Christi sits down with the Grand Valley Outdoor Recreation Coalition's new Executive Director, Chandler Smith, on this month's Full Circle Podcast. Hear from Chandler on the GVORC's mission, the state of outdoor recreation in the Grand Valley, and his own fascinating background in the industry.
Learn more about GVORC at https://gvorc.org/
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The Full Circle podcast, compelling interviews
and incredible tales fromColorado's Western Slope, from
the mountains to the desert.
Christy Reese and her team herefrom the Movers Shakers, and
characters of the Grand Valleyand surrounding mountain towns
that make the Western slope theplace we all love. You'll
learn, you'll laugh, you'lllove with the full circle. Hi
everyone, Kristy Reese here,and I'm super excited to bring
(00:28):
you another episode of the FullCircle Podcast. And our guest
today is Chandler Smith,husband, father, all around
good guy, grand Junctionresident. And now the executive
Director of the Grand ValleyOutdoor Recreation Coalition.
Welcome Chandler.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Thank you, Christie . Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Um, so tell us a little bit about yourself. Uh,
we always start with that.
Where did you grow up?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
So I'm a Colorado native. Mm-Hmm..
I grew up in Fort Collins , uh,spent most of my time in the
front range, but , uh, schoolin Boulder. Mm-Hmm.
. Um, which , uh,was not to my dad's pleasure
because he was , uh,administrator at CSU for 30
years. Mm-Hmm. .
But I did make the move to ,uh, Boulder spent , uh, my
college years there. And thenultimately , um, spent a little
(01:15):
bit of time in Vail. Um, partof my degree there was Tourism
Resort Management, and thenactually did a short stint out
in Northern California, andthen 15 years in Denver before
I relocated here.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Wow. And , um, well , a lot of people draw
parallels between Fort Collinsand Grand Junction. Do you
think they're pretty similar?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Absolutely.
Certainly Fort Collins in itsearlier years. Mm-Hmm .
, um, that waspart of what drove , uh, my
wife and I to move out here.
Mm-Hmm . was ,uh, the, you know, the
similarities. You know, whenyou look at , um, the
population of Fort Collins atthe time when I grew up in the
eighties, early nineties , uh,very similar to Grand Junction
, um, the access to the outdoor, uh, infrastructure. Mm-Hmm .
(01:55):
, uh, putterCanyon, lower State Park. And
then certainly having thatuniversity as a anchor to the
community was very similar toCSU and obviously CMU here. Um
, so yeah, so that was a bigpiece of it. 'cause I
thoroughly enjoyed my childhoodand really wanted to have my
children experience that samething. Mm-Hmm . ,
um, in the community and , andeven the downtown charm, right?
Yes . I mean, the downtown wasvery similar , uh, back in
(02:17):
those days. So yeah. A lot ofparallels and I'm really
grateful to call Grand Junctionhome. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
So , um, what year did you move here?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
So we were, I wanna say October of 2018. Okay .
Speaker 2 (02:30):
And , um, when you were at CU Boulder, you studied
marketing and outdoorrecreation , uh, kind of focus.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yeah. So I was a business administration Mm-Hmm
. , uh, secondaryemphasis in tourism resort
management, but really myfamily at CU Boulder was the
outdoor program, which theyhave a similar program here at
CMU. Uh , but that was myfraternity for a lack of a
better word. Uh, it was , itwas my people, it was my
community. And , uh, dideverything from marketing,
administration for the programitself, but then guided tours,
(02:58):
kayaking, fly fishing, rockclimbing , um, and thoroughly
enjoyed it. And that , youknow, that's really what
sparked , uh, my, my love andpassion for the outdoors and
started to get me thinkingabout, you know, how can we
make a career in
Speaker 2 (03:10):
This industry?
Mm-Hmm . . Andare those the three of your
favorite outdoor pursuits?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
They're , they're certainly up there. You know, I
, I'm, I'm by no means anexpert of any of 'em. I'm kind
of a , a jack of all trades inthose , um, you know, can, can
do 'em and do 'em well and do'em safe, but not, not a don't,
don't pretend to be a pro ofany of 'em . Um, grew up , uh,
with a cabin on the PooterCanyon. Nice. And , uh, so, you
know, the hiking , um, playingin the river, kayaking, fly
(03:36):
fishing. Yeah. Those were theones that I was introduced to
at a young, young age. Butskiing, snow sports , um, you
name it, there's really notanything I don't enjoy doing.
You know, as a family now, wespend a lot of time on the
river rafting , uh, flyfishing.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah. It's , uh, I think such a challenge , um, to
find time to rest whenyou live in Colorado, right.
When you're not working, you'relike, there's so many things to
do.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
There is. Yeah. And , um, but, but that's good. It
keeps you young, it keeps youhealthy, and , uh, you get to
rest once you die, does
Speaker 2 (04:06):
? I agree. I
agree. So , um, are you a
cyclist too, because you've gota history with some cycling
events?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, I am . I should have , uh, probably led
with that. Um, so yeah, cyclinghas been a part of my world for
a better part of 20 years.
Mm-Hmm. . Um,when I moved back to Colorado ,
uh, from the Bay Area , um, Iwas introduced to the National
Ms. Society from multiplesclerosis. And at that point in
time , um, I led their, whatwas a three day 50 mile
(04:37):
challenge, walk a fundraiser ,um, and a year later.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And that , that happens all over the country,
doesn't it? It does.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah. Exactly. And , uh, a year later they asked if
I'd want to take over theirlargest fundraiser, which at
the time was called the MS one50 now called Bike ms , uh,
nationally. Mm-Hmm.
. And I cut myteeth in the industry there ,
uh, you know, championing thatbike tour for four years, and
then got the opportunity totake over ride the Rockies,
which was this, you know,statewide kind of jewel of an
(05:04):
event. Yeah . Um , tied to theDenver Post, and I was the
second director in its historyand , uh, really honored to
have that opportunity. And I ,uh, ran that event for better
part of 10 , uh, years. Wow.
And , um, part of thatcoincided with Governor
Hickenlooper's , uh, time inoffice, and he wanted to start
an event similar to ride theRockies, but on the Eastern
Plains of Colorado to highlight, um, you know, the
(05:26):
agricultural community and helpstimulate those economies.
Mm-Hmm . . And sowe launched what was called
Pedal the Planes. Mm-Hmm .
. And I directedthat for five years in
conjunction with Ride theRockies.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Talk about the incredible logistics that go
into , uh, organizing an eventlike that. I mean, I, I can't
imagine what it's like to, youknow, and then when you finally
get to event day, like how doesit feel?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah. You know, it's, it's funny. Often people
will say, oh, you put on a biketour, and that's, that's a
full-time job, . And ,uh, the answer, you know, is
always yes, it's a full-timejob. Um, there's so many moving
parts to that, you know ?
Mm-Hmm . andearly on it's everything from
the marketing of the event, butthe logistics, pulling permits
, um, recruiting volunteers,obviously managing your staff ,
(06:08):
um, you know, building anexperience both on and off the
bicycle. Mm-Hmm .curating routes. So there's a ,
there's a lot of moving parts.
Yeah . Um , yeah. If you're not, uh, one that enjoys juggling
a lot of balls, it's probablynot the, the right industry.
Yeah. But the, the great pieceof it is seeing it all come
together, and that event day orevent weekend is, you know,
that pinnacle, it's reachingthe summit and , uh, there's
(06:30):
really no better filling thanthat. But then there's
obviously that kind of elementafter the event too, where you
decompress and Yeah . And ifyou're, you know, somebody that
really enjoys that industry,then you're always looking for
the next thing. But , um,really enjoyed it as a great
way to spin , you know, what'snow 20 years. 'cause we broke
off from Ride the Rockies ,started our own company.
Mm-Hmm.. And ,uh, now it's gone through some
(06:51):
various names and ownership,but now it's the Ride
Collective, and I'm a principalon that. And here locally we
produce Tour of the Moon andtour the vineyards.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
And , um, that company, where were you living
when that company formed, andhow did you make that
transition to Grand Junction?
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah, so that company formed in 20 16, 20 17.
Mm-Hmm. . Andwe've gone through, it was
called , um, can't evenremember the first name,
, but it was role Massefor a long time. Yeah . And
then we became part of that .
This is
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Like such a cool name
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Outside. And then , uh, as of today, we're the Ride
Collective. Uh, but when welaunched that company, we had ,
um, close to 10 events. I thinkwe acquired one two years into
the, to the company'sexistence. Um , but it was
cross road cycling, mountainbike races and gravel events.
And so it , we had nine eventsin Colorado, one in Red River,
(07:41):
New Mexico. Mm-Hmm.
. And we justrecently actually sold off the
mountain biking in gravelevents. So we're back to just
our four staple road rides.
Mm-Hmm . , uh,copper Triangle, tour of the
Moon, tour of the Vineyards.
And then
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Copper Triangle is where ,
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Uh , copper Mountain Resort. Okay. And that's , uh,
three passes. You do , um,Fremont Pass, Tennessee Pass,
and Vail Pass. So it's a 79mile loop, kind of a Alpine
Classic,
Speaker 2 (08:04):
And then the two here, tour of the moon and tour
of the vineyards.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Exactly. And tour the , the vineyards coincides
with the wine festival. Mm-Hmm.
