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Growing an Outdoor Adventures Business in Arkansas with Austin Albers
Episode 2474th October 2023 • Be EPIC Podcast • Brent Williams
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This week on the podcast we are continuing our Business of Outdoor Recreation series with Austin Albers, President and Owner of the Buffalo Outdoor Center in Arkansas. Brent and Austin discuss the growth of Buffalo Outdoor Center and how Austin listens to customers to develop new offerings like mountain biking and backcountry aviation. Austin explains how outdoor recreation experiences improve quality of life and are driving economic growth in Arkansas. He describes opportunities for students interested in the industry, emphasizing the value of listening to customers, finding opportunities and following your passion.

Transcripts

Austin Albers:

I would say my number one recommendation for

Austin Albers:

anybody who is either in the industry or looking to get into

Austin Albers:

the industry is to listen to the customers, because they'll tell

Austin Albers:

you what you need to do. And then looking at opportunities. I

Austin Albers:

mean, look around what what opportunities do you have?

Brent Williams:

Welcome to the Be Epic podcast, brought to you

Brent Williams:

by the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of

Brent Williams:

Arkansas. I'm your host, Brent Williams. Together, we'll

Brent Williams:

explore the dynamic landscape of business and uncover the

Brent Williams:

strategies, insights, and stories that drive business

Brent Williams:

Well, today I have with me Austin Albers, who is President

Brent Williams:

today.

Brent Williams:

of the Buffalo Outdoor Center in Arkansas. So Austin, thanks for

Brent Williams:

joining me today.

Austin Albers:

Absolutely. Glad to be here.

Brent Williams:

Well, I'm really looking forward to learning more

Brent Williams:

about Buffalo Outdoor Center, just, you know, your involvement

Brent Williams:

in tourism in Arkansas. But first, you're you're a graduate

Brent Williams:

of the University of Arkansas and the Walton College a finance

Brent Williams:

major. Right.

Austin Albers:

Yeah. 2008.

Brent Williams:

Well, I hope it was a great experience. And I

Brent Williams:

know you've created great networks from it.

Austin Albers:

Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah the University

Austin Albers:

of Arkansas was definitely a great time in my life. And it

Austin Albers:

was a great experience all the way around, you know, a lot of

Austin Albers:

fun, but then also a great education as well.

Brent Williams:

Well, tell me a little bit about about you, you

Brent Williams:

know, and just sort of like where you're from. And, you

Brent Williams:

know, we know, you know, spent some time at the college. I

Brent Williams:

think you spent some time in the finance industry, in the

Brent Williams:

transportation industry. And have been at Buffalo Outdoor

Brent Williams:

Center for close to 15 years, I think.

Austin Albers:

Yeah, yeah. So I a little back history on me I

Austin Albers:

actually grew up on a big horse ranch outside of the Ponca area

Austin Albers:

over by Buffalo Outdoor Center, about five miles away, grew up

Austin Albers:

on a horse ranch. I always told people that my parents were born

Austin Albers:

100 years too late, because we did everything with horse drawn

Brent Williams:

Well, for for those that may not know, well

Brent Williams:

equipment and people thought we were Amish. So it was kind of

Brent Williams:

fun. But so this little piece that most people don't know

Brent Williams:

about me, so grew up there, left, went in to aviation, and

Brent Williams:

went to flight school at Spartan School of Aeronautics, and then

Brent Williams:

transferred to the University of Arkansas, and entered the Walton

Brent Williams:

College of Business and with a focus on finance. And so

Brent Williams:

graduated from the Walton College of Business with with a

Brent Williams:

bachelor's in finance. And immediately went to work for

Brent Williams:

Edward Jones. And this was in 2008. And so tough time to be in

Brent Williams:

finance. Yeah, it was, it was a great experience, a very

Brent Williams:

humbling experience. I'll tell you that so and then advanced

Brent Williams:

from there. You know left there and went to work for JB Hunt,

Brent Williams:

and then eventually moved over to the Buffalo Outdoor Center,

Brent Williams:

started going over to the Buffalo Outdoor Center in in

Brent Williams:

2009 and just working on the weekends helping out and just to

Brent Williams:

just to get back into the outdoors, which was a huge

Brent Williams:

passion of mine.

