday, July 17th, ClassB held its very first Family Fun Day Event at Busch Gardens in Tampa for all of our employees and their families.

Admission to the park was free for all attendees and lunch was provided, free of charge, at the Gwazi Pavilion. We were all met at the front door by one of Busch Gardens’ Ambassadors, a beautiful Pink Flamingo that we were all able to meet, pet and get a picture with.

As we all sat down for lunch, we were able to “meet and greet” with our co-workers and their families. There were lots of fun food choices and a frozen dessert to help cool us off.

Then it was “everyone for themselves,” as we all headed out into the Florida sun. We had the rest of the day to enjoy the African themed wildlife areas and take on the awesome thrill rides and roller coasters that Bush Gardens is famous for.

Our Family Fun Day T-shirts

Of course, being a T-shirt company, we wanted to design and print custom T-shirts for our group. The actual design we used can be seen in the photos below, or in this post where we explain how to distribute custom T-shirts to multiple people.

We followed the guidelines in that post and every single shirt made it to the right person!

More ClassB Family Fun Day Photos (click to view larger image):

Above all, this day was about getting our employees and their families together to spend some quality, relaxing and enjoyable time together.

We succeeded.

Our first ClassB Family Fun Day was a huge success. Everyone had a great time and was able to create memories that will last a lifetime.

ClassB has been officially recognized as number 32 in the list of the Tampa Bay area’s 50 fastest growing companies!

On Thursday, the Tampa Bay Business Journal held the reputable event in Tampa, where ClassB was awarded the number 32 position. President and CEO, Eric Hilferding attended the annual awards banquet held by the Tampa Bay Business Journal and proudly accepted the prestigious award. Every year, the Tampa Bay Business Journal recognizes and ranks the area’s fastest growing companies based on the percentage of revenue growth from the previous three years, and we hope to make the list again next year.

It’s All About Our Customer

ClassB has experienced steady and solid growth over the last several years and continues to gain momentum by strategically expanding its customer base and client partnerships.

We firmly believe that our growth has been the direct result of our extraordinary customer service, quality-focused employees and an overall exceptional customer experience. ClassB has always provided unsurpassed customer service along with cutting-edge graphic T-shirt design. And now the Tampa Bay area business community knows it too!

Our responsible and highly talented staff is what makes us successful. They thoroughly take to heart our ethical standards, eco-friendly practices, quality control guidelines and the idea that our customers deserve the treatment that we would want for ourselves. These are the things that ClassB stands for.

Our focus, simply put, is on creating a happy customer. And we’re so convinced that our customers are genuinely happy, that we publish all customer testimonials right on the front page of our website.

Above all, we know that without our dedicated and loyal customers, we would not have received this distinguished award. Without our customers, there would be no ClassB. So thank you all so very much. Your support has been nothing short of outstanding.

Added 7/27/2010: Link to official event photos and information.

It’s big. It’s exciting. It’s coming soon.

And ClassB is going to be there!

The 2010 National Scout Jamboree will soon be underway at Ft. A.P. Hill in Virginia and this year’s event is being touted as the best, most exciting and fun-filled Jamboree ever.

And for the very first time, we are going to be sending some of our ClassB team members to the event to participate in many of the interesting and educational visitor activities. Because of our long history with the Boy Scouts of America, ClassB is very excited and extremely proud to be sending several of our team members to such a celebrated and storied event.

Not only will these lucky team members be experiencing the scouting event of a lifetime, they are going to be sharing it with all of us! Beginning July 27th, and lasting until August 2nd, we will be bringing you daily blog updates from our on-site team.

Each day, a different team member will be reporting back with what should certainly be an interesting and enlightening story about the specific visitor event they participated in that day. These stories will be posted right here on the blog, so make sure to bookmark this page now, or subscribe to our feed.

We know that not everyone can make it to the Jamboree. So if you are one of those who are not fortunate enough to get to this year’s event, we are honored to share our experiences and bring at least a small part of it to you.

Here’s a list of the visitor events that our team members will be attending and reporting back to us on:

• The Armed Forces Adventure Area Gives the visitors a chance to learn more about the different branches of the United States Armed Forces.
• Conservation A hands-on experience based on the latest in environmental protection and conserving our world’s natural resources.
• Venturing A complete overview of the Venturing program. Helping young men and women become responsible and caring adults.
• Brownsea Island A realistic representation of the very first boy scout camp on Brownsea Island in 1907. Complete with early 20th century games, activities and attire!
• Disabilities Awareness Participants go through a myriad of difficult situations and scenarios. Meant to dispel disability misconceptions and bring awareness of the daily challenges to those without disabilities.
• Amateur (Ham) Radio Participants will learn everything there is to know about the history of the Ham Radio as well as how to operate and service the amateur radio.

We can’t wait to pack our bags and get up there! This is sure to be one amazing experience for all of us. Make sure to come back and check out the stories and information we’re going to share from this year’s event.

Are you going to the Jamboree this year? Leave a comment below and let us know where you’ll be!

This weekend, ClassB is having its first ever Family Fun Day at Busch Gardens in Tampa.

Being a T-shirt company, we obviously wanted to design and create custom T-shirts for our employees and their families to wear while attending the event. The actual design we used can be seen in the picture to the right. Another great job by our artists!

But what we wanted to talk about here, is exactly how we handled the shirts once we received the final product from our production staff.

Even though we are right here in the same building, we received the shirts just like you would receive them if we shipped them to you.

With so many shirts to keep track of and distribute, we needed to keep things as organized as possible. So we decided to do just what we suggest our customers do. And it worked great.

Unpacking Tips

When you open the box, you will see an invoice and another slip of paper that says “NOTICE” at the top. Make sure to read the notice and follow the instructions closely.

Here is what you will need to do to assure everyone gets the correct shirt:

1. Carefully count all shirts, by size, to make sure that your entire order is complete and accurate.
2. Using your sign-up sheet, place each shirt in a bag and write the name of the recipient on the bag. One bag per recipient. If there is more than one garment per recipient, place them all in the same bag.
3. If you wish to add anything else for each recipient (tickets, candy, etc…), do it now.
4. At the time of distribution to each recipient, only allow one person to hand out the bags.
5. Have everyone double-check their bags as soon as they receive them.
6. Finally, do not give away any extra shirts, exchange for different sizes or modify the shirts in any way until every shirt has been distributed and has been accounted for.

Distributing the custom shirts for your event can be exciting, and people are going to want their shirts right away. But if you’re not careful, you can really cause a big mess.

Following these simple 6 tips will have each shirt in the hands of the right person and will save you the time of trying to sort out discrepancies later.

Good luck with your event!