. Um, and that'sabout a thousand people based
downtown. And we do the kind ofthe traditional scenic wine
fruit and wine byway . Yeah. Orif they want a longer course,
they'll go up and over readerMesa Circle back in. Um, that
event's great. Obviously agreat way to , uh, showcase the
(08:28):
beautiful vineyards, orchards,yeah . Um , kind of the, a
agritourism component.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah. And you get all your exercise in and then
go to the festival and drinkwine and eat some amazing food.
I mean, Palisade has really gotsome amazing cultural aspects
to it. It
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Really does. Yeah .
Yeah. And so really grateful toand fortunate to be able to
host that event and workclosely with Cassidy at Cave
to, to make that a possibility.
And then Tour of the Moon, Imean, that's a , a Gym of a
Ride. I mean, to go through theNational Monument and have su
the support of the park and theSuperintendent , um, is, is,
you know, a unique opportunity.
And that event has been, forthe most part, for the history
(09:07):
of the event, which I wanna saywe're coming up on , uh, 10
years of that ride has been , I
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Was just gonna ask how long that's been going.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
It might be 11 actually. But that , uh,
traditionally has about 2000people that we take through the
monument. Um,
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Why is it called Tour of the Moon?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
So that goes back to the days of the Red Zinger and
the Coors Classic, which was aprofessional cycling event that
was held here on the WesternSlope. And , um, they dubbed
that stage Tour the Moon. Andso we've kind of carried that
forward. And now if youactually go along that route,
you'll see the signs and theplaques dedicated to Tour the
Moon that kind of guide youthrough the Redlands Yeah . And
(09:43):
Open over the Mesa. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
So , uh, we were talking earlier before we
started today about the factthat , um, ride the Rockies was
canceled this year, which isreally disappointing. Why do
you think that happened?
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah, you're putting me on the spot on that one. Um,
I mean, there , I think therewere several factors to be, to
be honest, and I have to, youknow, start by saying I haven't
really been involved in thatevent for the better part of 10
years now. Yeah . So, I , I canonly kinda speak from my
observations and assumptions,but first and foremost, this
market in Colorado is saturatedwith events. It used to be,
(10:15):
back in the early days, it wasIron Horse Classic and Durango
and Silverton ride the Rockiesand maybe Elephant Rock. But
now, I mean, rides are a dime adozen every weekend you could
pick, you know, your location,your discipline, mountain bike,
gravel road, and you're to acertain degree pulling from the
same pool of participants.
Mm-Hmm.. So Ithink just saturation , um, is
(10:38):
one thing
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Because they announced that they just didn't
have the registrations thatthey needed in order to go
forward.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Yeah. And I do believe there's that, you know,
that is a true statement. Um,ride the Rockies in its heyday.
Um, you know, certainly mypredecessor, during my time, it
was a lottery and , uh, we'dhave, you know, three, 4,000
applicants and we'd take 2000.
Wow. Um , so there, there'sthat piece. And then just the,
the reality of that event , um,has changed. Um , directors in
(11:06):
the last seven years, I thinkthey've had five directors, and
it's been in two differenthands of ownership. And I think
anytime , um, a company goesthrough that much transition,
you lose some of that , um,just institutional knowledge
and , uh, you know, continuitywith the volunteers and the
partners and the sponsors and ,um, you know, that ultimately
(11:28):
has some impacts on your Mm-Hmm. ability to
succeed.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Mm-Hmm.
. And obviously wehave a great cycling community
here, and it's really nice tohave some local events. Uh, do
you anticipate growing anyfurther events here in Grand
Junction?
Speaker 3 (11:45):
If I were to grow events at this point, it'd
probably be, you know, at ,with me wearing my New hat as
the executive director of theGrand Valley Outdoor Rec
Coalition. Mm-Hmm .
. I mean, that'smy full-time gig now. Yeah. Um,
the Ride Collective, I think atthis point, you know, both my
partner and I have been in theindustry for over 20 years. I
think we're both , uh, seekingnew challenges and
opportunities and to , uh, beat the seat as the ED for the
(12:06):
ORC is , um, a , a real honorand something I'm really
excited about. And I think thefuture is bright for that.
Yeah. That industry.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Well, a great segue.
Um, let's talk about GrandValley Outdoor Recreation
Coalition. Um, what can youtell us about its history? How
did it get started?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah, so the history of that , um, will , predates
my time in the Valley. Uh , itwas 2015 , um, when really just
a , a passionate group of , um,outdoor professionals , um, you
know, business owners cametogether and they really wanted
to, you know, shine a brightlight on the outdoor recreation
(12:42):
industry and its economicimpact to the valley. Mm-Hmm.
and , um, youknow, the , this in ,
Speaker 2 (12:47):
In order for civic leaders to, to take note or
would you say that was the, themain goal? Like, Hey, we're
important and we need to beacknowledged and recognized
and, and we're driving a lot ofeconomy here
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Bit . Yeah. That , that's exactly right. And you ,
you speak as though you have alot of knowledge of this, and
you should, because it shouldbe stated here that Christie is
part of the board and a , areally valuable member and
contributor.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
So thank you. I'm proud to be on the board. So
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Please fill in any blanks here, because you
probably have just as muchknowledge as I do , but
you're exactly right. It waswhen , uh, they were the , A
group was participating in whatwas called the North Star , um,
marketing, I think it was a , aconference or , um, a , a
summit of such. And it was a ,a project that was commissioned
by GEP . And it was during thattime that this group kind of
(13:35):
came together and said ,recognized this need to change
the narrative a little bitabout outdoor recreation
industry. Yeah. Um, and, and Iwould say they succeeded
greatly in doing that. Um, thiscoincided when Governor
Hickenlooper was standing up astate outdoor rec industry
office as well. Mm-Hmm .
, um, in 2015.
(13:55):
And it , I mean, that story initself is fantastic at this
point. Now, I think Utah wasthe very first state to
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Have an an outdoor,
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Have an outdoor rec rec office. And then Colorado
fell in shortly, but high . Butas of now, there's 22 states
that have outdoor rec offices ,um, you know, at the, at the
state level , um, as part ofthe government's office. Um,
North Dakota this last weekjust
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Announce theirs .
Yeah . Just, oh , that's great.
Um, why do you think it'simportant for states to have a
state outdoor recreationoffice?
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Well, I think, and, and I can share some numbers
here shortly, but I think the,the, the numbers are very
telling when you look at , um,the impact to the GDP , the ,
um, jobs, job creation Mm-Hmm.
. And then, youknow, if you get into the kind
of the wellbeing, the health,the mental element of this,
the, the social element of it,I mean, it's a, it's an
(14:47):
incredible tool and vehicle ,uh, to, you know, people's
livelihood. Yeah. And I thinkmore and more states are
recognizing that , um,certainly some states are
better positioned to capitalizeon it than others. Um, but I
think , um, you know, there ,there's a, there's a fun and
engaging movement right now onthat front. And so I think ,
(15:07):
uh, I , I would , I wouldimagine before long, every
state will have some kind ofoffice in that
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Capacity. Yeah . And , um, you know, we can talk
about the state office and alsothe local outdoor recreation
group, but , um, it focuses onnot only industries within
outdoor recreation , um,manufacturing , um, uh, tour
guides, things like that. Um,uh, big businesses like ski
(15:33):
areas, but also , um, peoplewho recreate and how do we
preserve , uh, all the greatthings that we have in Colorado
in order for our outdoorrecreation industry to thrive.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Yeah, that's exactly right. And, you know, so we
were real fortunate in that ,uh, a partner in Zoma
Foundation came on board hereabout two and a half, three
years ago. And they've providedus with now two grants. And the
first one was for kind ofplanning and strategy , uh,
building, and then the secondone was for capacity. And in
that planning period, we'reable to sit down with a
(16:08):
professional firm and gothrough kind of building out
this new three to five yearstrategic plan. Mm-Hmm .
. And we adoptedthat just recently. And that
new plan has a much broaderreach and scope than it did
before where it was veryindustry focused , and it still
is. And I would say, you know,our voice is that of the
industry. But now we're talkingabout, you know, engaging in
(16:30):
the realms of conservation andstewardship , um, access and
equity. Um, and, and that's abigger, that's a bigger , um,
ambitious Yeah. Um, mission.
Um, but , um, you know, one wayI kind of, and we're , we're
still kind of fine tuning ourelevator pitch, if you will,
but one way to kind of look atthings is the ORC really wants
(16:51):
in , in its effort to championintentional future for the
Grand Valley and ensure thatoptimal recreation continues to
be this vibrant and sustainable, um, ecosystem, if you will.
We really wanna be that tidethat raises all boats. Yeah.
And that's to bring moreawareness to the bricks and the
mortars, the , the guides, theoutfitters, but also the
(17:11):
conservation and stewardshipgroups, the land managers, and
really be a convener andmobilizer, bring all those
people together, haveconversations, talk about the
future, the good and the bad.
Um, you know, what are thethreats? Obviously this region
is growing, people are coming.
Yeah. It's no longer , uh, youknow, a secret Yeah. The word
is out. Yeah. Um, I think, youknow, as a realtor, I think
(17:34):
recently through a GrandJunction, both where , you
know, highlighted andrecognized as like one of the
top 10, top 50 regions to
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Yes. And we were in , uh, US News for being one of
the best small cities to livein. Yeah. It , it , we keep
getting pressed like that and,and that's why we live here.