Brent Williams:

one if you haven't been to the Buffalo River, you're certainly

Brent Williams:

missing out. It's certainly a treasure in Arkansas, but maybe

Brent Williams:

start there a little bit about the river and maybe some of the

Brent Williams:

background of the company. I know you've helped really grow

Brent Williams:

it really fast. I think you've grown the product offering

Brent Williams:

fairly significantly. Love to hear a little bit about that.

Austin Albers:

Absolutely. So the Buffalo National River was

Austin Albers:

America's first nationally protected river, it was it was

Austin Albers:

nationally protected in 1972 from being dammed, and there's a

Austin Albers:

lot of history there and and a lot of information on that. But

Austin Albers:

it was nationally protected by the National Park Service. And

Austin Albers:

so as a National River it is operated by the National Park

Austin Albers:

Service but it is not a national park. It is a National River.

Austin Albers:

And so there is land on both sides of the river that is owned

Austin Albers:

by the National Park but it or by the National River but it is

Austin Albers:

like I said it's considered a National River. The Buffalo

Austin Albers:

Outdoor Center was founded in 1976 by a gentleman named Mike

Austin Albers:

Mills. Mike had a passion for the river. As a child growing

Austin Albers:

up, he would go to the river with his father and his father

Austin Albers:

was a military man. And so the only time he really got with his

Austin Albers:

father was on these trips and they would go paddle and his

Austin Albers:

father would fish and Mike would paddle him down the river. And

Austin Albers:

so he grew this passion for paddling the river and

Austin Albers:

specifically the Buffalo River. And so in 1976, he he's, he

Austin Albers:

founded the Buffalo Outdoor Center. He had moved to Ponca

Austin Albers:

before that and ran another outfitter for a little while but

Austin Albers:

then decided that he was going to start his own and so with his

Austin Albers:

passion, they founded it with five canoes and an international

Austin Albers:

scout. And that's how they would would shuttle people and would

Austin Albers:

put people in the river and so, obviously evolved from there it

Austin Albers:

became the first log cabin resort in the state of Arkansas

Austin Albers:

in the in the late 80s. And then from that we just continued to

Austin Albers:

grow to what we offer today which we've got a wide offering

Austin Albers:

from 28 cabins to lodges, large retail store and deli, gas

Austin Albers:

highland and we've got canoeing, kayaking, rafting. ziplining,

Austin Albers:

Arkansas longest downhill mountain bike trail system, we

Austin Albers:

have backcountry aviation. So we have people will fly in to

Austin Albers:

backcountry airstrip with their own aircraft. And we've got

Austin Albers:

lodging on the airfield where people will stay there, we

Austin Albers:

provide them with a Jeep to where they can go explore and

Austin Albers:

adventure. And then we've also got an RV park, too. And so

Austin Albers:

people bring their RVs and kind of camp and stay and go out and

Austin Albers:

do anything from hiking to fishing to, to like I said

Austin Albers:

canoeing, kayaking rafting. The Rocky Mountain Elk were

Austin Albers:

reintroduced in the early 80s back to the Boxley Valley and

Austin Albers:

back to that area. We we traded trout for elk with with Colorado

Austin Albers:

and, and brought them back and so that herd has continued to

Austin Albers:

grow. And so in the fall, they're they're really out and

Austin Albers:

about and you'll hear him bugling and in rut, which is a

Austin Albers:

very neat experiencing for this part of the country. And then

Austin Albers:

also you've got the fall foliage, so a lot of people out

Austin Albers:

to experience that as well. But again, anywhere from anything on

Austin Albers:

the river to hiking to biking. Just even even rock climbing

Austin Albers:

right there in the area as well with Horseshoe Canyon is a big

Austin Albers:

draw. And so fishing, fishing is good on the buffalo as well.

