Next week hundreds of leaders from outdoor industry companies all over the country, including brand names any outdoor enthusiast would immediately recognize, will come to Asheville for an annual executive conference to plan the future of their businesses, as well as planning the future of the French Broad River. The Timberland Service Project at the Outdoor Industry Association Rendezvous® in Asheville, NC is poised to become one of the most memorable as industry leaders tackle gnarly work projects that are sure to get the blood pumping.
After a full day and a half of conference sessions, a wide variety of service efforts await the more than 300 executives from companies such as The Timberland Company, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Merrell, The North Face, JanSport and dozens of others. Log jams, broken glass, invasive weeds, old tires, dilapidated buildings — this year’s service projects along the ancient French Broad River in downtown Asheville have all of the elements expected from true outdoor industry service projects. The clean-up will allow conference-goers to support a high-profile improvement plan in the city’s River Arts District geared toward promoting outdoor recreation as a pillar of the city’s economic development.
“We really think that economic development is an enormous strategy for our river, and recreation is a huge part of our economic development strategy. It involves every aspect of recreation and every sport,” said Karen Cragnolin, executive director for RiverLink which has been working with OIA staff to coordinate the project. “We want you to design it here, rent it, fix it, buy it and use it here. We’re excited to work with the passionate leaders of the outdoor industry who want to give back and energize the work that is being put into the French Broad River and its future in the Asheville community.”
In keeping with Asheville’s larger vision for 17 miles of connected greenways linking the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, OIA Rendezvous participants will gather on the afternoon of Thursday, October 7 to work on six projects on and around the French Broad River including cleaning up the railroad trestle, repairing fences and planning new projects for the sculpture plaza, reducing overgrowth on and around the Ice House property, building a Labyrinth on the site of the Old Cotton Mill, planting trees and cleaning up large stretches of the French Broad River.
One of the industry’s most recognizable brands, Timberland, has sponsored the Rendezvous Service Project for 15 years as a dedicated steward of the outdoors.
Nantahala Outdoor Center is also contributing to the project supplying watercraft, tools, expertise and transportation to help support OIA Rendezvous attendees complete the work projects in a compressed afternoon full of activity.
But this doesn't:
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm OIAPAC Reception (by invitation)
The 2010 Tea Party Movement and the General Election
Glen Bolger, Partner and Co-Founder, Public Opinion Strategies
The Tea Party brewed real change in the GOP primaries – with what impacts for the November elections and the halls of Congress? Top Republican pollster Glen Bolger will share his thoughts on the state of American politics and political agendas. Glen polls for nine Republican Senators, including Sen. Richard Burr (NC). Sen. Burr is a co-sponsor of our LWCF legislation and an avid outdoorsman. Glen also polls for Sen. Jim DeMint, one of the top architects and fundraisers for the Tea Party coalition. Proceeds from this event will be directed to key races in the November 2010 elections, reinforcing the outdoor industry’s outdoor recreation and trade agendas.
No mention of giving other political parties equal or for that matter any time. Hmmmmm.