The author, John Marek, is a writer and executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership.
Economic developers have a long-running joke that if a community has absolutely nothing going for it – no infrastructure, no businesses, no skilled workers – it can always promote itself as a “sportsman’s paradise.” Some might see the term “outdoor economy” and think it’s just a fancier way of saying the same thing, but nothing could be further from the truth.
I spent a good part of last week at the Outdoor Economy Conference in Cherokee, N.C., and it was an eye-opening experience. The conference featured speakers on various topics, from trends in outdoor retail to bike trail development and construction. Although the conference had a distinctly North Carolina feel, more than a dozen states were represented, including Oregon, Colorado, Maine, Washington and my native Ohio.
First of all, let me say that my organization, AnsonEDP, has already acknowledged the critical role the outdoors has played and will continue to play in our local economy. We have partnered with the Anson County Tourism Development Authority to promote Anson as the “Sport Shooting Capital of the Carolinas” and include the outdoor economy as one of the targeted economic drivers in our strategic plan. Further, we have budgeted an “outdoor economy contest” for 2024, and while the exact details are yet to be worked out, this will most likely take the form of an entrepreneurial “pitch” competition focused on some aspect of the outdoor economy, with the winner receiving a scholarship to Western Carolina University’s online Certified Outdoor Professional program and grant funding to start the business.
That begs the question, though, what exactly is the outdoor economy? When most people hear the term, they immediately think about tourism and service industries built around the outdoors. While tourism-related businesses constitute a significant component, the outdoor economy is an ecosystem of related sectors, all of which support and are supported by the others. A healthy outdoor economy includes elements of tourism, professional services, manufacturing, logistics and transportation. In some cases, peripheral sectors such as housing, education and health care can even play an important role.
A diverse and productive outdoor economy does not happen by accident, however. I was joined at the conference by my Montgomery County counterpart, Savannah Heath, and the discussion soon turned to ways our adjoining counties could collaborate to promote the outdoor economy. Although separated by just 100 yards of the Rocky River, the two counties are very different. More than two-thirds of Montgomery County is federally-protected lands of the Uwharrie National Forest, and developing practical ways to utilize those otherwise untouchable acres for recreation is a major focus of their economic efforts.
While similarly rural, Anson County is a major transportation route connecting Charlotte and the South Carolina Upstate to the coast, and land here is available and affordable. As such, the two counties’ approach to tourism and the outdoor economy are both distinct and complementary, and there is a strong sense that we can cooperatively combine our strengths to develop a larger, more diverse outdoor economy for the region.
The key is to get the people who come to the Uwharries for hiking, camping and off-roading to consider a day of sporting clays at Four Branches or Hyatt’s, or a guided hunt at Buchannan Shoals or Devil’s Rib. And vice-versa. And not only to come for tourist activities, but to set up manufacturing operations for outdoor-related products, marketing companies to promote the activities and products, and retail stores, wineries, craft breweries and restaurants to support the visitors and workers. Many components of a thriving outdoor economy are already in place, we simply need to find creative ways to better leverage those resources.