Brent Williams:

Well one, you know I see I see your hat, your

Brent Williams:

Arkansas hat and you know it just reminds me of the great

Brent Williams:

things happening around outdoor recreation throughout our state.

Brent Williams:

And I'm particularly excited about just the it seems like the

Brent Williams:

increased focus not not only in Northwest Arkansas, throughout

Brent Williams:

the state on making Arkansas a destination, you know, for

Brent Williams:

people to experience the outdoors. But when you think

Brent Williams:

about the growth of Buffalo Outdoor Center and what's

Brent Williams:

happening in Arkansas, what parallels do you see, what what

Brent Williams:

synergies do you see?

Austin Albers:

Yeah, so you know, like you said, you know,

Austin Albers:

there's an increased you know focus on outdoor recreation. You

Austin Albers:

know, our current governor's is really pushing outdoor

Austin Albers:

recreation. The first gentleman is as well they've created the

Austin Albers:

the natural state initiative to really focus and look at

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opportunity zones, look at opportunities that we can, can

Austin Albers:

really help take outdoor recreation to the next level

Austin Albers:

within the state of Arkansas, and compete at the top. And

Austin Albers:

that's one thing that that our focus is is as a state, what are

Austin Albers:

the opportunity zones, you know, where are we at in and, you

Austin Albers:

know, you kind of hit on it a minute ago with the Buffalo

Austin Albers:

National River being you know, one of the states Crown Jewels,

Austin Albers:

the state of Arkansas is a crown jewel from the standpoint of

Austin Albers:

outdoor recreation, and I mean, we are the natural state. And so

Austin Albers:

there are unparalleled opportunities all across our

Austin Albers:

state to, to get into whether you're a student looking at, you

Austin Albers:

know, becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business or

Austin Albers:

looking for something in the hospitality or outdoor industry,

Austin Albers:

you know, as far as career outside of, you know, once you

Austin Albers:

get out of college, there are so many opportunities and within

Austin Albers:

that, I mean, you may be an entrepreneur, you may be working

Austin Albers:

in finance, as, as a controller for an outdoor company, whatever

Austin Albers:

it is, you may be connected with that you know with the outdoor

Austin Albers:

industry or the hospitality industry. And so with that, I

Austin Albers:

mean from again, from rock climbing to fishing, to hunting

Austin Albers:

to paddling, you know, even ATVs you know, there's there's so

Austin Albers:

many great opportunities across the state, aviation, backcountry

Austin Albers:

aviation, we've grown that that area that most people don't

Austin Albers:

realize how many backcountry airstrips there are in Arkansas,

Austin Albers:

we've got people coming here from Idaho and Utah and Florida

Austin Albers:

and Texas pretty much everywhere to come fly and experience the

Austin Albers:

Ozarks and even Arkansas in general. And in all it's got to

Austin Albers:

offer from the air and so that's something that's, that's really

Austin Albers:

growing as well but the increase in the state, just just a push

Austin Albers:

for entrepreneurism and just really helping empower people to

Austin Albers:

get outdoors and then also create those experiences to

Austin Albers:

share with other people too. And, and I tell people that all

Austin Albers:

the time it's um, you know, we're in the business of, of

Austin Albers:

providing and creating experiences and and, and

Austin Albers:

memories and so, those experiences are what people go

Austin Albers:

home with, and that's what they remember and you'll want to come

Austin Albers:

back or share with their friends or whatever it is, and I hear it

Austin Albers:

every day, you know, over in the Buffalo, people show up and, you

Austin Albers:

know, for their first time and they'll go around, and, you

Austin Albers:

know, their comment when they come back is we had no idea this

Austin Albers:

existed in Arkansas. And so,

Brent Williams:

You know, I think what's interesting about

Brent Williams:

the Buffalo Outdoor Center that honestly I didn't fully realize

Brent Williams:

was the breadth of the offerings, you know, so,

Brent Williams:

mountain biking, you know, certainly I've always thought

Brent Williams:

of, of the paddling and thought of fishing back, you know, back

Brent Williams:

country aviation. Talk a little bit, if you will, about how

Brent Williams:

you've developed those products, you know, and, you know, how you

Brent Williams:

how you understand what the customers are going to want from

Brent Williams:

you, and what kind of experiences they're going to want.

