This week, we're sitting down with William Bryant. William is the scout executive CEO for the Mobile Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and has established himself in the Mobile community after being here for only 4 months. Listen to this week's episode to hear his story and his perspective on why you need to remain a student of your own business.
Produced by Blue Fish in Mobile, Alabama
Transcript:
William Bryant: My name is William Bryant. I'm the new Scout Executive CEO for the Mobile Area Council, Boy Scouts of America.
Marcus Neto: Awesome, William. Well, it is awesome to have you on the podcast.
William Bryant: Thank you.
Marcus Neto: We just recently met, right?
William Bryant: Exactly. You just recently became a new board member on our board.
Marcus Neto: Yeah. I'm very excited about being on the board for the Boy Scouts ... Or for the Scouts, rather. I'm sorry. It's going to take me a while to undo that.
William Bryant: It's still the Boy Scouts of America.
Marcus Neto: It is?
William Bryant: Yeah.
Marcus Neto: But I am very excited about that opportunity, so I appreciate you guys bringing me on. But let's talk. This podcast is about you. I will interject some colorful commentary occasionally, but let's hear about who you are. Tell us the story of William. Where are you from? Where'd you go to high school? Where'd you go to college? Married? All the backstory stuff.
William Bryant: Great. So I'm getting married November 10th in Miami, Florida.
Marcus Neto: Nice.
William Bryant: So that's coming up very soon. But I'm from Atlanta, Georgia. I went to North Atlanta School of the Arts. I play the saxophone. I then went on to Grambling State University, and I was in a band, and SGA, and things of that nature. Then I started my ... I did two internships. One with the Governor Internship Program of Georgia, which I was a marketing intern with the center called the Outdoor Activity Center, which is probably best interns I had, as far as helping with their marketing plan and designing some of their gift shop things and things like that. Then the second intern I have was with the Olympics. So I actually-
Marcus Neto: That's it? You couldn't aim any higher than that?
William Bryant: So the summer of 96 I was an intern in the marketing and retail department with the Olympics. Then after the internship was over, I went back to summer school. When I came back I actually worked the Games. And so that was so, so exciting.
Marcus Neto: When was that? I'm losing the year.
William Bryant: So that was in 1996. That was the last weekend, the first two weeks of August of 1996.
Marcus Neto: Nice. Man, I can't even imagine what that experience was like because as a marketing professional, like you know, the Olympics is such a huge event, to think of all the moving parts that go along with that would just be very exciting. I can't, I just can't even imagine.
William Bryant: Yeah, it was awesome. I mean, I got an opportunity to go to the opening ceremony and also the closing ceremony. It was just amazing. Amazing.
Marcus Neto: Yeah. So what else is in your backstory? I mean, so you did the internship at the Olympics and then what happened?
William Bryant: So then after that I got offered a job with the Atlanta Glory, that's the women professional basketball team. So I have a great marketing director. I was a marketing coordinator, traveling with the team and then games, doing marketing of the games. But unfortunately the Atlanta Glory went under. But before they went under my marketing director, like, "You need to stop, put your resume out." And so the Boy Scouts just kept calling me. I was like, I know I didn't apply to the Boy Scouts because I just, I didn't know you could work for a nonprofit. Just didn't know. So I finally called back.
Marcus Neto: It's all volunteers.
William Bryant: Exactly.
Marcus Neto: We don't have any employees.
William Bryant: Exactly. And so I finally called back and they was like, you put your resume in. We had it on a marketing executive and after six interviews because Atlanta Area Council is very strenuous. And I was offered the position and have a awesome time. I was there for 14 years. Really sat in every seat from a District Executive. Then I got my own team as a Field Director. Then I went to the development side and that's when I really started to shine. I love raising money. And-
Marcus Neto: You are a weird person.
William Bryant: Yeah.
Marcus Neto: I just established that.
William Bryant: Because it's all about relationships. It's all about relationships. And that's one thing that my first CEO told me is that people give to people, not to organizations. If you believe that, you will have a great career in Scouting, but in a nonprofit and that's what I've been doing. So I, over the last 16, 17 years I've been in Scouting, a nonprofit arena, I've raised over $200 million dollars. So of in kind, also cash as well.
