Adam Bass shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Adam, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do you think is misunderstood about your business?
The most misunderstood thing about my business is its mission as a for profit company because it is not a non-profit. I notice that when people hear a business as a non-profit they assume certain things like the non-profit is only concerned about advocacy in a particular field when in fact there is much concern about revenue when it comes to non-profits that is similar to for profits. This basic assumption puts the outfitting business I manage at a disadvantage. This assumption that Boise River Outdoor Opportunities (BROO) is only profit driven and doesn’t consider environmental or societal impacts like a non-profit is required to do has put BROO in an uphill battle with different entities. So, yes the business must maintain profitability but it is a balance with environmental and societal impacts which from my experience is the same as the balance for a non-profit but with a different organizational structure. If there is too much focus on profitability, then sustainability of the environment and a healthy society will deteriorate to the detriment of the long term profitability of either business organization. Every business should practice this balance but it is more paramount as an outfitting business that directly utilizes natural resources.
Every community has a limited amount of natural resources and they must be managed so that we don’t have the “tragedy of the commons” where everyone acts in their own self interest to the detriment of the group as a whole. The tragedy of the commons can be avoided through inclusion, collaboration, and discussion. This assumption that BROO is operated by profit driven barons not concerned about the commons is inaccurate and I would challenge it because non-profits are just as concerned about revenue as alternative business types. This is why there are alternative descriptions for non-profits such as non-taxed businesses. I believe it is the duty of government officials to foster collaboration with increased collaboration for businesses that utilize natural resources. The ever growing corporations and private equity funds out there give me a toxic vibe with their influence on government officials that put more focus on profitability than on a sustainable environment and impacts to local society.
Don’t misunderstand me though, I understand the importance and benefit of having non-profits because having many types of organizational structures for businesses fosters different perspectives. It is always worth seeing how overly simplified perceptions can impact preferences and biases in a holistic effort to drive equitable business opportunities; and the terms non-profit or for-profit leads to black or white thinking that reduces openness to have a meaningful discussion. My non-profit background includes serving on the board of a 501(c)3 and currently as Secretary General for a 501(c)4, both are non-taxed and provide great missions for the environment and society but must still maintain steady revenue like BROO. Operating an outfitting business without being a non-profit improves organizational efficiency because there is no board that must form a consensus before making decisions, there is no need for reporting to members, and BROO doesn’t shake people down with asks for donations. More time can be spent in fostering sustainable business, environmental, and societal aspects.
All in all, people warm up and understand the benefits of having this outfitting business to educate the public, provide safe outdoor experiences, and foster memories. Usually it takes a trip down the river with our guides to understand this which many local politicians and decision makers refuse to do for some reason. I continue to look forward to coordination with everyone seeking to foster a healthy Boise River and safe experiences on it while driving meaningful discussions and understanding of how it is managed. This next season I am intrigued to create a system where guides can log the wildlife seen on every trip which will support sustaining the natural resource into the future.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Boise River Outdoor Opportunities, LLC (BROO) is a valuable resource to have a positive outdoor experience and is based out of Boise, Idaho. It has been operating for 5 seasons now and continues to grow. The first year saw an operation that could easily manage up to 7 guests in a single trip and now it can easily manage up to 28 guests. It has many positive reviews on platforms such as Google and Viator, among others. Guests love the operation because there are no hidden fees and everything is included in the flat rate to have a great experience on the beautiful rivers we have in and around Boise.
We can cater to youth, seniors, physically disadvantaged, mentally disadvantaged, business organizations, birthday parties, and more. The operation cuts down on guests needing to do their own logistics so they can focus on fun. It also allows access for those that don’t want to rent and guide their own watercraft down the river.
The operation is the only guided paddle rafting experience on the Boise River. There is nothing like it, but the closest thing is a rental operation that is sponsored by the City of Boise and Ada County who contract with a subsidiary of a private equity fund to conduct the operation. I have concerns about these partnerships but acknowledge that I am biased because they are competition. It is a fact that BROO has a permit with the City of Boise to utilize a public park for river access and has been denied a similar permit by Ada County; no marketing is provided by the City of Boise but significant marketing is provided for the private equity fund operation even though both organizations are permitted to use the same park. My concern is that BROO is intentionally being put at an unwarranted disadvantage by local governments.
BROO has had a safe operation with no calls to emergency services for support in its 5 years of operation. This is not the case for the program supported by the local governments that have many incidents and even a fatality this year. I believe that BROO was successful to indirectly encourage the local governments to track their incidents as I made public record requests in the past for incident reports and the reports were not available. Incident reports now appear to be documented which is positive for the community.
It is a positive thing to have a paddle rafting outfitter on the Boise River such as BROO is what I want institutions and the community to understand.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Being a steward of the Boise River is how I see myself. There are many stewards of the Boise River as you will find many locals dedicating their time and effort while saying it is the heart of the Treasure Valley, and I agree. As a community, we must commend all of those who give time and effort to foster a healthy Boise River. It’s livelihood as a less touched river flowing through an urban area is different than most because it has not been concrete lined. Strong advocacy must be maintained as development pressures continue to encroach on its health. Many don’t want to see the nature of it change but we must accept that it will because no change is not possible. The goal should be to create a built environment that impedes minimally on the natural environment.
