About Us
Camp BYOC (Build Your Own Computer) was founded by Robin Walker, President/CEO of CDM Technologies, a computers sales and service business that focuses on delivering a full range of support and product offerings to consumers and small business enterprises.
The first camp was held in August 2014 and had 9 students ranging in age from 11-14. Students built their own computer while learning the science of how hardware and software interact and integrate to produce one of society's most important tools.
CDM is thankful to Father Trevor Babb who championed the program and helped establish a sponsor and partnership with St. Simon of Cyrene Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio. Father Babb invested his personal time and worked with the Episcopal Diocese to fund a significant portion of the program. What we accomplished that first year was well beyond our goals and objectives.
Camp Exec Director
Robin Walker - Cell - 513-377-1679
Camp Director of Operations
Jasmine Clark - Office - 513-549-8308
Past Camps
Since beginning in 2014, Camp BYOC has invested and trained many students to build and maintain their own computers. Each year we have improved the program to add younger students and grow the skills and experiences of returning students. We now have camps all year round designed for different age groups, skill levels and maturity. In the future we plan to expand the beyond Cincinnati to other major cities/communities.
- 2014: PILOT Jr Engineering Camp, Ages 11-14
- 2015: Expanded Engineering Camps, Ages 12-14; Associate Engineer's trip to Silicon Valley
- 2016: Added Sr Engineering Camp
- 2017: Added the Exploratory Camp, Continued Engineering Camps,
- 2nd Trip to Silicon Valley
- 2018: Expanded Exploratory Camp and Started Saturday Club Sessions
- 2019: Expanded All Camps
Testimonials
"I never dreamed that I would ever build my own computer, but I did."
-- A. Rodriguez, Cincinnati
”Camp BYOC is a great opportunity for students and was a great success this year (2017). I started off as a student in 2014 and came back as a volunteer for the past two years”.
--David Fowler, Jr., Cincinnati
"The trip to California (2015) was a tremendous experience! Being able to visit five different major companies had one common effect on me and that is dreams really come true! This great opportunity put me on a different road to greatness, to make a difference in the world. I'm now a dream maker and catcher, this trip will always live with me!"
--Kayln Lee, Cincinnati
"I got to get on a plane and go to California! We went to Silicon Valley and had an exciting, almost once in a lifetime experience. We went to big companies like SAAMA, HP, FACEBOOK, INTEL, and CISCO. These companies change technology, making it easier and easier to work on and use computers. Thank you very much for helping us have this experience."
--Brandon Thomas, Cincinnati
"My time at BYOC has been amazing. I was apart of the associate camp (2015)... ,Camp BYOC Forever!!!!!!"
--Khalil Thomas, CIncinnati
"It was the excitement, creativity, curiosity and accomplishment of each youth that made the program transformative and equipped them with a life skill"
-- Father T. Babb, Cincinnati
About The Founder-Robin Walker
I have been an IT professional for over 30 years. I worked for Procter & Gamble for 24 years developing, managing and supporting technology for many business units both in the U.S. and abroad. Created technology strategy and implementation plans to enable business success. Worked with associates in Europe, Asia and Mexico to build global technology infrastructure and applications which supported global business models in product development and manufacturing.
Building on my Procter & Gamble experiences, I created Business & Gaming Technologies, Inc. to offer technology solutions to small and medium sized businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area and Indianapolis.
We offer computing/networking technologies, web solutions, and office technologies to businesses. We sell hardware components and provide repair services to retail customers at CDM Technologies (local retail stores) in Cincinnati and Indianapolis.
I founded Camp BYOC for several reasons. I have always looked for ways to give back to the community through my business. Camp BYOC allows me to share my skills and experiences with the upcoming generation giving them a head start in technology. As an African American woman, I know the challenges African Americans and women face in technology. Besides there being too few people in technology overall, very few are women or minority. The statistics haven't changed in over 30 years. Camp BYOC gives me the opportunity to impact those statistics and help prepare others like me for the journey. The excitment of learning technology, the joy in seeing ideas come to life, the determination to overcome technical challenges, Camp BYOC is preparation ground for the future.