TLC Family of Camps & Inns workers say they can't imagine working elsewhere

One employee left a career in finance to join the company, another pleaded with his parents just to work there "one more summer," and another says she can't picture working elsewhere and "not being a part of the family" anymore.

So where do these people work? No, not Disney World.

Far from it, but according to employees of Glen Cove-based TLC Family of Camps & Inns, it's "probably as enjoyable."

The summer camp company founded in 1992 by Jay Jacobs, who is also Nassau County's Democratic chairman, earned the No. 1 spot in the Top Long Island Workplaces' small-business category.

And while full-time employees surveyed noted a variety of factors that they felt made the organization an engaging place to work, all, even returning temporary workers, agreed it is the company's leadership and values that make it a Top Workplace. The company employs 50 full-time employees throughout the year, and those were eligible to be polled by Energage in the Top Workplaces survey. During the summer, the company hires about 1,200 additional temporary workers to staff its six summer camps.

Jason Mercado, 38, is the camp director at North Shore Day Camp in Glen Cove. He started working with the company in 2008 and oversees about 180 employees, five of whom work full time.

"I worked in finance for four years, but I just wasn't happy and wanted a change," he said.

"A friend told me about opportunities at TLC Camps, but at first I hesitated because I was already in my late 20s and was looking for something that at the time I thought could be more promising than a 'summertime camp counselor.’ ”

But Mercado said he had participated in wrestling clinics when he was in college and knew he'd "like working with kids," and he wanted to make a positive impact so he "just went for it."

For five years Mercado worked at Timber Lake Camp in upstate Shandaken, where Jacobs himself went when he was a kid and the first camp he acquired when he started the company. Mercado was mentored there by Jacobs and his wife, Mindy, whom he calls an "integral part" of the business. At Timber Lake, Mercado started by supervising a group of third-grade boys, then was promoted to assistant director. He later became part of the staff at North Shore.

"This is definitely a people-first job," he said. "The children and the people that we work with are what make me excited to come to work every day. We have a saying at camp, 'We live 10 for 2,' meaning that 10 months out of the year, we're working towards those two summer months."

And though Mercado said the revolving-door nature of the camp industry poses recruitment and retainment challenges, the job is "always worth it."

Founder Jacobs said that's the point.

"The main principle I follow as the leader of this company is to create an environment that I myself like to work in," said Jacobs, who with his wife works as a director at Timber Lake in the summer. "I strive to give my employees respect, recognition and compensation, so that they feel that they're as much owner of the company as I am."

Part-time camp counselors weren't included in the survey, but they also expressed a strong connection to the company.

Charles Pedersen, 21, thinks working at North Shore Day Camp as a lifeguard is "so worth it" that to his parents' dismay, he's going for his fifth year.

He graduated from college this year, and he said his parents expected him to "get a real job."

"I said no, no, no, I'm going to graduate school, just to prolong my time working here," he said. Pedersen said the biggest challenge in working at the camp is "not the children. It's making sure that you get along with the other adults that you work in such close quarters with for the 39-day season that I feel is so important."

Chief operating officer Dave Skolnik, 35, who has worked for the TLC Family of Camps & Inns for 14 years, said his employment has been a good mesh of his three passions: inspiring children, boosting customer relations and conducting business.

And though he earned a degree in applied economics and management from Cornell University, Skolnik, who is also assistant director at Hampton Day Camp in East Hampton, said, "In a perfect world, this is exactly where I would've ended up."

Once a Timber Lake camper, Skolnik started working at the company straight out of college.

"What I most appreciate about working here is that Jay puts his money where his mouth is," he said.

"For example, throughout the year he pays for several professional development seminars that both full-time and part-time employees can attend. He's hired high-profile speakers, some who worked at companies like Disney and others who were respected child behavior experts, to visit us and lead interactive team-building workshops."

Even so, Skolnik said no business comes without its share of hurdles.

"So many running parts need to be in sync, planning, staff development, communication," Skolnik said.

"You kind of turn on the lights and camp starts, there's no soft opening, so that can be stressful. The show just starts, and everybody needs to be ready to go."

- Daysi Calavia-Robertson