Essential Piece of the Puzzle
As the SRWC Outdoor Adventure and Wellness Coordinator for the last four years, Chris has managed the climbing wall, outdoor equipment rental, and outdoor adventure trip program. He also oversees all operations for Beach Balance, which include massage therapy, nutrition counseling, a weekly series of events and many other specialized services. While he joined the SRWC with aspects of the rock wall and outdoor adventure programs in existence, he largely built the current framework for the SRWC’s robust outdoor and wellness components.
“My goal, from the start, was to create fun and innovative programs with the idea of sustainability,” he said. “I wanted to build up the outdoor adventure program, get the climbing wall in shape, further expand the outdoor equipment rental service— and structure everything to be completely self-sustaining.”
This sort of work isn’t new to Chris. In his undergraduate years, he served as the president of the rock climbing club and recreation club. He later went to a National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Wyoming, and soon after found a job in Colorado as the Head Climbing Instructor developing multiday climbing expeditions. Later his career landed him in Texas. There, he developed an outdoor adventure program from the ground up with the goal of creating something self-sustaining. When he had accomplished this, he was ready to take on a new challenge and joined the Long Beach State ASI family.
“Joining a student driven organization like ASI was very exciting to me, and I saw the opportunity to really enhance and build up these two programs quite a bit,” he said. “My favorite part of this job is developing the programs with the students. We get ideas from them, build things out with them — and soon, the program can run entirely by itself.”
Huebner leads students in developing and implementing weekly programs, inventory management, planning and leading trips, rock climbing experiences, and managing the Beach Balance office. Signature events like Project Chill and outdoor adventure trips are often run entirely by students. In fact, one of Chris’s chief goals has been to build his programs and train his students in a way that, if necessary, things could run smoothly without him.
“My student staff are innovative, passionate and driven towards being the best!” he exclaimed. “It’s exciting to see the role they play in developing this campus and beyond.”
Chris thanks both his student staff and professional colleagues for the support he’s been given throughout the years. Make sure to give him a thank-you when you see him around the SRWC!
Christopher Huebner was awarded the Essential Piece of the Puzzle during the March ASI employee assembly. As a part of ASI’s commitment to uplifting customer service, each month all full-time staff participates and votes in this monthly employee of the month program.