Austin Albers:

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. So, you know, big

Austin Albers:

thing for me is, obviously, I love the outdoors, I love to

Austin Albers:

travel, and I love to, to experience things. So having

Austin Albers:

those firsthand experiences is, um, is one thing. But I would

Austin Albers:

say my number one recommendation for anybody who is either in the

Austin Albers:

industry or looking to get into the industry, is to listen to

Austin Albers:

the customers. Because they'll tell you what you need to do. If

Austin Albers:

you if you have people that show up. And I'll use this as an, you

Austin Albers:

know, it's a perfect example. For 25, 30 years, we had people

Austin Albers:

walk in the door of the original store that was there was a small

Austin Albers:

building it was built in 1962 is the Tippie Canoe Cafe, it's 1000

Austin Albers:

square foot, but we'd have people walk in, and then always

Austin Albers:

ask the same questions. They say, where can I get gas, and

Austin Albers:

where can I get something to eat? So when I built a new

Austin Albers:

store, I put in a deli, and I'm putting in gas,

Brent Williams:

By the way, the food's pretty good. I know

Brent Williams:

firsthand at that deli.

Austin Albers:

Yeah. So, so again, it's listening to your

Austin Albers:

customers. Yeah, that's a big thing. And then, and then

Austin Albers:

looking at opportunities, I mean, you know, look around,

Austin Albers:

what, what opportunities do you have, you know, what is it there

Austin Albers:

that's attracting people, or that people want to experience

Austin Albers:

what could be an offering that people don't even know exists?

Austin Albers:

And, you know, you know, another example, the zipline canopy

Austin Albers:

tour, so we put in the first canopy tour within the state,

Austin Albers:

true canopy tour, and we learned about it by traveling, we were

Austin Albers:

in Costa Rica, and we experienced it there. And then

Austin Albers:

the leadership group that were involved in, you know, we all

Austin Albers:

discussed and we started putting them in. And, and again, it was

Austin Albers:

creating those experiences, but then also getting out and seeing

Austin Albers:

what what are the things that people may enjoy, or, you know,

Austin Albers:

what's a way to incorporate the environment that we already

Austin Albers:

have, into an experience. And so again, even with our zip lines,

Austin Albers:

I tell people, it's a, you know, it's a ecotour, it's a comedy

Austin Albers:

tour, and it's a zipline experience. And then at the end

Austin Albers:

of it, it's an ATV experience, because they load you up and you

Austin Albers:

know, on ATVs, and bring you back to the top. And so people

Austin Albers:

love it. And again, it's those experiences, you know, the

Austin Albers:

guides on those experiences are what really makes the

Austin Albers:

difference. And so that team, whether it's at the front desk,

Austin Albers:

whether it's, you know, the guides, that you know, our guys

Austin Albers:

at the river, who are, are putting in the, you know, the

Austin Albers:

guests, you know, on you, whoever it is, they're the ones

Austin Albers:

at the end of the day that really make that experience.

Austin Albers:

And, you know, I've often told people and, you know, in job

Austin Albers:

interviews, you know, I'd ask him, you know, the question, you

Austin Albers:

know, what is it that you think we do here, and, you know, a lot

Austin Albers:

of times people would come back with, well, you rent canoes, or

Austin Albers:

you rent cabins or you know, you do ziplining, or mountain

Austin Albers:

biking, and at the end of the day, it's we provide

Austin Albers:

experiences, and we create experiences. And so that's

Austin Albers:

that's the focus is, is taking that world class experience to

Austin Albers:

the top. And that's the focus not only in Buffalo Outdoor

Austin Albers:

Center, but across the state.

