Welcome to Calleva, where adventure meets opportunity! Discover the heart of our community as we introduce you to the dynamic Markoff Brothers. They are the visionaries behind our immersive outdoor experiences. Dive into their inspiring journey and vision for providing transformative outdoor experiences for everyone.
The Markoff Brothers
Meet the dynamic trio behind Calleva: Nick, Alex and Matt Markoff. As founders, their vision has propelled Calleva beyond its humble beginnings into a nationally recognized leader in outdoor adventure and education.
Matt, our Executive Director, thrives on collaborating with his brothers and our exceptional staff to create unforgettable experiences. Alex, the Farm Director, cherishes building the Calleva community and cultivating fresh produce on the farm.
Nick, the brains behind Markoff’s Haunted Forest, revels in crafting spine-chilling scenes and tinkering in the auto shop. Their dedication to innovation and passion for the outdoors drive Calleva’s mission forward, ensuring every participant embarks on an adventure of a lifetime.
The Heart of Calleva
Calleva is now a vibrant community of outdoor adventure and education enthusiasts. But, three brothers with a passion for sharing the outdoors with kids created Calleva. Nick, Alex and Matt, along with their extended family, are the heart of it all.
Get to know Calleva and the Markoff Brothers a little better
We asked Nick, Alex and Matt to share about their individual passions and how they fit together to make Calleva this amazing community. Here is what they shared.
What inspired the three of you to start Calleva?
Nick: What inspired us was probably the process of elimination. We flunked out of college. We didn’t have anything else going on. But we grew up at a camp and that’s what we knew we could do. So it was something we felt like we could do and do better than the one that we grew up in. I think that kind of inspired us.
Alex: I think also the lifestyle. I loved my childhood growing up at camp. I thought it’d be neat to recreate that for our future families and kids. That was definitely a push for me. Also can we make a living doing something we really love to do? Can we earn an income doing camp?
How did your individual passions contribute to the vision?
Matt: Our passion is education for kids and being a leader. Also we are passionate about outdoor activities. We feel like the best classroom is to be outdoors and to teach in the outdoors.
Alex: We had a grandmother, and a lot of family members, that were avid outdoors people and educators. So we grew up with lot of kayaking in our lives. A lot of role models. We had a lot of staff that were involved in a lot of these outdoor activities.
Matt: Staff that are still involved in our lives and in our kids’ lives.
Alex: Yeah! My daughter Julia was kayaking with Tom two weeks ago. He’s out there at 75 still doing it. That is what hopefully we’ll keep doing.
Matt: Yeah, we were just asking our mom about teaching swimming. She said this is where I learned to teach, and Linda Fraley’s mother was the one who taught me how to teach it. Linda Fraley’s taught all of our kids how to jump on a trampoline and do everything. So it’s kind of crazy.
Alex: Yes, so it’s all cyclical I also think that Calleva is a special, magical place, but I think camp is special in general. Getting kids at camp in the outdoors is unique.
Matt: It’s so much cooler than school!
Alex: To me it’s such a healthy place to be. A lot of people have come to Calleva and come to camp in general and something clicks and their lives are changed.
Can you share a memorable moment when you realized the impact Calleva was having on the lives of its participants?
Nick: I would say almost every overnight or any trip I went on, I felt like it was impactful for the kids. They are doing something awesome. I think as soon as technology really advanced, internet, cell phones and stuff like that, that’s probably when I felt the real need to go out and to really be outdoors and almost kind of fight against the system.
To fight against the new norm. Which I think before at camp, it seemed like everyone was doing that. And now I think it’s like we have to deliver something that is really, really needed for the kids at this day and age.
Alex: On a business level, I remember in 2008 when the recession hit and everything was crashing. I remember thinking, we are toast. We are going to be considered discretionary income. Which one of the full-time staff leaves first? How do we as an organization shrink instead of grow, which we’ve been doing ever since we started.
In 2008 I was like what are we gonna do and that year was our busiest year. It was certainly apparent to me then that we are more than just discretionary income. Camp is something really important.
Matt: Your 2008 was my pandemic because I was like, wow, we are needed more than ever right now. When everything was how it was, and you’re just like, these kids need us more than anything.
Alex: And parents
Matt: And parents.
Alex: There was an early camper. She is now a lawyer for Sierra Club. She is married to a fly fisherman in Haines, Alaska. It is neat because it’s full circle. People that grew up in Calleva and have taken on jobs in the outdoor industry, leading, awesome, successful lives. And a lot of that started, not all of them, but a lot of it started right here at Calleva.
How do each of your unique skill sets and interests complement each other in running Calleva?
Alex: Nick does all the work.
Nick: That’s not true, but I would say I’m a jack of all trades, master of none. I don’t know that you can say Calleva without saying Markoff’s Haunted Forest because they started right at the same time. Both have grown very successfully.
So I found lately that my goal is to make the Haunted Forest number 1. It definitely I think has been for years now getting a lot of credibility. Not that that matters too much, but we’ve finally been selling out a lot and it has been able to help reach the goals for Calleva. So. I feel like that’s one of my main contributions.
Alex: I think that what we do well now is we’ve gotten out of the way. That we are surrounded by amazing, a very strong leadership team and group of Calleva staff, a lot of who started here as campers. I think we do a good job just stepping aside and going, hey, we know when there are people that can do things better that are right alongside of us. Also, we’re all three very present at the same time.
What values or principles guide the way you run Calleva, and how do they reflect your personal beliefs and passions?