Right. Right . I wanna talk alittle bit about, I want to
shout out to Sarah Schrader,who had , um, a big leadership
role in getting the ORCtogether. And , um, she's been
(18:02):
such an advocate for theindustry. She and her husband
have owned , um, bonsaiDesigns, the zip line
manufacturing company, and ,um, a core group, a a small
core group of people, and thena larger group of affiliates
kind of gathering and, and ,um, talking about things and
how can we kind of flip thenarrative about Grand Junction
and, and the whole valley and,and make it more outdoor
(18:22):
recreation focused . Um, and itseems to have happened, and I
think that the C'S role in thatit is, is really , um,
imperative. I mean, I thinklots of people come here and
are starting to realize thegreat recreation here, but
having that voice , uh, andthat group promoting things and
(18:43):
standing up for the Valley andthe industry has been really
important, don't you think?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, and we'll start with Sarah. So we wouldn't be here today
without , uh, Sarah Schrader. Imean, she was the founder of
this organization , uh,currently the president and
chair of the , uh, board. Uh ,but she really carried this
through. You have to remember,for the first 10 years , this
was just a group of volunteers.
Yep . You know, very passionatevolunteers, but they all had
(19:08):
their own, you know, day jobsand businesses to run. And she
was that glue. She kept ittogether. Yep . Um , she kept
the board meetings running. Shekept engaged , uh, doing
letters of support,interviewing candidates for ,
um, you know, be it citycouncil or county
commissioners. Um , and , andso she is definitely , um, our
, our foundation. Yeah . And ,uh, we wouldn't be here without
(19:30):
her. And , uh, really gratefultoo, because she's been a great
, um, partner in this and kindof champion and helping Yeah .
Bring me along because to acertain degree, I'm drinking
from the hose right now.
There's a lot of history tolearn, and I wanna be very
intentional , um, in how I kindof engage with the community
and learn about the differentorganizations, the different
businesses, the history beforewe really execute on too many
(19:53):
of our programs or ourinitiatives. But there are some
coming down the pipeline here,so ,
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah. So how did the Outdoor Recreation Coalition go
from being just a small groupof volunteers that met monthly?
Sometimes not a whole lot totalk about, sometimes lots to
talk about to being funded ,uh, by Zoma and talk about who
Zoma is and, and how that allhappened.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah. So that goes back to the Zoma Foundation.
Um, and that is , um, BenWalton. So part of the, the
Walton family. And , uh, Benand I , I can't speak for why,
but the Western Slope isdefinitely a region of interest
, uh, for him. And so he's beenvery integral in things like, I
mean, even Powderhorn SkiResort for that matter , um, I
don't know for certain, but Ibelieve they invested to help
(20:37):
bring some of the ski , uh,snowmaking operations , uh, to
the resort. And so, you know,there was various , uh,
relationships tied back toSarah . I kind of had some my
own , um, ends and partnershipswith the Zoma Foundation, but
it was kind of justserendipitous and the timing
and how it all, all cametogether. And about the time I
came onto the board as avolunteer , um, on kind of, I
(20:58):
wanna say it was right on theheels of the pandemic. Mm-Hmm.
, um, Zoma hadexpressed interest in really
helping elevate this ORC andmaking it be more of a, you
know, stable and integralplayer here in the community.
And so, through a number ofconversations that involved
myself, Sarah , the board, wewere able to , uh, present a
plan to them that theyultimately funded, which led to
(21:20):
the strategic planning, andthen the next round of funding
for capacity building thatallowed me to step into this
position. Yeah. Uh , full time,
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Which is so exciting. So, talk about the O
C's mission now. Um, what isthe plan? What is the
intention? What's the goal?
Speaker 3 (21:38):
Yeah. So , uh, you know, our, our mission is
really to, to champion thatintentional future , um, to
contribute to a thriving localeconomy and, and create
community connectedness andwellbeing for, for all. And ,
um, you know, in the short term, we're gonna do that through
what we call our three guidingpillars. And that's , um,
community connection,education, and awareness, and
(21:59):
in industry advancement. And ,um, you know, how we achieve
that is really gonna be throughadvocating for our
stakeholders. We're gonna startto host some , uh, what we call
and hopefully our impactfulevents. Um, I can dive into
that here in a bit. Yeah . Butone of 'em will be these
campfire sessions that we'regonna launch here pretty soon ,
um, you know, continue to forgestrategic partners and then ,
(22:20):
uh, disseminate informationabout the industry and what's
going on. And right now, thebest way we're doing that is
through our new website , uh,gbo rc.org, which is kind of
the hub for all things outdoorrecreation. So whether you're a
resident or a visitor, weinvite you to come to the
website and it's kind of yourone stop shop to navigate the
(22:40):
recreational landscapes here.
Yeah . And then also yourdiscipline. So if you're an
avid bicyclist, you can gointo, you know, our bike tab
and that drills down , downinto where to bike. Yeah. What
shops to go to, to get yourbike to or buy the gear and the
equipment. Um, two, ultimatelyhow to recreate responsibly ,
um, and be good stewards Yeah .
(23:00):
Of , of our landscapes.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
And there's a wealth of information on the website,
and it will continue to growand we'll just keep adding.
Right. Um, one of the things Ilove is this is not , um, uh,
the , the businesses that arelisted on the website are not
members or, you know, there'sno donation required in order
for you to be , um, included.
(23:21):
So , um, if you're a businessowner in the recreation
industry , um, you know, makesure that you're on the website
because it's a , it's gonna besomething that I think not only
locals turn to, but tourists aswell.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Yeah, exactly. And I appreciate that plug. And I
would also say, you know, be anextra set of eyes , uh, for us
on that. Mm-Hmm., you know , um, we'd like to
think we have all the rightinformation, but it , it's a
lot of information, and so if ,uh,
Speaker 2 (23:45):
It's hard to keep it updated for
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Sure. Yeah. So, so please , um, we welcome that
feedback , um, all the time.
Great.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Um, so talk more about the events coming up. I
love the campfire sessions.
That's gonna be really fun.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah. So the campfire sessions really gonna
be our first effort of justbringing different groups to
the table. And that could bedifferent land managers, it
could be different user groups,but have people start to
connect and communicate andtalk about what they're doing
kind of in their world of work.
Um, but to, to a certaindegree, kind of break down
these silos and , uh, you know,as a group look forward into
(24:22):
the future and how we can beststeward , uh, this region. Um,
especially with the, you know,the , the growth and the, the
movement of people coming here.
Um, and so these campfiresessions, they , they'll vary
in topics and, and discussions.
Mm-Hmm . , thatcould be as broad as how not to
love our space to death. Mm-Hmm. . Or it could
be about the, the balance ofconservation, wildlife, and
(24:43):
recreation. And , um, you know,the format's gonna be
different. Um, I think thesefirst couple will bring a , a
panel of experts in, have someq and a, and then , um, all of
these are open to the publicfree. Good chance. They'll
usually be hosted at , at , ata brewery or distillery and
have some libations. But , um,it's really just to, to, to
convene and have goodconversation.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Will you be having some , um, like authors and
artists and things like thatwho are, you know, maybe
writing about the outdoors or,
Speaker 3 (25:14):
Yes, absolutely. You know, there's really no , uh,
limitations to who and what wecan bring in other than it'll
be very, you know, outdoorfocused in nature, outdoor
recreation focused . Um, and ,uh, and we welcome people to
submit ideas and , um, fortopics and or , uh, speakers
and presenters. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
That'd be great.
What other kind of events doyou have planned besides
campfire sessions?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, for us right now too , just a big charge is
just awareness and educationabout who we are. So I'm
starting to host a lot of lunchand learns, and , um, again,
another invitation to thepublic. Like if you're an
organization, a social group, arotary , uh, a business, and
you'd like to learn more aboutour mission, our purpose, we'll
come in, we'll cater the lunchand we'll, we'll speak to your,
(25:57):
your community. Um, and, andhopefully from that there'll be
kind of a new appreciation,understanding of what we're
doing. But then also you'llwalk away with a sense of how
you guys can , uh, plug in andsupport the mission. And , um,
you know, probably worthnoting, we're also here to
champion some other effortsthat are happening, one of
which is the West Slope OutdoorVolunteers. Yes . And there's a
(26:17):
new website tied to that, whichhopefully will play a bigger
role in championing in thefuture. But that is this kind
of landing page for the outdoorvolunteer needs right now with
seven different groups.
Colorado Canyons Association,the Colorado West Land Trust,
Colorado National MonumentAssociation, the great old
broads for outdoor WildernessRivers, edge West, and the
(26:38):
Grand Valley, Audubon , andEureka. And all of these groups
are the groups that are bootson the ground doing the work to
protect, maintain, enhance.
Mm-Hmm . , ouroutdoor infrastructure. Mm-Hmm.
. And , um, it'skind of this one, again,
one-stop shop to where you canbuild a volunteer base and go
out and, you know, through acalendar, seek the
(26:59):
opportunities that are best foryou.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Well, and I know that , um, some people don't
have time to volunteer, but weare getting a lot of people
that come to our community thatreally do wanna volunteer. And
what a great thing to say,especially if you wanna be
outdoors, here are a lot ofopportunities for you all in
one space. Yeah,
Speaker 3 (27:18):
No , that's exactly right .