Marcus Neto: Nice. Now I think that's something that a lot of people don't realize is just how much effort a nonprofit spends on trying to raise funds. So they think and even churches to a certain extent, right? So they think that if you're an environmental group, then all you're doing is going out and picking up trash along the shore line and helping the oyster beds and stuff like that. The reality is a good portion of money is spent on getting more money in.
William Bryant: Correct.
Marcus Neto: So that those efforts can be maintained. And so, I mean I'm keenly aware on what the situation is with the Scouts and just how much money is needed in order to keep the operations going and the camp and all the things that go into that. And yeah, I mean you're not, you're not alone in that. All nonprofits are dealing with that.
William Bryant: Correct. Our motto is no money, no programs. And we want to have more programs and we got to raise more money and you have to be inspired to raise money. And that's one thing about working for Scouting that you can be inspired. Because one of the things when I was in Atlanta is sometimes like I get out... Because you're going to get a plethora of Nos before you get a Yes. It's just, that's just the nature of the beast. But what gets you inspired and regenerated is to see where the need is. So I can go out and meet, I can go out and see a unit that if it weren't for the funds that we're raising, they wouldn't have uniforms or program specialists who provide the program and that refuels me. And so that's one thing about, I love about working for the Boy Scouts, is that whenever I may be depressed about, "We get all these Nos. Why can't I get a Yes?" I can go out and see why we need a Yes. And then that refuel you as well.
Marcus Neto: Yeah, no, I mean, so I always say that churches and nonprofits are businesses.
William Bryant: Correct.
Marcus Neto: They have something that they sell. It just so happens that what they're selling is really good. I mean it's like it's either, if it's a church, you're selling the message and the beliefs in the programs and stuff like that. If you're a nonprofit, then you're selling the experiences and all the activities and stuff like that. They go along. Or at least with the Scouts, if you're as saying, like a Prodisee Pantry if you're... Because we do work with Prodisee Pantry and they're selling the idea that we're feeding families, like 1800 families or something like that, a year or something like that.
Marcus Neto: If you're an environmental group, then you're selling, the story of cleaner water and better air and all that stuff. And so, it's just I think, you seem to have grasped that, but I think a lot of executive directors go into that position and they don't realize that. They still are stuck in scientist mode or pastor mode or whatever it is that their title is and nothing... They don't realize that a good majority of their efforts need to go into fundraising, because that's how they get to do all the things that they do.
William Bryant: Correct.
Marcus Neto: Well, tell me. Go back and not your first internship, but your first job. I'm talking flipping Burgers, delivering newspapers, whatever. Do you remember what it was?
William Bryant: Yeah, I mean, it's so funny. So my parents, I'm an only child so my parents didn't let me have a job when I was in high school, which is kind of crazy.
Marcus Neto: What's up with that, man?
William Bryant: But I always volunteered at different places and things like that. So in Atlanta Public Schools, you had to complete at least 75 to a 100 hours to graduate. So I had many of my classmates did not graduate, because they didn't complete their community service hours. But however, over the summer they did. But so, but my first job, it was at Grambling State University as a student worker. So I worked in the Office of Admission. I did tours of the university. And I think that's how I gained a more aspiration and love for my university by giving tours, encouraging high school students to come to Grambling to study in whatever field they want to study in. And I tell you, I came in as a 17 year old boy and walked out a 21 year old man. And so I had a great experience, but it's all through Grambling. That's where I got my internships, why I got my student working. And so that was my first job.
Marcus Neto: Well, do you... I mean do you remember any of the lessons that you learned from that experience working in the Admissions Department? Like, what was one thing that you remember like, "Okay, I carry this with me to this day."