Brent Williams:

Yes, I totally agree. You know, we're fortunate

Brent Williams:

here to have all of these natural assets you know and when

Brent Williams:

we have students increasingly coming to the University of

Brent Williams:

Arkansas, you probably know, our enrollment has grown

Brent Williams:

tremendously, you know, over the last several years. For many, it

Brent Williams:

is an opportunity to really get outside maybe for the first time

Brent Williams:

or any, you know, a significant experience, maybe even on their

Brent Williams:

own. So, when you talk to, you know, think about a student

Brent Williams:

moving to the U of A, or maybe it's somebody moving in, you

Brent Williams:

know, from one of the coasts into Arkansas for the first

Brent Williams:

time, and they want to kind of get their foot in the outdoors.

Brent Williams:

How do you guys help them do that?

Austin Albers:

Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, information is

Austin Albers:

key, you know, and so, you know, helping them understand what's

Austin Albers:

out there. And, you know, as students are moving in, you

Austin Albers:

know, there's a lot of you know a lot assets, you know, social

Austin Albers:

media is a big one, and that's where people go to, to, you

Austin Albers:

know, to find information about the area, about the offerings.

Austin Albers:

And so, you know, one of our big focuses is, you know, is

Austin Albers:

painting the true picture of what's there. And in, we get

Austin Albers:

compliments all day long about, people just didn't realize that

Austin Albers:

Arkansas was so beautiful. And, and you know, as a whole, I

Austin Albers:

mean, all across the state, it is beautiful, there's different

Austin Albers:

changes as we go, but there's different offerings, all the way

Austin Albers:

across the state that are unique. And whether it's the

Austin Albers:

Delta, or the Buffalo National River, or even, you know, here

Austin Albers:

in Northwest Arkansas, on the mountain bike trail systems, you

Austin Albers:

know, there's, there's so much here, but even rivers and

Austin Albers:

streams, you know, they changed, you have to, and so different

Austin Albers:

experiences across the state. So, you know, with that

Austin Albers:

education, getting, you know, getting them introduced to the

Austin Albers:

outdoors, helping them understand the best first step,

Austin Albers:

I think is important, too, because you can get somebody in

Austin Albers:

trouble if they're not experienced or ready to

Austin Albers:

experience, you know, certain activity. And so, you know,

Austin Albers:

being able to paint the picture accurately, being able to teach

Austin Albers:

and, you know, and explain to them is very important. And,

Austin Albers:

and, you know, with that, I mean, obviously, at the

Austin Albers:

University of Arkansas across the state, you know, we've got a

Austin Albers:

lot of diversity here. And so we've got a, you know, a lot of

Austin Albers:

ethnic groups that are coming from areas where they're not

Austin Albers:

used to getting outdoors, you know, they're not used to the

Austin Albers:

outdoor recreation, and they love it, they want to do it, but

Austin Albers:

helping them understand the risk, but then also the

Austin Albers:

opportunity, and what's the best way to do it is to be able to

Austin Albers:

create that positive experience.

Brent Williams:

You know, when I, when I think about the

Brent Williams:

outdoors and think about Buffalo Outdoor Center, and many of the

Brent Williams:

other business participants, I would say, in the outdoor

Brent Williams:

recreation economy, I think, I think there's at least at least

Brent Williams:

two that I can think of ways where it really is going to

Brent Williams:

affect us in the future from an economic development standpoint,

Brent Williams:

and one thing you just said, reminded me of that, you know,

Brent Williams:

people moving in to the area that haven't had a chance to

Brent Williams:

experience the outdoors, like you can in Arkansas, that makes

Brent Williams:

this place pretty sticky. But then also tourism, which you've

Brent Williams:

mentioned in the past, so just as you're thinking forward for

Brent Williams:

