The Troop 1954
Wednesday Newsletter

So guys, if you feel like you sold a lot of popcorn, consider this:

CUB SCOUT'S SALES EFFORT HAS TROOP POPPIN' WITH PRIDE 10-YEAR-OLD RICHLAND BOY IS TOP POPCORN SALESMAN NATIONWIDE

Kathleen Ganster (Freelance for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

For most parents, the thought of delivering more than 20,000 pounds of popcorn may seem like a nightmare, but for Colleen and Bill Cenk, of Richland, it was just another step in their son Ryan's sales adventure.

Ryan, 10, is a Cub Scout with Pack 85 of the Seneca District, and the top seller nationwide in the history of the annual Boy Scout popcorn sale.

According to Bob De Witt, spokesman for the Greater Pittsburgh Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Boy Scouts have been selling popcorn nationally for 22 years, and the council has been selling it for the last 15.

"He is one determined little man," said DeWitt. "Plus he also had a lot of help from his family."

The Greater Pittsburgh Council includes all of Allegheny, Beaver, Greene and Washington counties, and parts of Westmoreland and Fayette counties.

"The highest [individual] amount sold nationally in the past was $20,000. It is considered a milestone if you sell $3,000 worth of popcorn. In our district, the most sold in the past was about $6,000," said DeWitt.

Ryan is credited with the sale of 1,032 cases of popped and unpopped popcorn worth $25,006.

All told, about 9,000 Scouts in the Greater Pittsburgh Council sold 22,107 cases of popcorn worth $1.37 million. Ryan, a fourth-grader at Hance Elementary School in the Pine Richland School District, determined early in the sale he wanted to be the best.

"I made a plan. I had a dream that I wanted to be the top popcorn seller in the world," he said.

To achieve this dream, Ryan enlisted the help of his parents, his older brother, Billy, and other relatives. His uncle, Bob Cenk, who was a key player in the sales.

"I called Uncle Bobby and asked him if he wanted to buy some popcorn," said Ryan. Bob Cenk went on to ask friends to buy and one, Bryan Azur, of ATM in Moon , bought popcorn for more than 400 employees.

"When he called and told me that he wanted 400 tins, I had him talk to my mom. I was standing there with my mouth open," said Ryan.

That one sale accounted for half of Ryan's total sales.

Ryan also went door to door in his neighborhood and asked just about everyone he ran into if they wanted to buy popcorn. "He thought it would be unkind not to offer his wonderful product to everyone," his mother said. They had several order sheets and his brother actually created spread sheets so they could organize orders and delivery.

Come delivery time, the Cenk family rented a truck to pick up the orders, and had to use the pack's rented truck as well.

"Ryan's orders filled our truck and half of the pack's truck. They delivered his orders to our garage and had to go back and get the rest," Colleen Cenk said.

Ryan's efforts were recognized Tuesday by the Greater Pittsburgh Council in a ceremony at the Boy Scout Office at Flag Plaza, in Pittsburgh's Uptown section. Ryan and his family left Wednesday morning for Orlando, Fla., where Ryan will again be recognized for his outstanding achievement and treated to a trip to Disney World with his family.

"They had a raffle where two boys would be randomly selected to win the trip. Ryan didn't win one of those trips but the pop corn company, Trail's End, still felt they needed to recognize him for his top sales," De Witt said.

The money raised from the sales will go towards council and pack activities. "We will go camping, play laser tag, and go bowling. One time we got to go to a sleep over at the zoo. I hope we can do that again," said Ryan.

"Any child can triumph in scouting. It is an excellent venue for children of all ages and abilities of all levels," Colleen Cenk said.

As for Ryan, he said of his scouting adventures, "Mostly we have fun. I get to do my best."