William Bryant: Yeah. So one thing is the director always said, "Learn something new. Whatever you do, learn something new." So I learned the process of how they accept students. What are some of the things that you need to be included on your resume and your application? It's great you have a great GPA and you'd been athletics and things like that. But what have you done outside of school? Were you part of maybe Jack and Jill, maybe other organizations that you could put on your resume. Were you an Eagle Scout? Were you in Scouting and things of that nature?
Marcus Neto: So pause for just a second. You're the director of this area's Scouts.
William Bryant: Correct.
Marcus Neto: Tell me what you told me when we first met. Are you an Eagle Scout?
William Bryant: I'm not.
Marcus Neto: Okay. And so, and I think a lot of people go... We're going back and taking a step back folks. I'm sorry. But we're going back to the discussion about being the director of a nonprofit which you are in this area. I think a lot of people think that you would have had to gone through all of the experiences and be the Eagle Scout and stuff.
William Bryant: Exactly. So I was a Cub Scout for a year and so majority of scouting professionals are not Eagle Scouts. Many are, but majority are not. And the issue is that many times... So what I have seen over the years that we may recruit and also hire Eagle Scouts and then after maybe two to three months, because they are under the impression that, "Hey, I'm going to go camping. This is what I love as a child. I'm an eagle scout." And then they realize that, "Oh wow, this is a business. I have goals. I have benchmarks. I have to raise X amount of money. Start a new program."
Marcus Neto: Sales.
William Bryant: It's a sales position. Right? And so sometime they cannot relate. Many can, but many cannot because they loved it as a child. This was their... This is what they did. This is who they are. And so they end up quitting. Many of them end up quitting. But I tell you that Scouting is very rewarding. But we have many... Our National CEO is an Eagle Scout. Our National COO is an Eagle Scout. Actually the whole cabinet are Eagle Scouts, to be quite honestly. But however, many of them, many CEOs across the country are not Eagle Scouts. So it's not a requirement to be in Scouting or to be an Eagle Scout.
Marcus Neto: I just thought that was something worth mentioning. I thought it was very interesting. Now how I parlay that into our audiences, that what I think a majority of nonprofits need to do is find somebody that is business-minded and that isn't afraid of selling. And then have people under them that maybe are experts in whatever the topic is.
William Bryant: Correct.
Marcus Neto: Because I think the model that you are a part of works. And I see so many nonprofits that struggle because they just can't get that mindset of, "This is a business. I need to run it like a business." And then the business will allow this other feel good operation to run. So that's it. I just wanted to let... I just wanted to go back to that, because I thought it was very important. So now do you remember the first... And this doesn't... I'm going to try to make this apply. I usually ask, do you remember the first time that you made a sale in whatever business this person is in that made you think there might be something to this? But I just go back to, do you remember the process that you went through in thinking about becoming a leader in the Boy Scouts organization? Like what were you thinking when you-.
William Bryant: Yeah, I will say when I realized that this probably is a career for me. So my first promotion from a District Executive to a Senior District Executive was in the South Fulton area, which is the outskirts of Atlanta. So it's the all the southern part. So you have College Park, East Point, Union City, Fairburn, Palmetto, Georgia, so south Fulton County. And so when I got the position, the executive who had left... You're supposed to have a close-out report. I got one sheet of paper. The first page had all the units that was on the front page and on the back page was just the names of different key volunteers. That was it. There's nothing else. And so, and I realized that I have a finance goal. I mean a fundraising goal, I have to recruit X amount of kids and it's just me. So we had a plethora of schools and I had X amount of money to raise.
William Bryant: And so when I was doing my research, so Chick-fil-A headquarters-
Marcus Neto: Nice.
William Bryant: Is in my district. And so at the time the president was on our board. Jimmy Collins was on our board. He's now retired and I call him out of the blue and was like, "Mr. Collins." I left him a message. "Mr. Collins, I'm the new executive for this area. You are in my area. I want to see if I can come out and meet with you." He actually called back. And so two weeks later, I went to go meet with him. I told him what I need. I said, you're the only Fortune 100 Company in my area. This is some of the things I need. I need a volunteer or a corporate level volunteer from Chick-fil-A to help in the district. He said, "William, give me two weeks."