Arkansas, you know, for your business, of course, but for

Brent Williams:

Arkansas, or broadly, what what do you what do you think we're

Brent Williams:

gonna see in that respect,

Austin Albers:

So, a big focus is quality of life. And so

Austin Albers:

again, people moving here, you know, quality of life, so the

Austin Albers:

cost of living the opportunities, as far as you

Austin Albers:

know, as far as jobs and, and education, but then also, the

Austin Albers:

experiences, and so, you know, with that, that, you know, those

Austin Albers:

experiences are going to increase quality of life. And,

Austin Albers:

and, and so, you know, from an economic development standpoint,

Austin Albers:

or from an economic standpoint, you know, when you have quality

Austin Albers:

of life, and that's what a lot of people really, I think,

Austin Albers:

realized with COVID is, quality of life is really important. And

Austin Albers:

being stuck at home in the middle of, you know, a high rise

Austin Albers:

building, you know, for weeks at a time isn't, isn't fun. And so,

Austin Albers:

you know, we're seeing a lot of people, you know, relocating

Austin Albers:

from larger cities, and, you know, different areas, and

Austin Albers:

they're, you know, they're relocating because of quality of

Austin Albers:

life. And, and so, you know, with that, you know, there's

Austin Albers:

opportunity zones for entrepreneurs, there's

Austin Albers:

opportunity zones for just employment alone and, and with

Austin Albers:

that, those experiences that anybody can create, and build a

Austin Albers:

business on will continue to grow, and it's going to help the

Austin Albers:

economy in the state of Arkansas, and the overall

Austin Albers:

picture, people are going to continue to see Arkansas, you

Austin Albers:

know, taking a step above and, and climbing that ladder of, of,

Austin Albers:

you know, we are, you know, outdoor recreation, you know, we

Austin Albers:

are that state, you know, we are the natural state.

Brent Williams:

Absolutely. I could not agree with you more,

Brent Williams:

and maybe I might dive in with you on on one specific area, and

Brent Williams:

that is paddling, you know, it seems to me that it seems to me

Brent Williams:

like there's growth really going to happen in that area in our

Brent Williams:

future. I mean, from of course, what what you're doing on the

Brent Williams:

Buffalo River, there's a park that's been built in Siloam

Brent Williams:

Springs, I believe, and what momentum do you see there in our

Brent Williams:

in our economy?

Austin Albers:

Just just like I was explaining with with regards

Austin Albers:

to quality of life, the paddling industry is an industry that is

Austin Albers:

is changing, too. It's evolving, it's continuing to change. You

Austin Albers:

know, 30 years ago, people would go get on the river, rain or

Austin Albers:

shine. It didn't matter if it was freezing, or 90 degrees

Austin Albers:

people were going and that's changed a lot over the last, you

Austin Albers:

know, 30 years. You know, a lot of people aren't interested in

Austin Albers:

being out there if it's a nasty day. And so with that, that's

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really kind of defined the direction of paddling to a point

Austin Albers:

but we also deal with, you know, the weather so whether we have

Austin Albers:

rainfall and with the Buffalo National River, again, it is all

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based on rainfall, there's no dam, there's no there's no

Austin Albers:

tributaries at the top to feed it, it is its own tributary. And

Austin Albers:

as you go down, I mean, there are other streams that feed in.

