Staff Spotlight: Ben Cardillo, Facilities Director

Ben Cardillo

Cardillo has become a ‘household name’ at HCBC over the years. Peter Cardillo got his start here in the late ‘70s on Summer Staff and returned in the late ‘90s following a call from Executive Director Jon Oldham about a position as Food Services Director. He was excited about the opportunity to return to Harvey Cedars and remained in the position for five years before beginning work at America’s Keswick. During those years, Peter’s children spent many days here, exploring the grounds, playing in the old gym, and interacting with the guests. Once the children became old enough, several of them chose to follow in their father’s footsteps and work on Summer Staff.

Ben Cardillo has recently accepted the role of Facilities Director. He began his journey when he joined the Summer Staff program from 2009-2011. He thoroughly enjoyed his time on staff and the friends he made along the way. In the fall of 2011, Ben enrolled at Cairn University, graduating in 2016 with a Business and Bible degree. That summer, he returned to the conference as Assistance Food Services Manager before the Lord led him to begin a career in the construction field.

Ben spent seven years as a carpenter and eventually a project manager. In 2017, he married Haley, with whom he is raising two sons. As his work brought him to LBI, he would often drive past HCBC on his way to job sites in Loveladies and Barnegat Light, thinking about his days on Summer Staff and as a child running around the conference. Little did he know, it would not be long before he would be back again on the same grounds.

In the fall of 2023, Jon gave Ben a call about the Facilities Director position. He asked Ben what he was up to and what plans he had for the future, and let him know that a spot was open on staff if the Lord would lead him to it. Ben and Haley spent much time talking through and praying about the possibility, and after a few months he determined that he wanted to apply and see if he could be a good addition to the staff here as they continue to carry out the mission and vision of the conference.

Ben cites one of his primary motivations to pursue his position as the desire to see and experience the results of his work. In the construction field, workers rarely get to build a significant work relationship with their clientele and experience the results of their labors in individuals’ lives. The staff at HCBC get to see the conference’s mission and vision in vivid detail on a regular basis as guests’ lives are changed.

In Ben’s own words, “Regardless of who you are and how long you’ve been here, there’s an understanding that this place is something special. It takes a special kind of person to work here because of the unique requirements of the ministry, but I needed to come because of what this place has done and can do in the lives of so many people. You’re not just doing what you do so that somebody can come and go to the beach. That would not be a good enough reason. I’m hopeful that as I learn my role in this place, I can use the talents and gifts God has given me to make HCBC even more efficient and keep us moving in the direction God wants us to go. People have come and gone over the years, but continuing to advance the mission and vision here has to be at the forefront of what we do.”