Popcorn prodigy
Boy scout Jaben Wood, of Kalispell Troop 1933, is dwarfed by packages of popcorn in his father's vehicle Tuesday. Wood sold $16,000 worth of popcorn recently while raising money for the U.S. military in Iraq. Garrett Cheen/Daily Inter Lake
By KRISTI ALBERTSON/Daily Inter Lake
Incredibly, Jaben Wood isn't yet sick of the sight of popcorn.
He's spent the last several days driving around Kalispell with his dad, Eric, and a 6-by-12-by-6-foot trailer crammed full of bins and boxes of sweet, salty and sweet-and-salty popcorn. That's what happens when you're a Boy Scout who has just set a new state popcorn sales record.
Each year, Boy Scouts of America's popcorn sales bring the organization millions of dollars. This year, Montana Scouts' sales totaled more than $1.7 million. Wood, 12, is responsible for $16,300 of that.
It isn't the first time he has set a state record. Wood, a member of Kalispell Troop 1933, has sold more than $40,000 worth of popcorn in his six years as a Scout and set the previous state record two years ago.
Back then, he decimated the previous record of $8,200 and upped the bar to $12,034. Last year, another Scout beat Wood's record by $68.
That's because Wood decided to take it easy last year, according to his dad. He sold $5,000 worth of popcorn in five days, and then took the rest of the three-week sales period off.
"I said, 'I don't want to work that hard,'" Wood explained.
When he lost the state record, however, his drive returned with a vengeance.
"I figure if you're going to be a record, beat it hard," he said.
There isn't a prize for the state's top salesman, but bragging rights are enough motivation for Wood.
He will, however, receive a prize from the Northwest District, which encompasses all troops in the greater Flathead Valley, for being one of the area's top sellers. Wood's sales helped the Northwest District set a new record of $200,000.
About $3,000 of Wood's popcorn will be shipped overseas to soldiers in the Middle East. More than $80,000 of the Montana Scouts' popcorn sales went toward overseas military personnel.
Buying popcorn for active-duty servicemen is a new feature of the Scouts' sales, Eric Wood said.
In previous years, a few people wanted to send popcorn to troops, he said. Then, last year, Wood sold $1,560 worth to a Martin City man who wanted to send 20 cases to his former U.S. Air Force unit in Iraq. Wood had to raise an additional $550 to ship the popcorn.
That's when the board of directors at Trail's End, the popcorn company, realized they ought to come up with a better way to ship products to soldiers. Instead of putting the burden on the Scouts, Trail's End agreed to handle the shipping.
"The Scout gets credit for the sale, and it goes straight to the military," Eric Wood explained.
This year, the Soldiers Memorial Fund, headed by Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely of Bigfork, bought all of Wood's leftover popcorn to fill cases to ship to the Middle East in time for Christmas.
Money from the popcorn sales helps pay for Boy Scout summer camps, leadership courses and community service projects. Three-quarters of their popcorn profits go back into the state organization. Of that, 28 percent will go to Troop 1933. Wood will receive 15 percent of that in prizes and "Scout bucks," which are accepted at select businesses around the state.
As the district's top salesman, he'll also receive a scholarship worth 12 percent of Boy Scouts of America's gross sales from Trail's End, the popcorn company. Trail's End gives Scouts scholarships the equivalent of 6 percent of the gross earnings when they sell at least $2,500 worth of popcorn - a figure Wood has met for the last five years.
The secret is simple, he said. He canvasses businesses, where he has more potential sales than he would traveling from door to door.
"Business to business, and set a goal for yourself," Wood said. "If you don't set a goal, then you have nothing to shoot for."
Setting high goals encourages other Scouts to do the same, he added.
"It helps motivate kids," he said. "They say, you can actually do that."
While a few didn't allow solicitors, most businesses were happy to let Wood make his sales pitch. And if other Scouts came in while Wood was trying to make a sale, he happily stepped aside for them.
"Don't take it all," he said. "Let other kids achieve."
He intends to let someone else strive for a new record next year.
"I'll wait until this one gets broken," he said. "I'm going to slack off and only do $10,000."
On the 'Net: www.montanabsa.org
Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com