Guided Discoveries Inc. administers science adventure summer camps, Catalina Sea Camp, AstroCamp, and Camp CHOP, in addition to school-year outdoor education programs, Catalina Island Marine Institute, and AstroCamp. According to Matt Mishalow, the chief financial officer, GDI emphasizes community, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity in addition to using special overnight facilities to carry out programs. Students and campers have a unique experience in state-of-the-art labs, dorms, program rooms, dining facilities, and surroundings (private waterfront, outdoor adventure paths, etc.). In order to provide the greatest scientific and adventure programming, GDI selects instructors with degrees in science or related expertise. GDI has worked with educators for over 45 years, allowing schools to choose their curricula and summer campers to choose their electives and classes.
Matt attended Catalina Sea Camp as a child, worked five amazing summers in college, and worked in the GDI business office, aiding the CEO with finance and budgeting after graduating. This experience helped him become Guided Discoveries' CFO, understand the financial side, and understand GDI's 501c3 objective. Matt also worked at furniture trade shows for several years outside of GDI, which taught him negotiation, B2B partnerships, and corporate teamwork. He brought some new systems, methods, and procedures to Guided Discoveries, which were essential to that vast company. Matt's 2020 EMBA, daily use of case studies, and real-world classroom experiences all have an impact on GDI's business decisions and future planning.
Their business closed for 15 months during COVID-19. They were uncertain about their future in California for months due to field trips and summer camp. During that time, they learned how to get lean. By changing operations, they lowered costs and eliminated logistical issues without affecting projects. They also experienced an unexpected epidemic of demand. After pivoting one facility that used summer user groups, they brought their own summer camp programming and operated at two facilities simultaneously. Moreover, they currently prioritize margin preservation and capital expenditure reinvestment in order to retain and develop a second-generation leadership team. Eventually, they implemented several processes and systems when most of their staff was remote. This changed the channel for collaboration and communication, boosting efficiency even for in-person activities.
Matt is continually thinking ahead about how to improve corporate strategy through efficiency and processes. To meet their management team's immediate demand for remote work during the pandemic, he immediately moved their organization into a fully integrated Microsoft 365 platform that allowed them to connect, contribute, and interact remotely. For years, Matt has also used his organizational and Excel skills to integrate their team into the same budgeting and tracking worksheets. Former directors had autonomy and tracked spending in several ways. Their team uses a single spreadsheet model to gather reports, as well as real-time data to budget and control costs.
Matt always uses the 3S Model to analyze financial projections before deploying new business models to help make decisions and assess mission impact. Since Guided Discoveries is a nonprofit, any action must support their mission and affect their ability to reinvest and expand. He helps their team understand the potential top- and bottom-line effects. If we fail to meet the goals, we will explore additional strategic development variables, he adds. Matt leads by example, dropping everything and doing whatever it takes to meet others' needs quickly. According to his view, any leader should demonstrate his or her team through action, training, and guidance. He holds the belief that individuals will follow a leader who is approachable and present in any situation. People find it simpler to ask inquiries, communicate freely, and strategize while with others. In person, he listens first and speaks second. Everyone wants to be heard, and hence, he frequently applies the 80/20 rule.
Matt ensures that goal-setting and integration advance through his strategic steps. He prioritizes the clarity of the organization's vision and its objectives. It is important that every stakeholder understand the strategic objectives and path forward. These have to be defined, reviewed, and communicated often. Then comes cross-functional collaboration, as too often departments will not talk with each other. He adds that it is important for teams to work towards common goals and understand that each department, each team, and each person have a say. He endeavors to establish committees, comprising various teams or departments, to guarantee everyone's voice.
He includes regular review and alignment since it's crucial to establish a cadence for reviewing and realigning goals regularly. Quarterly reviews or monthly check-ins could accomplish this, ensuring that goals stay relevant in a dynamic business environment and adjust as necessary to stay on track. Not the least, continuous improvement by fostering a culture of continuous improvement is essential. Encouraging feedback and learning from both successes and failures enables them to refine their goal-setting processes over time, ensuring that they continuously strive for excellence.
Matt says that when an organization has an incredible society of cooperation, each stakeholder is living, breathing, and pushing its vision and purpose. He asks every new hire to put the mission first in all decisions. It is all about spending, strategy, and customer service. The organization cannot collaborate if its members are not working toward the same goal. Fortunately, their industry has excellent competitive collaboration. They argue that any camp should work since all kids need summer camp. At conferences and educational events, they collaborate on youth development, science, and adventure programming. They also monitor each other to ensure that each facility has the best programming. Guided Discoveries strives to become science and adventure specialists by hiring the best and empowering them.
As cliché as it sounds, work-life balance is a driving factor in his life. He prioritizes his family and integrates them into his career. When they can, they enjoy camps, snorkeling, stargazing, and other programs. Matt enjoys golf and music. Hobbies provide a welcome vacation from work. Golf provides a chance to network outdoors, without a screen. His ability to enter charity competitions and sponsor events is fortunate. Since childhood, Matt has enjoyed music, which influences their camp life. He can teach young staff camp songs, play guitar at campfires, and share his childhood tunes with kids.
'Guided Discoveries' earned a six-figure grant in 2023 to restore Catalina Island Kelp Forests. This allows them to restore the water and bring more marine species near their facilities, as well as expand their personnel and workforce. Next year, school-year visitors will use a new registration and contract system. Teachers and administrators can log in to a system to track their journey from financial, operational, and program perspectives and make real-time changes. They have hired a strategic planning and program assessment company to guide them over the next 5, 10, and 20 years, utilizing guest and stakeholder feedback as a final dot.
Posted in CLF | Top 10 Inspiring CFOs of 2024, Matt Mishalow, Chief Financial Officer of Guided Discoveries Inc. Profile