Speaker 2 (27:20):
Yeah . Um, talk, you know , in a lot of my
interviews that I do on thepodcast, we talk about the
wonderful collaboration that'sbeen happening in the last few
years with all the differentorganizations and , um, leaders
in our community, whether it's, um, you know, city council
and , uh, the tourism boards ,um, the three different
(27:43):
communities and theirgovernments , um, but also
Chamber of Commerce's and , um,you know, all, all the
different players in town andGGEP especially. Um , how, how
does the ORC collaborate withsome of the other groups in
town, and what are thebenefits?
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Yeah. So, you know, I , I'd probably start with
just sharing that from the timewe've moved here, just in this
last six years, the change thatI've seen in the evolution of
that and the spirit ofcollaboration Mm-Hmm.
has beenremarkable. Yeah. Um, so it's a
great time for us to be able tolike, hopefully get a seat at
that table. But yeah, theintent is for us to work very
(28:23):
closely with all those entitiesthat you mentioned. Um, you
know, city council certainlyright now seems very , um,
forward thinking and proactiveand , um, wanting to nurture
and under , you know, theirunderstanding of what outdoor
recreation means , uh, to thisMm-Hmm . , uh,
community and region. Um, thedifferent tourism boards visit
(28:44):
gj , and then you have tourismadvisory boards for Palisade
and Fruita . Obviously, outdoorrecreation is a key component ,
um, you know, to theirbusiness. Um, and, you know,
the , the spirit ofcollaboration is great. We just
had a panel at the , um,economic summit Yeah. And we
had representation from fruitto Palisade, grand Grand
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Junction. That was a really great session, by the
way. Good job with that.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Yeah. Well, they , they did the, the heavy lift,
but , um, it , it wasremarkable just to see that the
spirit in which they're playingand supporting one another.
Mm-Hmm. . Um, andbecause the reality is when
they come in, the way theValley lies here is more times
than not, people are playing inall three regions, or at least
a couple of the regions. And sothat , uh, ability to work hand
(29:25):
in hand and support one anotheris key. And , and we'll do that
too through our platform. Wewill , you know, direct people
to the actual tourism sites orvisit gj because they have a
wealth of information that goesbeyond what we're doing in
terms of the, you know, thelodging components, the retail,
the dining. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
. And
how about the relationship with
Grand Junction economicPartnership and their , uh,
efforts to bring new outdoorrecreation businesses to town?
Speaker 3 (29:52):
Yes . I mean, that movement now is, you know, that
that was going on before I was, uh, here in the valley, but
that is now, from what I canunderstand, one of their key
components of economicdevelopment, if not, you know,
at the forefront of whatthey're doing. Yeah. And that's
continuing to re recruit and ,um, court companies that
operate in that space , uh, tobring 'em here. And , uh, you
(30:14):
know, kind of our role in thatis, you know, if and when that
time's appropriate for us tolike, host and, you know, tour
somebody around the region,then we would step in and
support that. And we haverepresentation on our board
with Steve , um, on , you know,for that. So there's a nice
kind of connection Yeah .
Between the two groups.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Well, we've talked a lot about the great things that
, um, G-V-O-R-C is doing to ,um, convene and collaborate.
What do you think the biggestthreats are for our outdoor
recreation industry and ouroutdoor recreation in general
here? What do we need to bedoing as a, a group and a
community to make sure that wecontinue to thrive?
Speaker 3 (30:52):
Well, it's a great question. I think it's a , it's
a question that a lot ofcommunities are asking
themselves. Um, you know ,there's just inherent
challenges that come withpopulation growth. Mm-Hmm.
. And what's, youknow, exciting about this
region is, I think we can stillget in front of that. Whereas
on the front range, you know,certainly in my adulthood I was
(31:16):
a part of and or witnessed, youknow, the good and the bad in
terms of how they went aboutthose things in a sustainable
way. And so I think we havegreat models in the front range
that we can, you know, takebest practices from and
implement 'em here. But I thinkultimately how we continue to
steward our landscapes, notlove them to death , um, is
(31:37):
gonna be really, reallyimportant. And I think to best
do that, you know, we need toall work in tandem, kind of
break down silos, have gooddialogue with the land managers
, um, you know, bring differentuser groups together. So I
think that's one thing. Youknow, another issue, and this
is something that's plaguingthe country, for that
matter, but is affordablehousing. Mm-Hmm.
(31:58):
. So when you talk about thebusinesses and being able to
recruit good talent here , um,to live, to raise families, you
know, the housing piece is acomponent of that. And yeah . I
mean, you , you probably knowthat super
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Challenging far better than I do. Yeah. Um,
high rates and low inventorymeans high prices and , uh,
it's, it's hard to , to buy ahome in Colorado anywhere. And
we used to be considered superaffordable compared to a lot of
the other communities. And, and, uh, I don't , uh, maybe
we're, we're still moreaffordable than the resort
towns, but still it's, it'sgotten a little bit more
(32:31):
difficult for buyers here.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
And then I think, you know, the other thing we
really needed to focus on isjust right here in our own
backyard, our residents and ourpeople. And, and when we think
about , um, access and equity,you know, it's, it's actually
alarming, you know, in talkingwith some of these different
groups of Mm-Hmm .
, how many peopleright here in Grand Junction ,
um, you know, they live at thebase of Mount Garfield and the
(32:54):
book Cliffs , you know, stonesthrow away from the Monument
one riverfront trail, theriver. And some of these kids
have never touched foot orplayed on any of these. Yeah.
Um, you know, landscapes and ,um, resources. And so looking
at how we can, you know,partner and there's groups
doing great work in the spacenow. So it's not us stepping in
(33:17):
and trying to, you know, movesomething on our own. Yes . But
really partnering with theseorganizations , um, and, and
elevating their work is gonnabe key. Um ,
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Getting kids outside is a really important thing.
And we know that , um,recreating outdoors is part of
a healthy lifestyle, and infact, love what Mesa County has
done with tying the healthdepartment to trail
maintenance. How cool is that?
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Yeah. Incredible.
And, you know, we, we have afew people in that space, cop
Moba obviously being a , a bigone, but the work that Ross and
his team of trail builders aredoing now with , um, you know,
the Mesa County Trails , uh,department, which falls under ,
uh, Mesa County Public Healthis , is remarkable. And, you
know, that stems from Rossraising a lot of money through
(34:04):
grants Yeah. Uh , to, you know,enlist the support and services
of their , of the TrailBuilders 18 Road, the expansion
that's happening out there. Youknow, that's a great , um, uh,
a great example of the workthey're doing. I think when
it's all said and done, 30miles of new trails Yeah . What
we've created out there. It'sexciting. But yeah, the , the ,
the , the public health andwellness pieced outdoor
(34:25):
recreation, I mean, it's, it'sremarkable. And, and, you know,
before we do wrap anything up,I wanna share a few , uh, few
stats with you. Please do. Yeah. That are kind of on a
national level and then drillin. And so, the , uh, US Bureau
of Economic Analysis , um, justrecently announced for the
first time ever, the economiccontribution of outdoor
(34:47):
recreation surpassed $1trillion . Wow. Uh , that's
more than oil and gasextraction combined. And
mining. Amazing . 2.2% of theGDP and 5 million jobs created
from that.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Fantastic.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
You drill that down lower for , uh, Colorado, $13.9
billion , um, into the , uh,community, 19% growth , uh,
from the year prior. And that's130,000 jobs. And then here in
Mesa County, we , um, actuallyit was GEP , I wanna say CMU.
And the state outdoor recoffice commissioned a economic
(35:21):
impact study that Dr. NathanPerry helped lead , uh, from
CMU. And, and, you know, thesestats now are a couple years ,
uh, old, but at that point intime , um, they found that 11%
of jobs here in Mesa Countywere directly tied , uh, to
outdoor recreation. So there's,there's truth in these numbers.
Yeah . And , um, the othersurvey that was actually really
(35:43):
interesting, we put out, duringour strategic planning , um, we
were able to decipher that 80%of the folks that call the
Valley home , uh, they do sobecause of the access to
outdoor recreation. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
. So
we just gotta get that another
20% That's right onboard . Right, exactly . All
those kids using things. Um , Iwant to say too, that that ,
um, study that was done here inthe Grand Valley, we're one of
the only communities . So a lotof studies have been done on
the national level, statelevel, but not on a community
level. It's kind of hard topull off,
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Perhaps. Lucky still to the , to this day, the only
countywide , um, study Yeah .
That's been produced.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Super cool. Well, Chandler, thank you so much for
joining us. Any , um, closingthoughts on , um, outdoor
recreation or , uh, grandJunction?
Speaker 3 (36:38):
You know, none of that come to mind other than
the get outside and play, enjoythis beautiful , uh, country
that we live in. Yeah. And ,uh, please , please tune in
with the Outdoor Rec Coalition.
Again, we're just standing upthe organization, but a lot of
great passionate people behindthis. Uh, we invite everybody
to the table. Um, but I reallydo believe this organization ,
um, stands to , uh, play apivotal role in the future of
(37:00):
the industry.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Agree. And you're gonna start a podcast too.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
We are gonna start a podcast. So this was kind of
my, my test, my experience,first time I've ever been on
one, but I really appreciateyou having us.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
Well, you're a great guest and I'm really excited
about your executive directorposition. I think you're just
the right person for the job.
