Williams and Hall BWCA Crew

Around The Base

Nov 3

It Is Crew Recruitment Time

Over the years, (I love articles that start with that phrase because it implies that the author is more than likely old) some of the most common questions we receive are about the Williams and Hall crew.

How large a crew do we have?
Where do we find such great crew members?
How old do you have to be to work here? What is it like to spend a summer here on Moose Lake on the edge of the BWCA?

Since this is the time of year when we work hard on recruiting staff members for next summer, we thought it might be interesting to share a little about our crew, how we select them and how they help us during the summer months.

We Don’t Settle For Good, but Great Employees

In a prior life, I once attended a seminar on customer service and learned much to my surprise that one of the most highly trained group of employees at Disney World were the guys in white that go around picking up trash. Why? Because they were the most easily found and identified, and most approachable cast members to the guests at the park. To that end, Disney made sure that these members of their “cast” were top quality. So too, we realized long ago that all canoe outfitters had canoes and paddles.

If we wanted to distinguish ourselves, it would be by the way our crew served as our ambassadors. We are looking for the kind of young woman or man that will step up and do that little extra thing that will make a guest’s experience go from OK to great. The core value we teach our crew is “Why settle for good when great is an option?”

It goes without saying that early on we strapped our kids to the wheel and enlisted them to the cause. To their great credit, they helped us out more than they will ever know. We will always be grateful for their contributions. However, they are now all off on great careers of their own and that well has long gone dry.

Our Sources For Great Talent

We continue to need sailors to man the ship, so we search. Some of our top sources for talent include:

Young people that have been here on a Scout or church high adventure trip are probably our number one source of crew members over time.
Sometimes personal recommendations from one of our guests has led to a great crew member.
The local community college is a source of talent.
Across the country, there are several universities that have outdoor recreation programs that we have worked with.
We have provided internships for a number of students that have worked out well.

In the end, Williams and Hall crew members come from all across the country and all walks of life.

Applicant Qualities That Count

The number one requirement we have for our crew is that they love the outdoors and the wilderness. We are a long way from a shopping mall or a megaplex. If you are into video games and your “device,” it will be a very long summer.

Our crew members quickly find out that days are long and hard. It is definitely not hard to get a good night’s sleep up here. They perform all sorts of duties including

towboat driving
canoe and equipment cleaning and maintenance
housekeeping
food service
lawn care
and a million other jobs.

Crew Are Part of the Family

One of the big differences between Williams and Hall and other outfitters is that our crew members live on post during the season. As such, they truly become part of the family so to speak. This makes us very careful to find staff members that are a good fit and truly want to be here. The challenge for us is getting the crew to place the needs of our guests first and always work to make the quality of the guest’s experience the priority.

An Amazing Summer Job Opportunity

We look to bring on a crew of from 12 to 20 depending on our bookings and the projects we may have lined up for the season. We try to get some early staff that can arrive in May and some to stay with us into late September. Most arrive around Memorial Day and leave in late August.

If any of you know of that perfect guy or gal that is a hard worker and would like a summer work experience that is about as far from walking dogs, babysitting, or working at a fast food joint as there is; have them fill out a job application (https://www.williamsandhall.com/bwca-summer-employment) located on our website.

Click Here for Our Application Form

We Make Offers Soon So Apply Now

It is our practice to make job offers to qualified applicants as soon as possible. We are looking for prospective crew members that know working for a Boundary Waters Outfitter is for them. Getting an application next March will probably be too late. It tells us we were not high on the applicant’s list, or the applicant does not plan ahead.

Finding and hiring the perfect crew is our toughest job and top priority in the off season, so don’t hesitate to encourage a good crew prospect to contact us. They will have stories to tell the rest of their lives.

Blayne Hall

Blayne hails from Canton, Ohio. He was raised in Morgan, UT. He graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, NY, and then served 8 years as a US Army Officer. Following his military service, he received an M.B.A. and an M.A. in International Relations from Brigham Young University. Blayne is a co-owner of Williams and Hall Outfitters. He is an Eagle Scout with extensive scouting experience. He attended the 1969 National Scout Jamboree, is a Wood Badge graduate, and has received such awards as the Scouter’s Key and Scouter Training Award. He is a 6-time Scoutmaster and 3 time Explorer Post Advisor.

Blayne is also an E.M.T., and actively pursues mountain climbing, scuba diving and cross-country bicycling along with wilderness paddling as hobbies. He also takes the lead in guiding our international trips in Europe and Central America. Blayne and his wife, Charlene, reside full-time on the shores of Moose Lake at our lodge.