William Bryant: And so he called me back and so I met a gentleman named Tim Tassopoulos. So Tim was a young up and coming executive. He was the VP Operations at the time. And so throughout the years, Chick-fil-A was so supportive of the district, but also of Scouting in general. And so Tim was our fundraising chair. Then he got on the board of Atlanta Area Council. Both of his kids now Eagle Scouts. And now Tim is now the president and COO of Chick-fil-A in Atlanta.
William Bryant: And so, and that's when I knew that having talked to people of these caliber and not being afraid to talk to anybody, I said, "This may be something for me." And I had that instant success.
Marcus Neto: If you can shake down Chick-fil-A.
William Bryant: Yeah. So I-
Marcus Neto: Give me all your money. Give me your time.
William Bryant: I am an advocate for... I mean because they have done a lot, not only for my personal growth, but also for the success of what we have had as well.
Marcus Neto: Yeah. Now that's really... That's a very cool story. So now if you were talking to someone that wanted to get started in running their own business, what's the one bit of wisdom that you would impart to them?
William Bryant: One is that make sure you have goals and objectives. Number two, make sure that you have enough funding, because without funding you can't do it. And then also you have to sell. You got to sell yourself. One, you got to sell yourself. It's not... A lot of times when I go out and meet people, I'm not selling Scouting because they know the brand. I'm selling myself. I can remember when I first got here, I met with a lot of people. My first two months still meet with a lot of people as well. But one of our major donors was like... Because I would ask him to renew his gift and he was like, "William, well I'm going to watch you for a month just to see are you say what you're going to do? Are you transparent as you say you are?" And then after a month, sure enough, his check came in. It was double the amount what he gave last year-
Marcus Neto: Nice.
William Bryant: And said, "I like what you're doing." And so that... You just have to prove yourself as well.
Marcus Neto: Yeah. Like you said earlier, people give to people, not organizations.
William Bryant: Correct.
Marcus Neto: What goals would you suggest somebody looks to or sets? Is it just financial or like revenue type goals? What else would you-
William Bryant: So you've got to have financial goals. You got to have benchmarks for sales. So like in Scouting, I have to continue to grow Scouting, so continue to prospect new units. So as far as churches, boys and girls clubs, YMCAs or whatever that may be. But also one of the things that we are growing in, especially in Mobile Area Council, is Exploring. So Exploring is our Workforce Development Program. Many people don't even know we have Exploring and just give opportunity to young people to expose them to different careers and some careers may say, "Hey, I liked this career." Or number two, like, "I thought I may like being in medicine, but I liked the sales side, the healthcare sales side more than I like actually being a doctor and things like that."
William Bryant: So knowing what your niche is and also knowing what you're selling, knowing your product. A lot of times when you get people that are getting ready to go in business and they don't know their product. They don't know what they're selling and they don't know how to expand something they don't know. Because I tell you, you're going to run into to... You have to always continue to be a student of your business. You always have to continue to research-
Marcus Neto: I wish we could like isolate that. You have to always be a student of your business and always research. Yeah. Because then I think a lot of people think that they get to a certain point and then they just, they stop learning about what it is that they do. And I... What I'm reading into what you're saying is that, that never stops.
William Bryant: Never.
Marcus Neto: There's always something to learn. And I would completely 100% agree with that. Like theirs as a business owner, there's always new things to learn, whether it's financial aspects or investment opportunities or how to negotiate agreements more, whatever the case may be. It doesn't have to be something technical because oftentimes as the business grows, you're off handing the technical aspects of the business, whether it's making cakes or building websites, you're offloading it to other people. But the actual operations and HR and all those things are things that you're just consistently learning about. So. All right.
Marcus Neto: So we're going back to the question that I was going to ask you, but who is the one person that motivates you from the business world? And I mean kind of the larger business world, not necessarily Mobile.