And, and the out the GrandValley Outdoor Recreation
Coalition is going to grow andflourish because of you and,
and all the members. So
Speaker 3 (37:24):
Thank you. That makes a lot. Yeah .
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Thanks everybody for joining us today. I'm Kristi
Reese here with Chandler Smith,and we'll see you next time on
the Full Circle Podcast. Thanksfor listening. This is Kristi
Reese signing out from the FullCircle Podcast .
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The Full Circle podcast, compelling interviews
and incredible tales fromColorado's Western Slope, from
the mountains to the desert.
Christy Reese and her team herefrom the Movers Shakers, and
characters of the Grand Valleyand surrounding mountain towns
that make the Western slope theplace we all love. You'll
learn, you'll laugh, you'lllove with the full circle. Hi
everyone, Kristy Reese here,and I'm super excited to bring
(00:28):
you another episode of the FullCircle Podcast. And our guest
today is Chandler Smith,husband, father, all around
good guy, grand Junctionresident. And now the executive
Director of the Grand ValleyOutdoor Recreation Coalition.
Welcome Chandler.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Thank you, Christie . Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Um, so tell us a little bit about yourself. Uh,
we always start with that.
Where did you grow up?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
So I'm a Colorado native. Mm-Hmm.
I grew up in Fort Collins , uh,spent most of my time in the
front range, but , uh, schoolin Boulder. Mm-Hmm.
because he was , uh,administrator at CSU for 30
years. Mm-Hmm.
But I did make the move to ,uh, Boulder spent , uh, my
college years there. And thenultimately , um, spent a little
(01:15):
bit of time in Vail. Um, partof my degree there was Tourism
Resort Management, and thenactually did a short stint out
in Northern California, andthen 15 years in Denver before
I relocated here.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Wow. And , um, well , a lot of people draw
parallels between Fort Collinsand Grand Junction. Do you
think they're pretty similar?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Absolutely.
Certainly Fort Collins in itsearlier years. Mm-Hmm .
wife and I to move out here.
Mm-Hmm .
similarities. You know, whenyou look at , um, the
population of Fort Collins atthe time when I grew up in the
eighties, early nineties , uh,very similar to Grand Junction
, um, the access to the outdoor, uh, infrastructure. Mm-Hmm .
(01:55):
then certainly having thatuniversity as a anchor to the
community was very similar toCSU and obviously CMU here. Um
, so yeah, so that was a bigpiece of it. 'cause I
thoroughly enjoyed my childhoodand really wanted to have my
children experience that samething. Mm-Hmm .
um, in the community and , andeven the downtown charm, right?
Yes . I mean, the downtown wasvery similar , uh, back in
(02:17):
those days. So yeah. A lot ofparallels and I'm really
grateful to call Grand Junctionhome. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
So , um, what year did you move here?
Speaker 3 (02:25):
So we were, I wanna say October of 2018. Okay .
Speaker 2 (02:30):
And , um, when you were at CU Boulder, you studied
marketing and outdoorrecreation , uh, kind of focus.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
Yeah. So I was a business administration Mm-Hmm
.
management, but really myfamily at CU Boulder was the
outdoor program, which theyhave a similar program here at
CMU. Uh , but that was myfraternity for a lack of a
better word. Uh, it was , itwas my people, it was my
community. And , uh, dideverything from marketing,
administration for the programitself, but then guided tours,
(02:58):
kayaking, fly fishing, rockclimbing , um, and thoroughly
enjoyed it. And that , youknow, that's really what
sparked , uh, my, my love andpassion for the outdoors and
started to get me thinkingabout, you know, how can we
make a career in
Speaker 2 (03:10):
This industry?
Mm-Hmm .
favorite outdoor pursuits?
Speaker 3 (03:14):
They're , they're certainly up there. You know, I
, I'm, I'm by no means anexpert of any of 'em. I'm kind
of a , a jack of all trades inthose , um, you know, can, can
do 'em and do 'em well and do'em safe, but not, not a don't,
don't pretend to be a pro ofany of 'em . Um, grew up , uh,
with a cabin on the PooterCanyon. Nice. And , uh, so, you
know, the hiking , um, playingin the river, kayaking, fly
(03:36):
fishing. Yeah. Those were theones that I was introduced to
at a young, young age. Butskiing, snow sports , um, you
name it, there's really notanything I don't enjoy doing.
You know, as a family now, wespend a lot of time on the
river rafting , uh, flyfishing.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah. It's , uh, I think such a challenge , um, to
find time to rest
When you're not working, you'relike, there's so many things to
do.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
There is. Yeah. And , um, but, but that's good. It
keeps you young, it keeps youhealthy, and , uh, you get to
rest once you die, does
Speaker 2 (04:06):
cyclist too, because you've gota history with some cycling
events?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
Yeah, I am . I should have , uh, probably led
with that. Um, so yeah, cyclinghas been a part of my world for
a better part of 20 years.
Mm-Hmm.
uh, from the Bay Area , um, Iwas introduced to the National
Ms. Society from multiplesclerosis. And at that point in
time , um, I led their, whatwas a three day 50 mile
(04:37):
challenge, walk a fundraiser ,um, and a year later.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And that , that happens all over the country,
doesn't it? It does.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Yeah. Exactly. And , uh, a year later they asked if
I'd want to take over theirlargest fundraiser, which at
the time was called the MS one50 now called Bike ms , uh,
nationally. Mm-Hmm.
uh, you know, championing thatbike tour for four years, and
then got the opportunity totake over ride the Rockies,
which was this, you know,statewide kind of jewel of an
(05:04):
event. Yeah . Um , tied to theDenver Post, and I was the
second director in its historyand , uh, really honored to
have that opportunity. And I ,uh, ran that event for better
part of 10 , uh, years. Wow.
And , um, part of thatcoincided with Governor
Hickenlooper's , uh, time inoffice, and he wanted to start
an event similar to ride theRockies, but on the Eastern
Plains of Colorado to highlight, um, you know, the
(05:26):
agricultural community and helpstimulate those economies.
Mm-Hmm .
Pedal the Planes. Mm-Hmm .
conjunction with Ride theRockies.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Talk about the incredible logistics that go
into , uh, organizing an eventlike that. I mean, I, I can't
imagine what it's like to, youknow, and then when you finally
get to event day, like how doesit feel?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah. You know, it's, it's funny. Often people
will say, oh, you put on a biketour, and that's, that's a
full-time job,
always yes, it's a full-timejob. Um, there's so many moving
parts to that, you know ?
Mm-Hmm .
the marketing of the event, butthe logistics, pulling permits
, um, recruiting volunteers,obviously managing your staff ,
(06:08):
um, you know, building anexperience both on and off the
bicycle. Mm-Hmm .
there's a lot of moving parts.
Yeah . Um , yeah. If you're not, uh, one that enjoys juggling
a lot of balls, it's probablynot the, the right industry.
Yeah. But the, the great pieceof it is seeing it all come
together, and that event day orevent weekend is, you know,
that pinnacle, it's reachingthe summit and , uh, there's
(06:30):
really no better filling thanthat. But then there's
obviously that kind of elementafter the event too, where you
decompress and Yeah . And ifyou're, you know, somebody that
really enjoys that industry,then you're always looking for
the next thing. But , um,really enjoyed it as a great
way to spin , you know, what'snow 20 years. 'cause we broke
off from Ride the Rockies ,started our own company.
Mm-Hmm.
(06:51):
various names and ownership,but now it's the Ride
Collective, and I'm a principalon that. And here locally we
produce Tour of the Moon andtour the vineyards.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
And , um, that company, where were you living
when that company formed, andhow did you make that
transition to Grand Junction?
Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yeah, so that company formed in 20 16, 20 17.
Mm-Hmm.
called , um, can't evenremember the first name,
then we became part of that .
This is
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Like such a cool name
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Outside. And then , uh, as of today, we're the Ride
Collective. Uh, but when welaunched that company, we had ,
um, close to 10 events. I thinkwe acquired one two years into
the, to the company'sexistence. Um , but it was
cross road cycling, mountainbike races and gravel events.
And so it , we had nine eventsin Colorado, one in Red River,
(07:41):
New Mexico. Mm-Hmm.
mountain biking in gravelevents. So we're back to just
our four staple road rides.
Mm-Hmm .
Moon, tour of the Vineyards.
And then
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Copper Triangle is where ,
Speaker 3 (07:53):
Uh , copper Mountain Resort. Okay. And that's , uh,
three passes. You do , um,Fremont Pass, Tennessee Pass,
and Vail Pass. So it's a 79mile loop, kind of a Alpine
Classic,
Speaker 2 (08:04):
And then the two here, tour of the moon and tour
of the vineyards.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Exactly. And tour the , the vineyards coincides
with the wine festival. Mm-Hmm.
downtown. And we do the kind ofthe traditional scenic wine
fruit and wine byway . Yeah. Orif they want a longer course,
they'll go up and over readerMesa Circle back in. Um, that
event's great. Obviously agreat way to , uh, showcase the
(08:28):
beautiful vineyards, orchards,yeah . Um , kind of the, a
agritourism component.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah. And you get all your exercise in and then
go to the festival and drinkwine and eat some amazing food.
