What is this effort all about and how did it get started?  Basically, it’s about bringing a growing industry and a skilled workforce together for mutual benefit.  An age old story that has played out in numerous industries already.  Of course, I’m talking about the Outdoor Industry and Military Veterans.

The Outdoor Industry is growing by leaps and bounds while becoming a very large player in the U.S. economy.  In 2017 the industry produced 7.6 million jobs and $887 billion in consumer spending.  For the Outdoor Industry the transitioning veteran community represents an untouched resource of diverse, highly skilled, and surprisingly like minded potential employees and entrepreneurs.  It’s estimated that over 200k military members are transitioning out of military service each year.  Industries such as tech, medical, transportation, energy, and education have recognized the benefit of actively recruiting veterans.  Why shouldn’t the Outdoor Industry be right in their with them competing for this unique talent.  There are certainly veterans interested in the Outdoor Industry and we think they need to connect.

How did all this get started?  Certainly there have been veterans employed in the industry and veterans have started several outdoor companies.  This effort of programmatically trying to grow the connection may have started around 2015 when a group of veterans working in the industry came together with the Outdoor Industry Association to start a “Veterans Task Force”.  The goal was to highlight the value currently transitioning military members bring to companies in the industry.  For a some more info check the links below:

The Best Employees You’re Not Hiring (2015)

Hiring Heroes: Returning Veterans Bring Skills to Outdoor Industry (2015)

Get Connected Through the Outdoor Industry Veterans Network (2015)

Today the Veterans Task Force may exist in name and desire only but the individuals that got the ball rolling are still out there working in the industry to raise awareness and continue the effort.  One such stalwart is Stacy Bare and it was his role as the Sierra Club Military Outdoors Director that really bridged the effort to where it sits today.  Here’s an article in 2016 from Stacy for more background.

Stacy Bare on how the Outdoor Industry Should Step up for our Veterans (2016)

2017 saw one of the biggest leaps forward in trying to bridge this connection between veteran job seekers and the Outdoor Industry.  Sierra Club Military Outdoors and the Outdoor Industry Association Skip Yowell Future Leaders Academy came together to create a project called “River Leaders”.  This was a capstone project for 5 members of the 2017 Future Leaders Academy and the set out to create a program that would work to connect the Outdoor Industry and transitioning Veterans.  The goals of the capstone project were to:

• Build a foundational opportunity for veterans and industry leaders to come together and brainstorm successful strategies. Authentically!
• Attract qualified veterans to apply for employment opportunities in the outdoor industry.
• Increase awareness of relationships and opportunities between veterans and the outdoor industry.
• Create a sustainable initiative that can be executed by future leadership academy cohorts.

Here are some links for more information:

River Leaders: Connecting the Outdoor Industry & Veterans (2017)

River Leaders: Veterans and the Outdoor Industry (2017)

Why You Should Hire Veterans (2017)

The immediate output was a unique, maybe first of its kind format to bring veterans aspiring for careers in the industry and industry professionals together for direct networking and transition assistance.  Numerous brands came together to help sponsor the trip and provide gear and funding.  River Leaders selected 10 veterans through a competitive process and brought them together with 10 industry professionals for 3 days and 2 nights on the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park.  This, to say the least, was a unique and powerful experience for both veterans and industry reps.  It was facilitated by members from the Future Leaders Class and Sierra Club Military Outdoors.  Through camping and rafting in an engaging outdoor setting a unique experiential career transition service was formed.  Participants immediately recognized shared interests in outdoor recreation, conservation, and public lands.  Barriers crumbled, bonds were formed, networking become personal and meaningful, and unscripted discussions were possible that really focused in on what both sides brought to the table and wanted from each other.  Below are some additional write ups on the first event in Big Bend NP:

An Untapped Resource: Veterans and the Outdoor Workforce (2017)

Fluid Transitions for Veterans (2017)

That leads us to where this effort is today.  All of the participants of the first event found it engaging, highly useful, and want to see the effort grow and continue.  Some of the immediate outcomes of this first River Leaders initiative was an out brief to the Outdoor Industry Association by the outgoing Future Leaders Class with recommendations for how to go forward, a River Leaders Alumni Facebook page to help participants stay in touch and a LinkedIn group to help veterans network with other veterans and industry professionals.

Several of the Big Bend event participants have been engaged since the 2017 trip trying to find a path to grow and institutionalize this initiative to connect veterans and the outdoor industry.  That slow steady effort has led to Veteran Outdoor Leaders (VOL).  At the moment VOL is not linked to Sierra Military Club Outdoors or the Outdoor Industry Association but is the continuation of the ideas and goals of everything that has come before it in this space.  VOL is an idea, a little more concrete then it was yesterday, looking to become an institutional program.  The Mission, Vision, and Strategic Priorities of VOL intent to build upon the groundwork that was laid before and at the core of this effort is the unique River Leaders format of bringing veterans and industry professionals together for unique career transition experiences enabled by engaging activities in beautiful outdoor places.

Stay tuned for what’s next…