William Bryant: Wow, that's a great question. One person that motivated me is a gentleman by the name of Darrell Mays. So Darrell Mays is a former board member, the Atlanta Area Council. But we also gain a great friendship as well. And so by him starting working at a Fortune 500 Company, he started his own business and then sold his business for millions and then started another business. It just motivated me because he's just doing a lot of things for us business wise. But he also started a foundation that gives scholarships to students who are in foster care. And I can remember going to one of his first galas and now, and I went to the last one in January and it has grown tremendously. It's really the Who's Who of Atlanta in that at his gala every year. And it's all raising funds for scholarship, for foster kids to go to college and things of that nature. And then he has testimonials of kids coming back who have graduated and things like that. So I see him more of being that he's an astute businessman, but he's also a great philanthropist as well.
Marcus Neto: Is it safe to say that at some level your position has given you the ability to, not necessarily be mentored in the more traditional sense of somebody walking with you week by week or month by month or something, but that there's some level of mentorship that you're getting by knowing these people and knowing how they operate and stuff like that?
William Bryant: Oh definitely.
Marcus Neto: I just, I mean like I just, I love when I'm involved in things where there are people that are further along in business that I can then kind of just observe and see how they operate. Because going back to the whole, "You never finished learning about this stuff," it's very important to me to know that I'm looking at people that are more successful and that I'm observing what it is that they do, how they operate, how they conduct themselves. And I just, I think it's really cool that you had that opportunity because, yeah.
William Bryant: Yeah. And you need that. You need mentors and you need several mentors. Another great mentor of mind is a guy, a gentleman named Chris Womack who's with the Southern Company in Atlanta and he... One thing about mentors and people that want to help you genuinely is they ask, "What can I do for you?" Now from a development hat on... If I put my development hat and we ask that, "Okay, we need some more money."
Marcus Neto: Write some checks. Or get some friends writing checks.
William Bryant: But on the other end is that they generally want to see you grow. And I didn't understand that at first. Like, "Man, I don't know." Sometimes it's like... But you have to know what you need for someone. Can you continue to mentor me? Can you continue to expose me to different things and things of that nature? And if you see I'm doing something wrong, let me know. Call me out because you and I... Going back to your previous question, always you have to be a student of your business because if not, you can never think you know everything because you never don't, you don't. I mean being in this position for the last four months, board members have helped me tremendously from Jim Alexander to Ken Styron to Paul Rabame.
William Bryant: So all, I mean to everyone that have been so willing to give and also introduce me to different individuals as well, but also going out on my own and just to meet people. Going to different things and different events and just I don't mind being a new person because you're only going to be a new person for one year. After that year, you're here. And so just being, thinking outside the box a little bit.
Marcus Neto: Yeah, no it's, and it is extremely important. And I think the one thing that I would just point out, if you're listening to this podcast and you're a business owner and you're just kind of getting started, what I find is that a lot of new entrepreneurs or new business owners don't realize that they need mentors.
William Bryant: Oh, yes.
Marcus Neto: And when somebody says to you, "Hey, let me know if there's anything I can do to help you," don't just brush that off. Like, maybe use that as an opportunity. Maybe not right there at that moment, but maybe give them a week or two and then say call them up or email them and say, "Hey, remember when you said X? Well, listen. Is there any way that I can get an hour of your time once a month for like the next three or four months just to kind of bounce some ideas off of you?" Because I think people that are in a position of leadership don't mind sharing what it is that they've learned. As a matter of fact, they view that as their legacy, right? The amount of impact that they can have on other people is their legacy, and I would include myself in that.
Marcus Neto: I'm very keenly aware as I get older, like legacy is extremely important to me. And so, but I don't know, I mean it occurred to me like, because I know a number of folks that probably could use mentors and don't have them. I don't know what it is about people. Sometimes they think that they do know what it is that they need to do, and sometimes you need people to kind of poke holes in what it is that you're thinking. I have those people in my life, and sometimes it really hurts to hear what they have to say, but you know you need it.
William Bryant: You definitely need it. And then always remember. My mentors always telling me that I'm not going to be the one to call this up at the meeting. You're going to have to do that. So your mentor is there to support you, but you have to do the due diligence of doing your work yourself.
