DECA Student Earns All 121 Scout Merit Badges – A Nearly Unprecedented Feat

When my phone rang at about 6pm on New Year’s Eve, the Caller ID said “unknown caller,” I hesitated before answering. But then I thought, “What telemarketer would be making calls now?” I took the call and to my surprise, I was glad that I did. It was Shawn Goldsmith calling.

Who, you ask?

Well until last spring I would have asked the same question. When I met him, Shawn Goldsmith was a remarkable, 17-year-old graduating senior at Oceanside High School, on New York’s Long Island. We met last April, when I had the privilege of representing the IFA at the DECA International Career Development Competition (ICDC) at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome. IFA invited me to present the award of their Don DeBolt scholarship to its 2008 winner, on stage and in front of a crowd of 18,000 at the Georgia Dome, as part of DECA’s annual Main Event. That winner was Shawn Goldsmith. (See more about DECA and the ICDC in previous blog posts or at www.deca.org)

Now, let’s fast forward the tape to Shawn’s phone call to me on New Year’s Eve. Was he just calling to wish me a happy new year? Well, sort of, but it was more than just that.

It was with incredible pride and enthusiasm that Shawn explained that he had achieved yet another amazing feat and wondered if I had seen or heard about it on the news. Seems that this young guy, now a freshman at NY’s Binghamton University has once again achieved something that few before him have accomplished. Shawn, a long time Boy Scout has gone on to the ranks of Eagle Scout, which in and of itself is an achievement to be proud of, but hardly remarkable. What is almost unprecedented though, is that while it takes 21 Merit badges to achieve Eagle Scout status, Shawn did not stop there. In fact, he achieved all 121 Merit Badges offered by the Boy Scouts of America, something that the local arm of the organization called, “an almost unheard of feat.” Now, that IS remarkable.

Given the news we seem to wake up to each day, telling us what's wrong with America, I proudly share this story with you here. Remember the name Shawn Goldsmith. This young man is a symbol of what’s right with our country. If you can think it, you can do it and Shawn provides clear and living evidence of that. I don’t know where or when you may hear his name again, but given his accomplishments to date, I'm confident that it will be sooner than later. Congratulations Shawn and Happy New Year to you too.

It’s a New Year – More Changes to Come

Now that we are rapidly approaching the end of yet another year, it’s time to start reflecting back on 2008. What a year of accomplishment we have enjoyed at RetroTax.

As President of RetroTax, my pride comes more from the title of co-founder than that of President. I am extremely proud of what my partner Al Newcomb has empowered me to create and of the relationships that we have already had the good fortune to enjoy. Be those with teammates at our offices in Indy, prospective or recently granted franchisees, or those for whom we provide services and/or do business, with all over the country. 2008 was an incredible year and we’ve only just begun.

Specific to our business, tax credits are evolving more now than ever, and we pride ourselves on being positioned to scale up to do even more for our clients, in the years ahead. As the Obama Administration and the new Congress take hold, we will see how and where they move with reference to an even further commitment to tax credits and incentives. Remember, over the years, our business model has grown under the leadership of both Democratic as well as Republican leadership. There is very strong bi-partisan support for the credits that we identify and administer for our clients. So, we see much more opportunity ahead as we move even further into the 21^st century.

For RetroTax, 2009 will be a big year and each and every day will bring change. We are a young, emerging concept, building new metrics as we continue to expand. With that growth will come evolution and members of our team will grow with us as well. Some will continue doing the jobs they do now, while others will move into new positions. This will make way for new people to join us and backfill those already existing posts or take on new opportunities that are fostered by our expansion. These are exciting, if not turbulent times to be growing a business, but you know the old saying, “what doesn’t kill us, makes us stronger.” At RetroTax, we're feeling stronger every day.

For franchising, as a whole, 2009 will bring rocky roads for some and brilliant opportunities for others. While some of this will be purely circumstantial, not everything can be blamed on politics, the economy, or the state of the world. For those that rise up and embrace change, there is an impressive opportunity to build wealth and legacy, albeit in some extraordinarily challenging times.

While most are forecasting that it will be 2010 before we see signs of economic recovery, hopefully things will begin to settle down in ’09. Personally, my modus operandi is to not spend a great deal of time pondering that which I cannot control. So, instead I will keep my eye on those things that I can influence, and therein lies the opportunity to grow our business, no matter what’s going on globally. Personally, I am very much looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead for the RetroTax team in 2009.