I mean, Palisade has really gotsome amazing cultural aspects
to it. It
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Really does. Yeah .
Yeah. And so really grateful toand fortunate to be able to
host that event and workclosely with Cassidy at Cave
to, to make that a possibility.
And then Tour of the Moon, Imean, that's a , a Gym of a
Ride. I mean, to go through theNational Monument and have su
the support of the park and theSuperintendent , um, is, is,
you know, a unique opportunity.
And that event has been, forthe most part, for the history
(09:07):
of the event, which I wanna saywe're coming up on , uh, 10
years of that ride has been , I
Speaker 2 (09:11):
Was just gonna ask how long that's been going.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
It might be 11 actually. But that , uh,
traditionally has about 2000people that we take through the
monument. Um,
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Why is it called Tour of the Moon?
Speaker 3 (09:20):
So that goes back to the days of the Red Zinger and
the Coors Classic, which was aprofessional cycling event that
was held here on the WesternSlope. And , um, they dubbed
that stage Tour the Moon. Andso we've kind of carried that
forward. And now if youactually go along that route,
you'll see the signs and theplaques dedicated to Tour the
Moon that kind of guide youthrough the Redlands Yeah . And
(09:43):
Open over the Mesa. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
So , uh, we were talking earlier before we
started today about the factthat , um, ride the Rockies was
canceled this year, which isreally disappointing. Why do
you think that happened?
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Yeah, you're putting me on the spot on that one. Um,
I mean, there , I think therewere several factors to be, to
be honest, and I have to, youknow, start by saying I haven't
really been involved in thatevent for the better part of 10
years now. Yeah . So, I , I canonly kinda speak from my
observations and assumptions,but first and foremost, this
market in Colorado is saturatedwith events. It used to be,
(10:15):
back in the early days, it wasIron Horse Classic and Durango
and Silverton ride the Rockiesand maybe Elephant Rock. But
now, I mean, rides are a dime adozen every weekend you could
pick, you know, your location,your discipline, mountain bike,
gravel road, and you're to acertain degree pulling from the
same pool of participants.
Mm-Hmm.
(10:38):
one thing
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Because they announced that they just didn't
have the registrations thatthey needed in order to go
forward.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Yeah. And I do believe there's that, you know,
that is a true statement. Um,ride the Rockies in its heyday.
Um, you know, certainly mypredecessor, during my time, it
was a lottery and , uh, we'dhave, you know, three, 4,000
applicants and we'd take 2000.
Wow. Um , so there, there'sthat piece. And then just the,
the reality of that event , um,has changed. Um , directors in
(11:06):
the last seven years, I thinkthey've had five directors, and
it's been in two differenthands of ownership. And I think
anytime , um, a company goesthrough that much transition,
you lose some of that , um,just institutional knowledge
and , uh, you know, continuitywith the volunteers and the
partners and the sponsors and ,um, you know, that ultimately
(11:28):
has some impacts on your Mm-Hmm.
succeed.
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Mm-Hmm.
here, and it's really nice tohave some local events. Uh, do
you anticipate growing anyfurther events here in Grand
Junction?
Speaker 3 (11:45):
If I were to grow events at this point, it'd
probably be, you know, at ,with me wearing my New hat as
the executive director of theGrand Valley Outdoor Rec
Coalition. Mm-Hmm .
the Ride Collective, I think atthis point, you know, both my
partner and I have been in theindustry for over 20 years. I
think we're both , uh, seekingnew challenges and
opportunities and to , uh, beat the seat as the ED for the
(12:06):
ORC is , um, a , a real honorand something I'm really
excited about. And I think thefuture is bright for that.
Yeah. That industry.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
Well, a great segue.
Um, let's talk about GrandValley Outdoor Recreation
Coalition. Um, what can youtell us about its history? How
did it get started?
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Yeah, so the history of that , um, will , predates
my time in the Valley. Uh , itwas 2015 , um, when really just
a , a passionate group of , um,outdoor professionals , um, you
know, business owners cametogether and they really wanted
to, you know, shine a brightlight on the outdoor recreation
(12:42):
industry and its economicimpact to the valley. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
In order for civic leaders to, to take note or
would you say that was the, themain goal? Like, Hey, we're
important and we need to beacknowledged and recognized
and, and we're driving a lot ofeconomy here
Speaker 3 (13:01):
Bit . Yeah. That , that's exactly right. And you ,
you speak as though you have alot of knowledge of this, and
you should, because it shouldbe stated here that Christie is
part of the board and a , areally valuable member and
contributor.
Speaker 2 (13:12):
So thank you. I'm proud to be on the board. So
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Please fill in any blanks here, because you
probably have just as muchknowledge as I do
you're exactly right. It waswhen , uh, they were the , A
group was participating in whatwas called the North Star , um,
marketing, I think it was a , aconference or , um, a , a
summit of such. And it was a ,a project that was commissioned
by GEP . And it was during thattime that this group kind of
(13:35):
came together and said ,recognized this need to change
the narrative a little bitabout outdoor recreation
industry. Yeah. Um, and, and Iwould say they succeeded
greatly in doing that. Um, thiscoincided when Governor
Hickenlooper was standing up astate outdoor rec industry
office as well. Mm-Hmm .
(13:55):
And it , I mean, that story initself is fantastic at this
point. Now, I think Utah wasthe very first state to
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Have an an outdoor,
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Have an outdoor rec rec office. And then Colorado
fell in shortly, but high . Butas of now, there's 22 states
that have outdoor rec offices ,um, you know, at the, at the
state level , um, as part ofthe government's office. Um,
North Dakota this last weekjust
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Announce theirs .
Yeah . Just, oh , that's great.
Um, why do you think it'simportant for states to have a
state outdoor recreationoffice?
Speaker 3 (14:25):
Well, I think, and, and I can share some numbers
here shortly, but I think the,the, the numbers are very
telling when you look at , um,the impact to the GDP , the ,
um, jobs, job creation Mm-Hmm.
of the wellbeing, the health,the mental element of this,
the, the social element of it,I mean, it's a, it's an
(14:47):
incredible tool and vehicle ,uh, to, you know, people's
livelihood. Yeah. And I thinkmore and more states are
recognizing that , um,certainly some states are
better positioned to capitalizeon it than others. Um, but I
think , um, you know, there ,there's a, there's a fun and
engaging movement right now onthat front. And so I think ,
(15:07):
uh, I , I would , I wouldimagine before long, every
state will have some kind ofoffice in that
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Capacity. Yeah . And , um, you know, we can talk
about the state office and alsothe local outdoor recreation
group, but , um, it focuses onnot only industries within
outdoor recreation , um,manufacturing , um, uh, tour
guides, things like that. Um,uh, big businesses like ski
(15:33):
areas, but also , um, peoplewho recreate and how do we
preserve , uh, all the greatthings that we have in Colorado
in order for our outdoorrecreation industry to thrive.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Yeah, that's exactly right. And, you know, so we
were real fortunate in that ,uh, a partner in Zoma
Foundation came on board hereabout two and a half, three
years ago. And they've providedus with now two grants. And the
first one was for kind ofplanning and strategy , uh,
building, and then the secondone was for capacity. And in
that planning period, we'reable to sit down with a
(16:08):
professional firm and gothrough kind of building out
this new three to five yearstrategic plan. Mm-Hmm .
new plan has a much broaderreach and scope than it did
before where it was veryindustry focused , and it still
is. And I would say, you know,our voice is that of the
industry. But now we're talkingabout, you know, engaging in
(16:30):
the realms of conservation andstewardship , um, access and
equity. Um, and, and that's abigger, that's a bigger , um,
ambitious Yeah. Um, mission.
Um, but , um, you know, one wayI kind of, and we're , we're
still kind of fine tuning ourelevator pitch, if you will,
but one way to kind of look atthings is the ORC really wants
(16:51):
in , in its effort to championintentional future for the
Grand Valley and ensure thatoptimal recreation continues to
be this vibrant and sustainable, um, ecosystem, if you will.
We really wanna be that tidethat raises all boats. Yeah.
And that's to bring moreawareness to the bricks and the
mortars, the , the guides, theoutfitters, but also the
(17:11):
conservation and stewardshipgroups, the land managers, and
really be a convener andmobilizer, bring all those
people together, haveconversations, talk about the
future, the good and the bad.
Um, you know, what are thethreats? Obviously this region
is growing, people are coming.
Yeah. It's no longer , uh, youknow, a secret Yeah. The word
is out. Yeah. Um, I think, youknow, as a realtor, I think
(17:34):
recently through a GrandJunction, both where , you
know, highlighted andrecognized as like one of the
top 10, top 50 regions to
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Yes. And we were in , uh, US News for being one of
the best small cities to livein. Yeah. It , it , we keep
getting pressed like that and,and that's why we live here.