Marcus Neto: Yep, absolutely. Are there any books, podcasts, people or organizations that have been really helpful in moving you forward?
William Bryant: There's this one book that I probably read every six months.
Marcus Neto: Wow.
William Bryant: Because it's just that good and I always pick up something new. But it's called, Let's Go To Lunch. Let's Have Lunch Together. And it's about a gentleman who's actually passed. But it's all about reaching out to people in your network who can introduce you to people. And also it can be coffee, it can be lunch or whatever. Usually I do coffee, because I'm a coffee person. But however, it's all about lunch and having an agenda when you go to your lunch. And typically it's only 45 minutes to an hour, because that's the only thing you're going to get from a person. After that, they're in cloud zone. So-
Marcus Neto: It must be a really good book, because I just pulled it up on Amazon and it's currently selling for $39 for paperback. Probably worth it though.
William Bryant: It's definitely worth it. And I can share a copy with you. I have a couple at the office.
Marcus Neto: Yeah, I appreciate that. But there is something very powerful about just getting together and kind of building relationship with people, right? Because-
William Bryant: Correct.
Marcus Neto: And so one of the things that I have that I... You can back me up on this. One of the things that I've become keenly aware of is that your business success is directly tied to the network that you build.
William Bryant: Oh, most definitely.
Marcus Neto: And so I have done everything that I possibly can to build as strong and as wide a network as I possibly can. And so whether that's doing things like this where we're asking you to come on to a podcast. It costs you an hour of your time. You're not paying anything else. We're using that to reach an audience and share information with people. But we're not monetizing it. We're just giving it away. But I mean the relationships that we build through sitting and having this conversation has been very good over the years. But also all the nonprofits that I'm on the board for or the Chambers of Commerces that I go to or the BNI groups or whatever. It's all about building those relationships, building that network.
Marcus Neto: But I guess I would ask you, is there... What have you found? How do you go about building out your network? Like you are literally just landing in Mobile. How have you gone about building your network?
William Bryant: Well, I'll tell you the Mobile Area Council has been very forward thinking before I got here. So they knew that we had to be a part of the Mobile Chamber of Commerce and other Chambers as well. But Mobile Chamber of Commerce to North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce and the other Chamber of Commerce that we are part of. It's one thing to be a part, but another thing to be engaged. So when I go to the Executive Round Tables or the different networking events I go, but I also. So how I have met the companies that we have not been engaged with is through the Chamber events or just different events around town and just introducing myself and follow up. That's one thing that I think that set me apart from other colleagues around the country sometimes that I follow up. So if I meet you on Monday, by the end of the day you would have email in your mailbox and a thank you card saying, "Hey, it was great meeting you. Look forward to seeing you soon."
Marcus Neto: It's a lost art. I love it. People just go back and listen to the last 15, 30 seconds because most people don't do that. And it's amazing to me how impactful a thank you note, a handwritten thank you note can be. That's awesome. We do send out. Sometimes we send out packages and sometimes I'll send the email and I'm not consistent. And one of the things that I've really wanted to work on is being more consistent when I do have those meetings and just getting back to the person with something that's a little bit... Like I could send an email but that at times doesn't feel as personal as sending a letter or something along those lines. But I'm working on it. I'm still not there. So it's awesome that you pointed that out. What's the most important thing that you've learned about running an organization?
William Bryant: Be Transparent. I think when you... Sometimes if you come into the organization that was not as transparent before and when you become very transparent, have an open door policy and just be very frank with individuals, they're more keen to do more for you. Rome wasn't built in a day. You can't do it all in three months or six months or seven, sometime a year. It takes time. But as long as you still moving the needle and hitting your benchmark, you would get there. But also, especially for a nonprofit, you got to have great volunteers. I can tell you in Mobile Area Council, we have just as many volunteers as we have scouts as well. As far as the frontline volunteers that's working directly with the units. But also our board is very engaged. Jim Alexander, who's our board chair, we've gone from having 12 people come to a board meeting bi-monthly to over 30 bi-monthly. So-
Marcus Neto: Yeah, that's good.