Alex: We look at both our parents, a dad who has got a work ethic that’s pretty impressive. I think that to a certain degree, all three of us value that. Some of us more than others. Nick works the hardest, he’ll work 24-7. We all value hard work ethic.
Matt: Then mom is very much a visionary. Dreaming up amazing things that are community-based and bring people together. I think that Calleva is definitely an accumulation of those two qualities, hard work and vision.
How has your shared love for the outdoors shaped the programs and experiences offered at Calleva?
Alex: I kind of see it’s not really as much programming as just trying new things. I think that we all, the three of us, and also I think the staff at large here, are all open to trying new things.
I think a really healthy thing is that there’s growth and there’s also pain and stumbles anytime you take a risk. You know there’s going to be some challenge there. But I think that there is an effort to try new programs, whatever they are. I love that we always try something new every year.
Matt: I also think that the design, what we came up with originally, this building block style of education and outdoor skills, we kind broadened. But, the basics of it is building these skills and then going out to all these different activities and locations. Then, implementing what you learn as a group, what you learn about this activity and then implementing in real outdoors. Anything like that spoke to a lot of people. It felt adventurous. We were traveling and seeing new places. Learning these skills, learning team building and personal life skills.
Alex: So the first year of Calleva in the early 90s, we ran five camps. The model of a three-day and then an overnight on Thursday, we offered that the first year with a one-week high adventure trip. Really, it’s been the same model we started 30 years ago that we still apply today. Most of our programs are five-day with an overnight every Thursday. And then there are a bunch of high adventure trips.
And now there’s a younger kids camp where they don’t have an overnight. There are a bunch of LIT, traveling, high adventure camps. But it’s still the same model. What can you do with a kid, a group, an activity in five days?
Matt: And it’s the same number still. It’s still 12 and 3. Twelve campers, a head instructor, head counselor and JC.
Alex: And a bus.
Nick: At the beginning we couldn’t even find 12.
Matt: I know.
Alex: A vehicle that runs, some gear, an instructor, a counselor, a junior counselor.
Can you discuss the importance of fostering a sense of community and connection among Calleva staff and participants?
Matt: I think the goal is to build a place where people want to continue to get better. Help each other get better and help themselves get better. I think a lot of the fun is when you see staff that have been here throughout the years and have seen Calleva and all of its behind the scenes and in front of the scenes and have grown with it. They know that they can make an impact.
I think that’s the way to do it. Is you have staff that feel like they can make a difference in the organization. That’s what we gotta maintain. That you’ll still be a melting pot of all these different ideas and people.
What role does environmental stewardship play in the mission and activities of Calleva, and how do you integrate it into your programs?
Matt: We’re in the outdoors every day. We love it. We can’t do an activity without it.
Alex: By introducing kids to the beauty, challenge and being exposed to the outdoors we are hoping to plant the seed that they want to leave any place they go better than they found it.
Matt: Plus the programs are better. The programs are better with good environment.
Alex: Yeah, for sure. When you’re kayaking a river and you’re not in an eddy filled with trash. Or if you are, then you’re obviously going to want to help clean up and help make the place better. So we’re hoping that in all of our programs that we always leave it better than we found it.
What do you hope participants take away from their experiences at Calleva, beyond just outdoor skills?
Nick: Confidence. I think the main thing that they can take forward. If they can accomplish something in the outdoors that gives them confidence that trickles over to other aspects of their lives. So I think that’s one of the best things.
Matt: Make a friend. Pretty simple. Friendships, confidence.
Alex: One of the leadership qualities I love the most are people that can stay calm under pressure. And I think you can learn a lot of that in any activity at Calleva. Upside down a kayak, how to just stay calm. On a hard rock climb, how to stay calm. Then when you apply that in other areas your life, you’re able to not freak out when you’re in a tough situation. A lot of that can be learned at camp.
Nick: That and how to have fun. A lot of people don’t really know how to have fun, you know. You go out there at camp, you can let your hair out, you sing kookie songs, you dress silly, and you can be silly in front of other people. I think that’s missing in a lot of people’s lives when they’re just kind of growing up on their own. I think camp gives them that.
Alex: You don’t think people are singing songs on their phones? No, or a family around the dinner table?
Nick: No it’s not happening, but it’s happening at Calleva.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations for the future of Calleva, and how do you plan to continue sharing your passions with others?
Alex: I like that we’ve organically grown for 30 years. I just would like us to continue to grow organically. There’s something I’ve read recently where someone’s said even if we grow, we always want to be a small company. And I would say the same thing for Calleva. Even as we grow, we always want to be a small organization where community matters, relationships matter, connections can be made. Kids, just like Nick said, are coming out having fun, learning and growing. That we continue to have a spirit of hey let’s try new things.
Matt: And we’re in there too, having fun at the same time. We’re involved in leading songs, leading programs and working with young staff that are teaching us new stuff. Trying keep us young, somewhat. Keep up with them.
The Power of the Calleva Community
Calleva isn’t just a summer adventure camp. It’s a transformative experience shaped by the vision and dedication of the Markoff Brothers. Nick, Alex, and Matt’s passion for the outdoors has propelled Calleva into a nationally recognized leader in outdoor education. Through their innovation for programs and commitment to community, Calleva fosters confidence, leadership, and environmental stewardship in every participant.
Looking ahead, Calleva remains rooted in organic growth, fostering meaningful connections, and continuing to share our love for the outdoors with future generations. Join us at Calleva, where adventure is not in the guidebooks and beauty is not on the maps. Embark on a journey that will leave a lasting impact on your child’s life.
