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He didn’t have his career path planned out upon graduating from De Pere High School. However, a series of small steps and then one giant leap led him to his ideal job – owning a business that many area residents probably drive past on a regular basis. 

“There’s an overabundance and hyper focus on what you need to determine at age 18 going on 19,” said Carney, 33. “I believe the total sum of your improvements and accomplishments can lead you to any goal. Dreams are free. As long as you have task-driven (goals), you can do it.”

In spring 2023, Carney opened Scott’s Sports LLC in Allouez, next door to Sal’s Foods on Webster Avenue. The specialty outdoor shop features equipment and apparel for a wide variety of recreational pursuits, including camping, kayaking, snow and water skiing, mountain biking, fishing and hunting. 

Carney, (DPHS 2010), admits that people who knew him during high school might not have expected him to someday be a business owner. He participated in a wide range of extracurricular activities from sports (three years of varsity basketball) to skateboarding to the Ski and Snowboard Club. Academically, however, he struggled in math and sought extra help. 

“Mr. (Nick) Joseph would take time out of his super busy schedule” to provide math tutoring, Carney said. Later, at UW-La Crosse, he tried a statistics class, but it didn’t go well. Instead, he focused on his interest in global politics and international relations, earning a degree in political science. 

Meantime, his love of the outdoors led him to a job with Three Rivers Outdoors while in La Crosse. Upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco near his two older brothers and worked for two years at another sporting goods store.

Then, he returned to Northeastern Wisconsin and joined the team at Zeller’s Ski and Sports. It was those experiences that fed his entrepreneurial spirit. He learned merchandising, marketing, inventory control, and most importantly, how to treat customers and go extra steps to accommodate them. 

“People usually get an MBA. I did the school of hard knocks,” Carney said. “I have the passion and desire, and I’m not afraid to start from nothing.”

After six years at Zeller’s, Carney made his big move. He wrote a business plan and found a visible location for his shop in a former beauty salon. Carney did some remodeling and began building his inventory with unique brands, such as Hurricane Kayaks which is known for an ultralight design that makes handling and launching easier than

traditional plastic kayaks. Among the store’s winter sports products are step-on boots and bindings for snowboarding, a newer innovation that eliminates the need for manual buckling. 

“I’ve been going to buying shows for 10 years, so I knew all the (sales) reps and how to deal with their finance departments,” he said. 
Carney also draws upon the skills he learned in high school, especially from basketball coaches Brian Winchester, Jeremy Boileau and Tom Paroubek. Their emphasis on leadership, accountability, and striving for excellence has been a guiding force throughout his journey. 

“I have witnessed first-hand how hard work pays off,” he said. “The lessons learned in high school, particularly in basketball and interactions with coaches and peers, have been foundational to owning and managing my own business.”

Carney believes it’s important to maintain personal connections in the greater Green Bay community. He participated in the Brown County Library’s “how to” series, giving a presentation about how to paddle Northeastern Wisconsin. 

“Community engagement is so vital,” he said. “You can’t be seen enough.” 

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De Pere High School is one of only a few in the region to offer the rigorous AP Capstone program, along with 17 additional AP classes. The College Board, which oversees Advanced Placement programs in the US and abroad, recently announced 10 De Pere students earned an AP Capstone diploma and 4 students were recognized for earning AP Capstone Seminar and Research Certificates.

Congratulations to AP Capstone Diploma recipients:

• Kennedy Baumgart
• Eliott Chronert
• Hope Dragseth 
• Avery Greene 
• Rachel Kubick 
• Ian Mackey 
• Madelyn Renier 
• Jessica Rolain 
• Amelia Schuh 
• Kaitlyn Shrader

and AP Capstone Seminar and Research Certificate recipients:

• Ashley Behnke 
• Lauren Collins 
• Tessa Grebinoski
• Eve McAvoy

The AP Capstone diploma program is based on 2 year-long AP courses: AP Seminar and AP Research. These courses are designed to complement other AP courses that  AP Capstone students may take. Instead of teaching specific subject knowledge, AP Seminar and AP Research use an interdisciplinary approach to develop the critical thinking, research, collaboration, time management and presentation skills students need for college-level work. College Board developed the AP Capstone Diploma program at the request of higher education professionals, who saw a need for a systematic way for high school students to begin mastering these skills before college. 

In addition to the Capstone scholars, the following students were recognized by the College Board: 

• 50 students were named AP Scholars with Distinction (granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on 5 or more of these exams)
• 34 students were named AP Scholars with Honor (granted to students who receive an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on 4 or more of these exams)
• 58 students were named AP Scholars (granted to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on 3 or more AP exams.)*

*note: some students received multiple honors