William Bryant: And that's just the switch on how the meetings ran, being very transparent and giving the individual information that they need. So whenever they are confronted with different issues or what's going on in our program, they can talk frankly about it as well.
Marcus Neto: Yeah, that's awesome. Now how do you like to unwind?
William Bryant: How do I like to unwind? Um, my God. I love playing basketball. I'm a basketball fanatic, so I don't know-
Marcus Neto: How old are you now? Your knees aren't giving you trouble yet?
William Bryant: They are. They are. Believe me, they are.
Marcus Neto: Folks. I know how old he is. He's my age. And there's no way I'd be caught playing basketball.
William Bryant: I love playing basketball. I play at golf, so I go on it. So I plan so many and done so many golf tournaments that I typically just get on the driving range and just hit some balls and things like that. But now when I was at national office, I was able to play a little bit more and things like that. I still play the saxophone, so I plan to join the community band when I have time.
Marcus Neto: Good luck with that.
William Bryant: Yeah, exactly. They just split-
Marcus Neto: As a board member, I'm telling you, good luck with that.
William Bryant: And that's basically it. And spending time... I'm getting married in November.
Marcus Neto: Yeah. She live here?
William Bryant: No. She's staying in Atlanta.
Marcus Neto: Okay.
William Bryant: And she'd be moving here in March.
Marcus Neto: Very good.
William Bryant: And so, so she always tell me to take time for yourself.
Marcus Neto: Yep.
William Bryant: Relax.
Marcus Neto: Yes. She's a good woman.
William Bryant: Yeah. And I know when she get here, she going to be... I have to spend more time with her. I can't work these 90 hundred hours a week. So, but I'm looking forward to it though. Going to have a great wedding in Miami. And so looking forward to it.
Marcus Neto: That's awesome man. Well, tell people where they can find out more information about the scouts here in Mobile.
William Bryant: Yes. So Mobile Area Council, bsamac.org. How you can get involved, how you can get your son and daughter involved in scouting. Also how you can support our special events. We have two special events coming up. We have a golf tournament that's going to be in October 23rd, and our sporting clays event will be September 26. So all of that on the website and if you want to get a foursome, give us a call (251) 476-4600.
Marcus Neto: And I'm going to add, because I am on the board and I have been charged with helping the local Scout group with marketing and advertising and kind of getting word out, that if you are in marketing or advertising... So if you're a TV, executive or salesperson or if you're in radio or whatever, drop me an email. We're going to be looking for some folks to kind of round out, kind of a CMO board if you will. So a chief marketing officer board for the local Scouts. And really what we're looking for is just some people to give us some ideas and be able to bounce some ideas off of them and see what we might be able to put together for these guys. So my email is marcus@bluefishds.com. So if you want to be involved in that, just drop me a line.
Marcus Neto: Well, I want to thank you again for coming on the podcast. Wrap up. Any final thoughts or comments you'd like to share?
William Bryant: Well, Marcus, thanks for having me. It's been a pleasure. Once again, welcome to the Mobile Area Council Board of Directors.
Marcus Neto: Yes, sir.
William Bryant: We have a very diverse Boys force, individuals from all fashions of life and also different industries as well. So it's great to have you on the board, but it's one that as a new person to Mobile... So the Mobile area, we cover Washington, Clarke, Baldwin, and Mobile County as far as Scouting, but I'm happy to be here. I'm looking forward to meet everyone and continue to support us. Next year we're celebrating 100 years of scouting in Mobile Area Council. The Mobile Council was founded by the Mobile Chamber of Commerce in 1919 but was chartered in 1920, so this is a great time to be in scouting. Come help us celebrate our 100 year anniversary.
Marcus Neto: Yeah. Then more information will be put out as that kind of comes to a closer date. But yeah, I know there's some big things planned for the anniversary there, so. Well, William, I appreciate your willingness to sit with me and share your journey as an owner. Well, not know business owner, but as an organizational operator. How about that? It's been great talking with you.
William Bryant: Thank you. Marcus.