Austin Albers:

But, you know, so the further down the river you go, you know,

Austin Albers:

the longer you can paddle. But from a standpoint across the

Austin Albers:

state, I mean, you've got the whitewater park in Siloam

Austin Albers:

Springs, you've got the Illinois River, you've got several rivers

Austin Albers:

in the bayou, you've got, I mean, there's opportunities all

Austin Albers:

the way across the state for paddling. And from a state but

Austin Albers:

then it also a region where you are focusing on opportunities to

Austin Albers:

really look at locations where where we can add in more year

Austin Albers:

round paddling versus just specifically seasonal. And so

Austin Albers:

adding accesses, you know, dealing with with property

Austin Albers:

owners, we're working with the Arkansas Game and Fish

Austin Albers:

Commission, we're working with different individuals from

Austin Albers:

across the state, who all have the same priority and in desire

Austin Albers:

to help them grow that. And so there's going to be a wide a

Austin Albers:

wide opportunity for getting out and paddling and it's from

Austin Albers:

whitewater to leisurely floats and you know, floats through a

Austin Albers:

bayou or through through a swampy area to experience how

Austin Albers:

you know that but the rivers around here are just gorgeous

Austin Albers:

and the streams are gorgeous, you know, and they all have

Austin Albers:

something different to offer too, you know, if you're on you

Austin Albers:

know, on the, you know, down on the Mulberry or you're on the

Austin Albers:

Kings River, you're on the Buffalo River, you're on the

Austin Albers:

Illinois, you're, you know, again, you're you're traveling

Austin Albers:

around, every river is different, every, you know,

Austin Albers:

every experience is a little bit different. And they all have

Austin Albers:

different challenges as well.

Brent Williams:

You know, might sort of shift gears on you just

Brent Williams:

a little bit, we've talked about our students, you know, in terms

Brent Williams:

of getting them outdoors, I think increasingly more are

Brent Williams:

interested in working in the industry. And that is one thing

Brent Williams:

that at the Walton College that we're standing up programming,

Brent Williams:

allowing them to get experience around the outdoor recreation

Brent Williams:

economy to see if it is a place where they could apply their

Brent Williams:

skills, I'm sure there's some unique opportunities and some

Brent Williams:

unique challenges to try to work in that industry.

Austin Albers:

Yeah, there are, you know, with that, it's in the

Austin Albers:

hospitality industry alone or the outdoor recreational

Austin Albers:

industry, it's a seven day a week, you know, operation, you

Austin Albers:

know, you don't close the doors, you know, Friday at five o'clock

Austin Albers:

and go home, it's a seven day a week operation. And so it takes

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someone who understands that, hey, I may have to work on

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weekends. Or I may have to work, you know, lighter need, I may

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have to work early in the morning, you know, it's a, it's,

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you know, it's a year round, 365 day, you know, operation from

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the overall picture. Now you can do certain seasonal industries

Austin Albers:

you can do, you know, like for us, you know, paddling is a

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seasonal thing, we only paddle the Buffalo on the upper

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district where we're at typically March, April, May and

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June. And then the rest of the year, it's too dry, every once

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awhile, you may get a you know, a summer downpour that

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eventually will bring the river up or even in fall, but it's

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pretty rare. But there are other rivers where, you know, you can

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still paddle pretty much year round. And so, you know, part of

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that challenge is going to be defining what you want to do,

Austin Albers:

you know, as you know, your career or for an experience. Are

Austin Albers:

you okay with working on weekends? Are you okay with

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seasonality? Are you okay with the hospitality industry,

Austin Albers:

because that's really what it all ties into as well. And so,

Austin Albers:

you know, whether it's lodging or restaurant or all that ties

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into, into outdoor recreation as well, because those experiences

Austin Albers:

whether, you know, they're going out and experiencing an

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adventure for a day, doing a guided trip, there's a guide

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company here in Northwest Arkansas called 37 North and

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they do a lot of guided experiences. And you can go do a

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guided experience, but then you're coming, you're gonna get

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lunch or you're gonna eat dinner, or you're gonna go to,

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you know, go have a drink or something, you know, with your

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buddies afterwards. Like there's, there's different

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things that all come into play. And so it, it depends on, um,

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it's really a broad industry. That's why it's the number two

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industry in the state of Arkansas and there's a good

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opportunity to become the number one industry in the state of

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Arkansas because it it really is broad as far as what you can do,

Austin Albers:

and where you can go to work. And two, from the standpoint of

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I mean, even somebody with a finance degree can stay in the

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financial side of it, because with every business, as you

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understand, there's I mean, it takes HR, it takes, you know, it

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takes benefits, it takes you know finance, it like there's a

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wide range of what goes into operating a business and small

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businesses is going to have fewer people, but the larger the

Austin Albers:

businesses, then you're going to have more of those people

Austin Albers:

fulfilling those roles as well.

