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Andrew Schwartz, Owner/Director
When Andrew Schwartz talks about the years he spent at North Star Camp for Boys (six alumni of that camp now own their own camps.), there’s a smile on his face and in his voice. For Andrew, there was nothing like going to camp. You might say, it was his first love.
At 10 years old, it was also his first time away from home. “It was where I learned about myself and developed coping mechanisms,” he comments. Andrew not only learned how to |
cope but how to make friends in a new environment and how to “go it on his own…to stand on his own two feet.” That camp experience lasted for eight years. During two of them, Andrew was a senior counselor and tennis instructor. Along the way, the camp’s leadership award became a primary focus. His achievement of the award was a benchmark that has influenced his life ever since.
Andrew, the second of four children, was born in Chicago. His father, Alan, is the Chairman of the Board of Chicago-based Tennis Corporation of America, a company that owns and manages fitness and tennis clubs throughout the United States and Canada. His mother, whose career was in public relations, is one of Chicago’s leading charity fundraisers.
Andrew graduated from Highland Park High School in 1979 and was off to Duke University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. For the next few years he was a teacher, coach and physical education instructor.
From the late ‘80s to the turn of the century, Andrew held positions as a tennis professional and athletic club general manager. Lingering in the back of his mind was the thought that one day, he would own a camp. While working full time, he earned an MBA from Northwestern University in 1999.
The time had come to pursue his dream of owning a camp…and the hunt was on! He found that camp on the banks of Leesville Lake.
In his spare time, when he has any, Andrew enjoys fishing, tennis, family gatherings, reading non-fiction (biographies and autobiographies ) and watching the Chicago Bears and the Chicago White Sox.
Learn More about Debbie Collins, Director |
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