PROGRAM OWNERSHIP
This program delivery is supported by Sunshine Hill Farms LLC. Kevin and Sharon Inglin are the owners.
SOLUTION FOUNDER
Kevin is the author and implementor of the program and the principal person behind the design and content.
NWNJBA PARTNERSHIPS
This program continues to thrive in partnership with the Northwest New Jersey Beekeepers Association (NWNJBA) in conducting the real-world testing of the course materials. It would be difficult at best to build a program that aspires to work within an association setting, without operating it without an association.
We are so appreciative of the Executive Board of NWNJBA, as well as their members in support of the program. NWNJBA has served as the model agency for continuing the growth of the solution and deserves recognition for giving us the opportunity to learn.
For the connection, both Kevin and Sharon are members of the New Jersey Beekeepers Association; specifically the Northwest New Jersey Beekeepers Association (NWNJBA).
Kevin Inglin: Program Founder
A passion for beekeeping….
Hello, and thanks for stopping by. I am the creator of the program and glad that you have taken the time to review our program.
By way of introduction, I am a hobbyist beekeeper, a beekeeping podcaster, a beekeeping educator, and an Eastern Apiculture Society Master Beekeeper. I am the author and the implementor of the program.
With the help of my wife Sharon, we keep around 20 or so hives at our home and in some out yards around Hunterdon County New Jersey.
I have been a lifelong educator and have taken that inspiration to design and launch this course in hopes of giving back to the beekeeping community that I so enjoy.
HOBBYIST BEEKEEPING
Proud NEW JERSEY Beekeepers
It helps that we are just like you.
Our beekeeping has its origins in Sharon’s mother’s past history of keeping bees. Her parents retired and moved to Florida and when we purchased her family home, she decided she wanted to take up beekeeping; That was in 2008. Sharon was the beekeeper, and Kevin was the beekeeper’s husband.
Along the way, the roles changed. Sharon started a Boy Scout troop in our hometown and found that it took much of her time and in response, Kevin took the lead in keeping the bees. Sharon became the beekeeper’s wife…
Sunshine Hill Farms
A NEW BUSINESS IS STARTING FOR US
We have settled into Kevin taking care of the hives and Sharon running the honey and products of the hive side of the business.
Up until recently we simply kept bees for the pleasure of it. As of last year, Sharon and I formed a business late last year to sell some of the honey we produce. We plan to get that up and running in earnest after the beekeeping season begins.
Passion for Learning and Teaching
THE BEEKEEPERS CORNER PODCAST
In the spring season of 2010, Kevin decided to create a podcast about keeping bees. The podcast is still going strong after 200-plus episodes. What started out as an effort to document what we learned turned into a decade-plus of talking about beekeeping topics, our local efforts, and quite a few interviews are in the mix. The podcast might be the longest-running beekeeping podcast out there and we have enjoyed interactions with beekeepers from around the world.
https://www.bkcorner.org
MASTER BEEKEEPER
One of the stops along the journey of trying to be proficient in beekeeping was the pursuit of becoming an EAS Master Beekeeper. Kevin obtained his certification in 2019 after a few years of applying himself to achieve the certificate.
VIDEOS
Kevin has filmed and produced a large contingent of videos on the topic of Beekeeping. It is pretty hard to find a moment when Kevin is not capturing something when working bees, taking in presentations, teach and so on. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of videos that have been produced over the years. The vast majority of them are available on YouTube at:
https://youtube.com/nwnjba
There are also many on the BKCorner dedicated page on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/bkcorner
BEEKEEPING EDUCATION and SPEAKER
As beekeepers, we have had the fortune of excellent tutelage through our membership with the Northwest New Jersey Beekeepers Association branch of the NJBA.
Along the journey, Kevin garnered enough confidence to share what he has learned and become a beekeeping educator. What started out as lessons for the local association has now grown to routinely deliver presentations at regional conferences as well as traveling to other locations in the US to teach beekeeping.
Often from the notoriety of producing the podcast, and after presenting at multiple EAS conferences, Kevin has been invited to present at a handful of local, regional, and state-level conferences and meetings.
LIFE LESSONS HELPING THE JOURNEY
One question I am asked is how do you do it? How is it possible to do all of this as one person?
The proper answer is I am never idle, and I am passionate about what I do. The logical answer is I am a nutcase (LOL). If you care to spend a little more time digging into my background you will find that my life’s pursuits all add up to the skills that help me achieve pulling off something like this course.
This is not a necessary read, but if you want to get a sense – forge on…
VOLUNTEERISM
Much of what I do starts with the fact that I have been a “professional-volunteer” my whole life. As a teenager, I volunteered to coach pee-wee football. in my late teens, I served as a volunteer EMT and Firefighter. I also served as president of the New Jersey First Aid Council for a spell.
I have a history of volunteering in my community – serving in several posts over the years: Baseball coach, President and Coach of the Local Soccer Club, Cub and Boy Scout leader, and Emergency Management Coordinator.
My years of operating in these different disciplines taught me quite a bit about how organizatons work and how to serve the stakeholders of the community.
WORK EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
I chose a different path out of high school, skipping college and going to art school for Graphic Design. I have a sound foundation in art and design and used that to my advantage when operating a Sign Business for a decade after high school.
My EMT/Firefighter pursuits led me to my second career – working as a 9-1-1 operator for the county of Hunterdon. While there I became interested in computers and that took me to a career in Information Technology.
My third career is still underway – working for Bristol Myers Squibb as an IT Solutions architect and manager. My time at BMS has been invaluable when it comes to learning how to operate large scale deliveries and project management. I am PMP and Agile project management certified which helps considerably.
HOBBIES
Besides beekeeping, I have been an avid sim-racer on and off for decades. It is an unusal pursuit but along the way, I surprisingly learned a good number of technical things. Another activity that has come of this is my work as an eSports sim-racing broadcaster and I continue to be sought out by several online TV companies for NASCAR-style broadcasts.
Collectively the skills stack up to being able to speak in public, understand how to build solutions the servce some need (like this program), execute the artwork and graphics, being able to produce video, perform voice overs, and so on, and so on. I am a one-armed paper hanger, but I keep myself busy with my projects and wouldn’t have it any other way.