Brent Williams:

Well, something you said made me think of, you

Brent Williams:

know, again, going back to your background, and maybe centering

Brent Williams:

and concluding on our students. You know, you started in the

Brent Williams:

finance industry, you you've worked in transportation, some,

Brent Williams:

you pivoted, and it seems like you're in a spot that you truly

Brent Williams:

enjoy. You've enjoyed growing the business, you told me,

Brent Williams:

you've added technology to the business, but just as you

Brent Williams:

reflect over the last 15, 20 years, and as you think about

Brent Williams:

our students, and what advice you might give them, what's kind

Brent Williams:

of a couple of nuggets that that you've learned that you think,

Brent Williams:

that you think one of our students could benefit from?

Austin Albers:

Yeah absolutely. So that's a great question. And,

Austin Albers:

and there's a lot it's in, it's and, it's evolved over the

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years. In leadership, I always go back to this one nugget that

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I just reflect on, but in any, in any situation, always be slow

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to react and quick to praise. And there's a lot of I mean,

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just, when, when you're, when you're working with people, when

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you're working with guests, employees, whoever it is, you

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know, processing what's going on before you react is important,

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just because you just never know who you're dealing with what the

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situation is, I learned that actually from my finance

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background. And so with that, just, you know, reflecting on

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that, but then also follow your passion. You know, for most of

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us, we get out of high school, and we go to college, and we we

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may even graduate college, and we still don't know what we want

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to do. And I, you know, I went from aviation, to engineering to

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finance and like, kind of went around all of it and now I'm in

Austin Albers:

the outdoor industry, do I use it? I use it all. But at the end

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of the day, I didn't know what I wanted to do until I got out

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there and started experiencing it and for me, it's the people

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it's, it's the working with, with our guests that have come

Austin Albers:

in the door every day, and seeing the transformation on

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them from their experiences, and, you know, customer service,

Austin Albers:

because we are in the customer service industry. Customer

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service is a big thing. And there's a wide range of customer

Austin Albers:

service. And so dealing with people and you're fixing the

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problem, we're dealing with people who are on vacation, and

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so getting to deal with people who are on vacation, they're

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excited, you know, you see their stress coming off, you see them,

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you know, creating these experiences with you know, with

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their family with their friends. And so there's a there's a

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fulfillment there that you received from just helping

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create these experiences because you're helping someone better

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themselves, get a break, step away from whatever their

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stresses are in their daily life and experience something fun

Austin Albers:

and, and, and exhilarating. And all in all experiences are

Austin Albers:

perfect or great by any means. But they all come back with a

Austin Albers:

story at the end of the day so.

Brent Williams:

Well I love your I love your real intentional

Brent Williams:

focus on customer experience and creating those experiences and

Brent Williams:

leading your team that way and couldn't agree more about you

Brent Williams:

know, when you can in the moment, slow down right you know

Brent Williams:

and, assess and not react quickly. It was a great nugget.

Brent Williams:

Well, Austin, I really appreciate you coming in and

Brent Williams:

joining the podcast. We're thankful for you as a Walton

Brent Williams:

College alum. So thanks for joining me today.

Austin Albers:

Absolutely. Glad to be here and thanks for having

Austin Albers:

me.

Brent Williams:

Thank you.

Brent Williams:

On behalf of the Walton College thank you for joining us for

Brent Williams:

this captivating conversation to stay connected and never miss an

Brent Williams:

episode, simply search for Be Epic on your preferred podcast

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