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Garrett Weber-Gale

Reinventing the guest experience for open road travelers

Garrett Weber-Gale is a former Olympic swimmer turned entrepreneur who is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Gather Campgrounds.14 He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist, having won his medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as part of the U.S. swimming team.23

Born on August 6, 1985, Weber-Gale had a successful swimming career, setting multiple records including being the first American to break 48 seconds in the 100-meter freestyle.23 He competed for the University of Texas, where he was the 2006 NCAA Division I Champion in the 100-yard freestyle.13

After his swimming career, Weber-Gale transitioned into business and entrepreneurship. He has held various positions, including:

  • Director of Sales & Operations at Camping World (April 2021 - Present)1
  • Co-Founder of Discover Term, an immersive learning program for teens (March 2021 - Present)1
  • Chief Operating Officer at Nomad Reservations (March 2021 - January 2023)1
  • CEO of Acton School of Business (June 2017 - January 2019)1

Weber-Gale has also been involved in the food and nutrition industry. He founded AthleticFoodie, a company that created snacks for athletes, and has worked as a columnist for USA Swimming, writing about food and nutrition.16

Most recently, Weber-Gale co-founded and launched Gather Campgrounds, with their first location in Bell County, Texas, opening on February 1, 2024.45 His focus is on creating exceptional camper experiences, leveraging his diverse background in athletics, business, and hospitality.5

Highlights

Aug 8 · linkedin

I’ve been known to hold the reins tight. As an athlete, that strategy generally works very well. In life beyond athletics, and particularly in business, I’ve continued to learn the tremendous value of letting go and empowering others to use their gifts and passion to accelerate the vision.

Today, we’ve promoted Thomas to be our new Team Captain at Gather Campgrounds Bell County.

Thomas was not only capable and ready to take on this new role, but in many respects he’d already been doing the job. Tony Capasso once told me that it should be obvious to everyone on the team who the next person to take on a bigger role is, because they’re already doing most of the job they’re being promoted into. When we announced Thomas’ promotion to the team, nobody was surprised and everyone was thrilled.

Steven Tomlinson has often talked with me about continually bending yourself towards the opportunity you want or towards the place you have a lot of energy for, until something breaks, at which point you may either get fired because the thing you’re bending yourself towards no longer aligns with the role you’re in, and maybe more likely that break thrusts you into the next position that you’ve been striving for. Thomas had been quietly (in words) and consistently (in action) bending himself towards this role since his first day at Gather Campground.

Perhaps most important is that Thomas clearly aligns with our values of loving people and over-delivering for them. I'm convinced that alignment to values is the first most important indicator of who should be or shouldn’t be on the team. If you don't want to love our team members and guests and go above and beyond for them, there’s no way you'll deliver our 5-star experience to them.

Upon reflecting on this promotion, I’ve realized that it could have been done sooner. Thomas was ready six weeks ago. We didn’t have to rush, there was no need to move faster than we did. But, I’m continuing to ponder the timing of when you promote someone, and pushing myself on this idea that you do it when they’re ready, not when you’re ready. I fully recognize that I can be a roadblock when my job is to be a road and a gas station, paving the way for our team and fueling them to thrive. Sometimes, I can get caught up on details, or in a scarcity mindset, or festering on an unrealistic fear. Those are my challenges. Those have nothing to do with whether or not a team member is ready to serve at their highest potential.

I feel honored to have the presence of our entire team on-site at Gather and grateful for Thomas taking on the role as our Team Captain. It’s a true gift to be working on something that brings so many people joy and continually pushes me to do my own work, breaking down internal barriers and imagining what can be possible.

Now, Hale Youngblood and I are freed up a bit to focus our time and energy on further operationalizing Gather and expanding our footprint to new locations. #hospitality #gathercampgrounds

Related Questions

What inspired Garrett Weber-Gale to transition from professional swimming to business leadership?
How did Garrett Weber-Gale's experience at Acton Business School influence his career path?
What are some of the key achievements of Garrett Weber-Gale in his role at Gather Campgrounds?
How did Garrett Weber-Gale's role at Nomad Reservations prepare him for his current position?
What unique challenges has Garrett Weber-Gale faced in the outdoor hospitality industry?
Garrett Weber-Gale
Garrett Weber-Gale, photo 1
Garrett Weber-Gale, photo 2
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Location

Austin, Texas, United States