Right. Right . I wanna talk alittle bit about, I want to
shout out to Sarah Schrader,who had , um, a big leadership
role in getting the ORCtogether. And , um, she's been
(18:02):
such an advocate for theindustry. She and her husband
have owned , um, bonsaiDesigns, the zip line
manufacturing company, and ,um, a core group, a a small
core group of people, and thena larger group of affiliates
kind of gathering and, and ,um, talking about things and
how can we kind of flip thenarrative about Grand Junction
and, and the whole valley and,and make it more outdoor
(18:22):
recreation focused . Um, and itseems to have happened, and I
think that the C'S role in thatit is, is really , um,
imperative. I mean, I thinklots of people come here and
are starting to realize thegreat recreation here, but
having that voice , uh, andthat group promoting things and
(18:43):
standing up for the Valley andthe industry has been really
important, don't you think?
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, and we'll start with Sarah. So we wouldn't be here today
without , uh, Sarah Schrader. Imean, she was the founder of
this organization , uh,currently the president and
chair of the , uh, board. Uh ,but she really carried this
through. You have to remember,for the first 10 years , this
was just a group of volunteers.
Yep . You know, very passionatevolunteers, but they all had
(19:08):
their own, you know, day jobsand businesses to run. And she
was that glue. She kept ittogether. Yep . Um , she kept
the board meetings running. Shekept engaged , uh, doing
letters of support,interviewing candidates for ,
um, you know, be it citycouncil or county
commissioners. Um , and , andso she is definitely , um, our
, our foundation. Yeah . And ,uh, we wouldn't be here without
(19:30):
her. And , uh, really gratefultoo, because she's been a great
, um, partner in this and kindof champion and helping Yeah .
Bring me along because to acertain degree, I'm drinking
from the hose right now.
There's a lot of history tolearn, and I wanna be very
intentional , um, in how I kindof engage with the community
and learn about the differentorganizations, the different
businesses, the history beforewe really execute on too many
(19:53):
of our programs or ourinitiatives. But there are some
coming down the pipeline here,so ,
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Yeah. So how did the Outdoor Recreation Coalition go
from being just a small groupof volunteers that met monthly?
Sometimes not a whole lot totalk about, sometimes lots to
talk about to being funded ,uh, by Zoma and talk about who
Zoma is and, and how that allhappened.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah. So that goes back to the Zoma Foundation.
Um, and that is , um, BenWalton. So part of the, the
Walton family. And , uh, Benand I , I can't speak for why,
but the Western Slope isdefinitely a region of interest
, uh, for him. And so he's beenvery integral in things like, I
mean, even Powderhorn SkiResort for that matter , um, I
don't know for certain, but Ibelieve they invested to help
(20:37):
bring some of the ski , uh,snowmaking operations , uh, to
the resort. And so, you know,there was various , uh,
relationships tied back toSarah . I kind of had some my
own , um, ends and partnershipswith the Zoma Foundation, but
it was kind of justserendipitous and the timing
and how it all, all cametogether. And about the time I
came onto the board as avolunteer , um, on kind of, I
(20:58):
wanna say it was right on theheels of the pandemic. Mm-Hmm.
helping elevate this ORC andmaking it be more of a, you
know, stable and integralplayer here in the community.
And so, through a number ofconversations that involved
myself, Sarah , the board, wewere able to , uh, present a
plan to them that theyultimately funded, which led to
(21:20):
the strategic planning, andthen the next round of funding
for capacity building thatallowed me to step into this
position. Yeah. Uh , full time,
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Which is so exciting. So, talk about the O
C's mission now. Um, what isthe plan? What is the
intention? What's the goal?
Speaker 3 (21:38):
Yeah. So , uh, you know, our, our mission is
really to, to champion thatintentional future , um, to
contribute to a thriving localeconomy and, and create
community connectedness andwellbeing for, for all. And ,
um, you know, in the short term, we're gonna do that through
what we call our three guidingpillars. And that's , um,
community connection,education, and awareness, and
(21:59):
in industry advancement. And ,um, you know, how we achieve
that is really gonna be throughadvocating for our
stakeholders. We're gonna startto host some , uh, what we call
and hopefully our impactfulevents. Um, I can dive into
that here in a bit. Yeah . Butone of 'em will be these
campfire sessions that we'regonna launch here pretty soon ,
um, you know, continue to forgestrategic partners and then ,
(22:20):
uh, disseminate informationabout the industry and what's
going on. And right now, thebest way we're doing that is
through our new website , uh,gbo rc.org, which is kind of
the hub for all things outdoorrecreation. So whether you're a
resident or a visitor, weinvite you to come to the
website and it's kind of yourone stop shop to navigate the
(22:40):
recreational landscapes here.
Yeah . And then also yourdiscipline. So if you're an
avid bicyclist, you can gointo, you know, our bike tab
and that drills down , downinto where to bike. Yeah. What
shops to go to, to get yourbike to or buy the gear and the
equipment. Um, two, ultimatelyhow to recreate responsibly ,
um, and be good stewards Yeah .
(23:00):
Of , of our landscapes.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
And there's a wealth of information on the website,
and it will continue to growand we'll just keep adding.
Right. Um, one of the things Ilove is this is not , um, uh,
the , the businesses that arelisted on the website are not
members or, you know, there'sno donation required in order
for you to be , um, included.
(23:21):
So , um, if you're a businessowner in the recreation
industry , um, you know, makesure that you're on the website
because it's a , it's gonna besomething that I think not only
locals turn to, but tourists aswell.
Speaker 3 (23:33):
Yeah, exactly. And I appreciate that plug. And I
would also say, you know, be anextra set of eyes , uh, for us
on that. Mm-Hmm.
think we have all the rightinformation, but it , it's a
lot of information, and so if ,uh,
Speaker 2 (23:45):
It's hard to keep it updated for
Speaker 3 (23:47):
Sure. Yeah. So, so please , um, we welcome that
feedback , um, all the time.
Great.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
Um, so talk more about the events coming up. I
love the campfire sessions.
That's gonna be really fun.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
Yeah. So the campfire sessions really gonna
be our first effort of justbringing different groups to
the table. And that could bedifferent land managers, it
could be different user groups,but have people start to
connect and communicate andtalk about what they're doing
kind of in their world of work.
Um, but to, to a certaindegree, kind of break down
these silos and , uh, you know,as a group look forward into
(24:22):
the future and how we can beststeward , uh, this region. Um,
especially with the, you know,the , the growth and the, the
movement of people coming here.
Um, and so these campfiresessions, they , they'll vary
in topics and, and discussions.
Mm-Hmm .
love our space to death. Mm-Hmm.
be about the, the balance ofconservation, wildlife, and
(24:43):
recreation. And , um, you know,the format's gonna be
different. Um, I think thesefirst couple will bring a , a
panel of experts in, have someq and a, and then , um, all of
these are open to the publicfree. Good chance. They'll
usually be hosted at , at , ata brewery or distillery and
have some libations. But , um,it's really just to, to, to
convene and have goodconversation.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
Will you be having some , um, like authors and
artists and things like thatwho are, you know, maybe
writing about the outdoors or,
Speaker 3 (25:14):
Yes, absolutely. You know, there's really no , uh,
limitations to who and what wecan bring in other than it'll
be very, you know, outdoorfocused in nature, outdoor
recreation focused . Um, and ,uh, and we welcome people to
submit ideas and , um, fortopics and or , uh, speakers
and presenters. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (25:32):
That'd be great.
What other kind of events doyou have planned besides
campfire sessions?
Speaker 3 (25:36):
Well, for us right now too , just a big charge is
just awareness and educationabout who we are. So I'm
starting to host a lot of lunchand learns, and , um, again,
another invitation to thepublic. Like if you're an
organization, a social group, arotary , uh, a business, and
you'd like to learn more aboutour mission, our purpose, we'll
come in, we'll cater the lunchand we'll, we'll speak to your,
(25:57):
your community. Um, and, andhopefully from that there'll be
kind of a new appreciation,understanding of what we're
doing. But then also you'llwalk away with a sense of how
you guys can , uh, plug in andsupport the mission. And , um,
you know, probably worthnoting, we're also here to
champion some other effortsthat are happening, one of
which is the West Slope OutdoorVolunteers. Yes . And there's a
(26:17):
new website tied to that, whichhopefully will play a bigger
role in championing in thefuture. But that is this kind
of landing page for the outdoorvolunteer needs right now with
seven different groups.
Colorado Canyons Association,the Colorado West Land Trust,
Colorado National MonumentAssociation, the great old
broads for outdoor WildernessRivers, edge West, and the
(26:38):
Grand Valley, Audubon , andEureka. And all of these groups
are the groups that are bootson the ground doing the work to
protect, maintain, enhance.
Mm-Hmm .
one-stop shop to where you canbuild a volunteer base and go
out and, you know, through acalendar, seek the
(26:59):
opportunities that are best foryou.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
Well, and I know that , um, some people don't
have time to volunteer, but weare getting a lot of people
that come to our community thatreally do wanna volunteer. And
what a great thing to say,especially if you wanna be
outdoors, here are a lot ofopportunities for you all in
one space. Yeah,
Speaker 3 (27:18):
No , that's exactly right .
Speaker 2 (27:20):
Yeah . Um, talk, you know , in a lot of my
interviews that I do on thepodcast, we talk about the
wonderful collaboration that'sbeen happening in the last few
years with all the differentorganizations and , um, leaders
in our community, whether it's, um, you know, city council
and , uh, the tourism boards ,um, the three different
(27:43):
communities and theirgovernments , um, but also
Chamber of Commerce's and , um,you know, all, all the
different players in town andGGEP especially. Um , how, how
does the ORC collaborate withsome of the other groups in
town, and what are thebenefits?