This river has shaped me to who I am today because it gives me context of who I am as a person in relation to its history as well as my abilities to support and foster its livelihood in the present and future. Before I was born, there were decisions made about the river that shape who I am today such as dedicating a 70′ development setback from its high water line. At the time, there were arguments to make this a 0′ setback or even a 300′ setback; who would I be today if either of these were the case? Would BROO be feasible if there was a 0′ setback? probably not. So many outdoor experiences for the community would be lost.
So now that I understand the history of the Boise River, I can understand better how it is managed in the present and try to influence how it can be sustained into the future. That is my shaped foundation and where I want to be. These 5 years of managing BROO operations, among other experiences, gives me foresight of how to maintain current operations and grow new positive operations for the community and visitors alike.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes, as previously stated the management of the Boise River does not advocate for licensed outfitting on the river. It has put constraining language in permit documents, added signs along the river scaring guests, impeded navigation of the river for our rafts, and conducted unpermitted construction that reduced tour quality. All of these make it difficult to foster a positive experience for guests, but the business and our guides have persevered. I attempt to raise awareness of these issues when I can, but institutional organizations can be difficult to get on board and understand topics that might change the status quo.
The issue of impeding navigation was so severe that it was necessary to begin litigation to establish precedent that navigation cannot be impeded. The attorney’s ended up filing the incorrect motion but told me it was the correct process. After 4 months of following their process they tried to get me to drop the case to start a different one. I declined since they stated it is the correct process so why would I start a new effort to establish precedent. They withdrew from the case 2 days prior to a hearing for a motion to dismiss, took what was left in a retainer, and charged interest on payments they took from the retainer. I chalk this experience as being subject to constructive fraud which is difficult to find malpractice attorney’s to take up a case to make the business whole again afterward. So there was a missed opportunity to establish a precedent for a right of navigation, not only for the business but for the public also.
This did almost make me give up because it showed how ineffective our institutions can be and how difficult it is to establish a right to navigate a river.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The belief that advocacy is essential to gain understanding of situations, fostering due diligence, and create holistic solutions is something that I always will wish to participate in. There are many forms that advocacy can take so it can be a daunting task of determining which to pursue and which will be more effective. The topic of natural resource preservation is something that runs deep in me and I smile when reading situations like the Maranon River in Peru being given legal rights.
Establishing inherent rights to rivers leads to consistency into the future. Communities can plan on having this consistency so their social and environmental fabric is robust to outside change. This issue should be fostered in as many places as possible rather than the majority of situations that continue to be heavily influenced by large corporations. The continued growth and consolidation of large corporations increases the undermining of such determinations. This inevitably leads to a more broad (regional/continental) outlook that puts economic extraction over local communities. Locals aren’t the only ones that lose, so do visitors seeking to enjoy a stay, stretch their mind, and build lasting memories.
A majority of the guests at BROO are from out of town which gives an opportunity for them to have fun on the rivers here and to hopefully take some piece of knowledge home with them of how important rivers are. Our guides are there to encourage focus on having fun while answering questions if any come up and also providing interpretation of many topics if requested. We work hard to not impose on people’s thoughts or experience but do want to foster discussion and a place that leads to advocacy for the sustainability of the experience. Operating in an urban area requires a lot of advocacy for a sustainable experience.
Advocating for guest experience leads to safer and more enjoyable experiences. It leads to sustainability of our environment and provides a basis for job growth of a difficult profession with unique experience, guiding.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What light inside you have you been dimming?
There was a time when I had a significant amount of individuality and was soo focused on achieving experiences on new stretches of river. The goal for a few years was to paddle at least 10 new stretches of river each year. It was achieved most of the time and it was such an amazing time doing it because my confidence to explore grew. Instilling a drive to wander and experience something new is really a positive one. Some health issues caused me to dim this drive as the lifestyle was no longer doable so I began to focus more on how to sustain the Boise River environment and help people attain the confidence to go explore.
Volunteering for a non-profit that advocated for river health dimmed the light of self exploration and brightened community building/learning. The brightness of that light didn’t change but it just shone in a different direction. It is where the idea of having an outfitting operation on the Boise River began so once COVID hit and everyone thought the world was ending, it was prioritized to start Boise River Outdoor Opportunities. The passion to get people out and explore was able to shine brighter when managing and guiding the operation.
It is very difficult to start and maintain an outfitting company and guide on a daily basis so that light as a guide has dimmed since I need to focus on administration of the operation. What’s amazing is that I have seen the light for this community building/learning grow inside each professional guide. The more guides that get trips means the more this light will accumulate and the outcomes are exponentially positive.
Now that my health is getting back to where I want it to be, a journey of 8-10 years, I foresee my light for the confidence to go exploring have a chance to get fostered once again. There are some fears that I will need to overcome to regain that confidence. At midlife I’ve found confronting fears is probably the best way to overcome them but it is sometimes necessary to change lifestyle and have different priorities to overcome a fear by putting it aside until there is time or the ability to address it.
Thank you Rebel Canvas for the space to explore these thoughts and present them to your audience.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @boiseriveroutdoor
- Facebook: @BoiseBROO
Image Credits
Lance Miller Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
