Alumni Who Live By the Code: Corey Hopkins

Corey Hopkins - Positive Attitude

At Falling Creek the FCC Code shapes our daily actions, as we strive to consistently live with Warrior Spirit, Servant’s Heart, Positive Attitude, and Moral Compass. The Code is a set of enduring traditional values that provides the framework for everything at camp, but its importance goes far beyond the summer months. In this blog series, we’ll highlight some of the amazing Falling Creek alumni who continue to “Live by the Code,” modeling these values in their daily lives.

In addition to discussing the camp history of these alumni, we’ll also share what they’ve been up to since being camp counselors. They give valuable advice for current counselors wanting to join their same career fields, and describe the impact that Falling Creek had on their personal and professional careers.

Next in this blog series, we’ll highlight Corey Hopkins, head of the customer service department for Confluence Outdoor, a leading manufacturer for kayaks and canoes, including brands like Dagger, Perception Kayaks, Wilderness Systems, and Mad River Canoe.

Corey was a counselor for three summers in 2007, 2009, & 2010, and his positive attitude always set him apart. By embracing this part of the code, Corey has exceled in his role as customer service manager, since it takes both technical expertise and interpersonal skills to succeed in this field. A customer service manager must have great communication, problem solving, and listening skills, maintaining patience, politeness, tact, and positivity when dealing with difficult situations.

Those who embrace the Positive Attitude part of the Code are fun to be around, live with enthusiasm, focus on the positive, and are grateful for God’s blessings - all things that we know Corey models! But how did he get in the role that he holds today?

Corey, what made you want to work as a counselor? What made you return for multiple summers?

During my freshman year at Furman University, some of my closest friends had worked at a summer camp for several years, and I decided to follow suit. I didn’t know anything about FCC at the time, but after meeting the team and getting the offer to come teach music, I decided to take the leap. The first few summers I was able to teach music and dabbled with the frisbee and cross-country programs.

Being more on the introverted side, getting up and playing music in front of everyone or figuring out how to make an announcement entertaining was terrifying at first, but soon became the norm. When we had time off, Andrew Smith (longtime counselor) and I would sneak down to the Yak Shak to practice our rolls and started learning what we could. 2010 ended up being my favorite summer as we both joined the paddling staff and were able to lead trips all around the Southeast!

Being a camp counselor in Cabin 7 (Animal House forever!) was also a wild ride. I’m already from a big family, so chaos has been a bit of the norm. However, learning how to be responsible for a cabin and making sure campers were brushing their teeth was an entirely new ballgame.

My goal was to squash any negativity in their minds that I might have experienced as a kid and push them towards trying new things. We were all growing together in a way, even though I didn’t realize it at the time. That, along with the close counselor friends I made, were the main reasons I would continue to come back summer after summer.

What have you been doing since your last summer at camp in 2010?

I would say I fully dove into my last summer teaching paddling in 2010 and didn’t get much done on the job-hunting front. However, I found out that Dagger kayaks was located in my hometown of Greenville, SC and zoned in on getting a job there. Mixing my business degree with the sport I grew to love seemed like the right match. After a few odd jobs here and there, I was able to land a job at Confluence Outdoor, manufacturer of Dagger, Perception Kayaks, Wilderness Systems, and Mad River Canoe.

Over the years I’ve worked with several departments at Confluence and have been through all of the ups and downs a seasonal business can go through, including the company’s recent acquisition by Pelican International in 2019. However, most of my tenure has been serving with and now managing our incredible customer service team. My team handles the account management of our dealer network on a global scale while also servicing any end consumer that might need help with our products. Since we service several individual brands under one roof, we stay quite busy.

Did your experience at Falling Creek influence your professional career in any way?

Most certainly! Managing a team of adults is eerily similar to running a cabin in many ways. As a leader, I want my team to move forward as a whole, but can’t lose sight of each individual and where they might be struggling. I want to be able to highlight their strengths and come up with a plan so they can confidently move forward at whatever they set their mind to.

As a counselor, teaching a skill or activity to a camper requires that you keep things simple and take everything one step at a time. Otherwise, it will be very easy to get overwhelmed and give up on a task. I really appreciated the paddling progression at FCC, as campers had to hone in their skills in a canoe and “pass” a few rivers with their canoe partner before even touching a kayak. The same principle applies in the real world – when I am learning a new skill or have a big project to tackle, I take it one step at a time and celebrate the small wins along the way. If you have a partner or team to help out, even better.

Lastly, camp taught me to not take things so seriously all of the time and to remember what is important in life. Parts of customer service can be a thankless job at times - I love running a team that can have fun but also get the job done at the end of the day.

Do you still keep in touch with any FCC friends/counselors?

I do keep in touch and see a few FCC alums in town! Andrew Smith lives around the corner and you can find us paddling or mountain biking with Ben Williams every once in a while. I married Neal Timberlake, a Greystone girl, in 2020 (at Falling Creek!) so we try to stay connected with the camp community whenever we’re able. It’s really nice being located just down the mountain from Green River Road.Our long-term goal is to move to Tuxedo, NC and live on Lake Summit one day.

What advice would you give to current camp counselors who are looking for careers after the summer?

Be curious and utilize your own networks, whether from camp, church, or your own school alumni association. Networking or reaching out to strangers can be intimidating to some, but I would suggest approaching it from a place of curiosity if you are trying to figure out what path you are trying to take. A short conversation or email can go a long way, and I’ve come to find out that people love speaking about their experiences and giving advice.

If you’re looking to get into the outdoor industry, don’t be afraid to jump into a more entry level position in order to get your foot into the door. My first job at Confluence was cycle counting inventory one summer, which wasn’t the most glamorous. However, with a little bit of patience and hard work ethic, I was able to pivot into different roles when the time came.

Little did I know that doing a few kayak rolls during the summer of 2009 would lead to almost a decade in the paddle sports industry. I’m super grateful for Falling Creek Camp and the spark that it lit during that time.