Speaker 3 (28:02):
Yeah. So, you know, I , I'd probably start with
just sharing that from the timewe've moved here, just in this
last six years, the change thatI've seen in the evolution of
that and the spirit ofcollaboration Mm-Hmm.
great time for us to be able tolike, hopefully get a seat at
that table. But yeah, theintent is for us to work very
(28:23):
closely with all those entitiesthat you mentioned. Um, you
know, city council certainlyright now seems very , um,
forward thinking and proactiveand , um, wanting to nurture
and under , you know, theirunderstanding of what outdoor
recreation means , uh, to thisMm-Hmm .
community and region. Um, thedifferent tourism boards visit
(28:44):
gj , and then you have tourismadvisory boards for Palisade
and Fruita . Obviously, outdoorrecreation is a key component ,
um, you know, to theirbusiness. Um, and, you know,
the , the spirit ofcollaboration is great. We just
had a panel at the , um,economic summit Yeah. And we
had representation from fruitto Palisade, grand Grand
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Junction. That was a really great session, by the
way. Good job with that.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Yeah. Well, they , they did the, the heavy lift,
but , um, it , it wasremarkable just to see that the
spirit in which they're playingand supporting one another.
Mm-Hmm.
they come in, the way theValley lies here is more times
than not, people are playing inall three regions, or at least
a couple of the regions. And sothat , uh, ability to work hand
(29:25):
in hand and support one anotheris key. And , and we'll do that
too through our platform. Wewill , you know, direct people
to the actual tourism sites orvisit gj because they have a
wealth of information that goesbeyond what we're doing in
terms of the, you know, thelodging components, the retail,
the dining. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
Grand Junction economicPartnership and their , uh,
efforts to bring new outdoorrecreation businesses to town?
Speaker 3 (29:52):
Yes . I mean, that movement now is, you know, that
that was going on before I was, uh, here in the valley, but
that is now, from what I canunderstand, one of their key
components of economicdevelopment, if not, you know,
at the forefront of whatthey're doing. Yeah. And that's
continuing to re recruit and ,um, court companies that
operate in that space , uh, tobring 'em here. And , uh, you
(30:14):
know, kind of our role in thatis, you know, if and when that
time's appropriate for us tolike, host and, you know, tour
somebody around the region,then we would step in and
support that. And we haverepresentation on our board
with Steve , um, on , you know,for that. So there's a nice
kind of connection Yeah .
Between the two groups.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
Well, we've talked a lot about the great things that
, um, G-V-O-R-C is doing to ,um, convene and collaborate.
What do you think the biggestthreats are for our outdoor
recreation industry and ouroutdoor recreation in general
here? What do we need to bedoing as a, a group and a
community to make sure that wecontinue to thrive?
Speaker 3 (30:52):
Well, it's a great question. I think it's a , it's
a question that a lot ofcommunities are asking
themselves. Um, you know ,there's just inherent
challenges that come withpopulation growth. Mm-Hmm.
region is, I think we can stillget in front of that. Whereas
on the front range, you know,certainly in my adulthood I was
(31:16):
a part of and or witnessed, youknow, the good and the bad in
terms of how they went aboutthose things in a sustainable
way. And so I think we havegreat models in the front range
that we can, you know, takebest practices from and
implement 'em here. But I thinkultimately how we continue to
steward our landscapes, notlove them to death , um, is
(31:37):
gonna be really, reallyimportant. And I think to best
do that, you know, we need toall work in tandem, kind of
break down silos, have gooddialogue with the land managers
, um, you know, bring differentuser groups together. So I
think that's one thing. Youknow, another issue, and this
is something that's plaguingthe country,
matter, but is affordablehousing. Mm-Hmm.
(31:58):
. So when you talk about thebusinesses and being able to
recruit good talent here , um,to live, to raise families, you
know, the housing piece is acomponent of that. And yeah . I
mean, you , you probably knowthat super
Speaker 2 (32:11):
Challenging far better than I do. Yeah. Um,
high rates and low inventorymeans high prices and , uh,
it's, it's hard to , to buy ahome in Colorado anywhere. And
we used to be considered superaffordable compared to a lot of
the other communities. And, and, uh, I don't , uh, maybe
we're, we're still moreaffordable than the resort
towns, but still it's, it'sgotten a little bit more
(32:31):
difficult for buyers here.
Speaker 3 (32:33):
And then I think, you know, the other thing we
really needed to focus on isjust right here in our own
backyard, our residents and ourpeople. And, and when we think
about , um, access and equity,you know, it's, it's actually
alarming, you know, in talkingwith some of these different
groups of Mm-Hmm .
um, you know, they live at thebase of Mount Garfield and the
(32:54):
book Cliffs , you know, stonesthrow away from the Monument
one riverfront trail, theriver. And some of these kids
have never touched foot orplayed on any of these. Yeah.
Um, you know, landscapes and ,um, resources. And so looking
at how we can, you know,partner and there's groups
doing great work in the spacenow. So it's not us stepping in
(33:17):
and trying to, you know, movesomething on our own. Yes . But
really partnering with theseorganizations , um, and, and
elevating their work is gonnabe key. Um ,
Speaker 2 (33:26):
Getting kids outside is a really important thing.
And we know that , um,recreating outdoors is part of
a healthy lifestyle, and infact, love what Mesa County has
done with tying the healthdepartment to trail
maintenance. How cool is that?
Speaker 3 (33:42):
Yeah. Incredible.
And, you know, we, we have afew people in that space, cop
Moba obviously being a , a bigone, but the work that Ross and
his team of trail builders aredoing now with , um, you know,
the Mesa County Trails , uh,department, which falls under ,
uh, Mesa County Public Healthis , is remarkable. And, you
know, that stems from Rossraising a lot of money through
(34:04):
grants Yeah. Uh , to, you know,enlist the support and services
of their , of the TrailBuilders 18 Road, the expansion
that's happening out there. Youknow, that's a great , um, uh,
a great example of the workthey're doing. I think when
it's all said and done, 30miles of new trails Yeah . What
we've created out there. It'sexciting. But yeah, the , the ,
the , the public health andwellness pieced outdoor
(34:25):
recreation, I mean, it's, it'sremarkable. And, and, you know,
before we do wrap anything up,I wanna share a few , uh, few
stats with you. Please do. Yeah. That are kind of on a
national level and then drillin. And so, the , uh, US Bureau
of Economic Analysis , um, justrecently announced for the
first time ever, the economiccontribution of outdoor
(34:47):
recreation surpassed $1trillion . Wow. Uh , that's
more than oil and gasextraction combined. And
mining. Amazing . 2.2% of theGDP and 5 million jobs created
from that.
Speaker 2 (35:00):
Fantastic.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
You drill that down lower for , uh, Colorado, $13.9
billion , um, into the , uh,community, 19% growth , uh,
from the year prior. And that's130,000 jobs. And then here in
Mesa County, we , um, actuallyit was GEP , I wanna say CMU.
And the state outdoor recoffice commissioned a economic
(35:21):
impact study that Dr. NathanPerry helped lead , uh, from
CMU. And, and, you know, thesestats now are a couple years ,
uh, old, but at that point intime , um, they found that 11%
of jobs here in Mesa Countywere directly tied , uh, to
outdoor recreation. So there's,there's truth in these numbers.
Yeah . And , um, the othersurvey that was actually really
(35:43):
interesting, we put out, duringour strategic planning , um, we
were able to decipher that 80%of the folks that call the
Valley home , uh, they do sobecause of the access to
outdoor recreation. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
20%
those kids using things. Um , Iwant to say too, that that ,
um, study that was done here inthe Grand Valley, we're one of
the only communities . So a lotof studies have been done on
the national level, statelevel, but not on a community
level. It's kind of hard topull off,
Speaker 3 (36:19):
Perhaps. Lucky still to the , to this day, the only
countywide , um, study Yeah .
That's been produced.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Super cool. Well, Chandler, thank you so much for
joining us. Any , um, closingthoughts on , um, outdoor
recreation or , uh, grandJunction?
Speaker 3 (36:38):
You know, none of that come to mind other than
the get outside and play, enjoythis beautiful , uh, country
that we live in. Yeah. And ,uh, please , please tune in
with the Outdoor Rec Coalition.
Again, we're just standing upthe organization, but a lot of
great passionate people behindthis. Uh, we invite everybody
to the table. Um, but I reallydo believe this organization ,
um, stands to , uh, play apivotal role in the future of
(37:00):
the industry.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Agree. And you're gonna start a podcast too.
Speaker 3 (37:03):
We are gonna start a podcast. So this was kind of
my, my test, my experience,first time I've ever been on
one, but I really appreciateyou having us.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
Well, you're a great guest and I'm really excited
about your executive directorposition. I think you're just
the right person for the job.
And, and the out the GrandValley Outdoor Recreation
Coalition is going to grow andflourish because of you and,
and all the members. So
Speaker 3 (37:24):
Thank you. That makes a lot. Yeah .
Speaker 2 (37:26):
Thanks everybody for joining us today. I'm Kristi
Reese here with Chandler Smith,and we'll see you next time on
the Full Circle Podcast. Thanksfor listening. This is Kristi
Reese signing out from the FullCircle Podcast .
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