Outdoor Recreation Archives - Page 2 of 4 - Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce

Group of friends ride mountain bike in the forest together.

Accelerating Outdoor Industry Startups – Part 1

This Bentonville Beacon episode is part one of a bonus series that highlights the third cohort of the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP). First, host James Bell is joined by Phil Shellhammer, who was recently appointed by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to the Natural State Advisory Council. Phil is Director of Business Incubation for the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Arkansas, and he is responsible for GORP. GORP is a Bentonville-based business incubator focused on the development of innovative solutions within the outdoor recreation industry. After speaking with Phil, James sits down with co-founders of two companies in GORP’s third cohort, including Michael Burton and Clayton Woodruff, CEO and COO of UNCL Co, and Tracy Byrd from Best Ride of Your Life, b-royl. Throughout the episode, James, Phil, Michael, Clayton and Tracy discuss these companies, how the GORP experience is advantageous to founders and why the diversity of GORP’s mentors is important.

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Innovating Solutions to Bring Joy to Cyclists

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Squires and Scott Smith, Founders of Altangle Cycling, where Squires serves as President and Scott is the CEO.
Altangle Cycling makes high-quality, innovative products that help solve common problems associated with owning and maintaining a bicycle. After growing up in an entrepreneurial family and in the outdoors, both brothers journeyed down separate paths after college. Squires went into industrial construction, and Scott worked in corporate finance before they ventured into the startup world to bring Altangle Cycling to life. Throughout the episode, James, Squires and Scott discuss the intention behind Altangle Cycling, why it relocated to Bentonville and what it’s like being business partners as brothers.

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The exterior of the Crystal Bridges Museum.

Catalyzing Bentonville’s Innovation Ecosystem

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Toby Teeter, Director of the University of Arkansas Bentonville Collaborative. The Collaborative is an impetus for innovation in Bentonville, where the University of Arkansas’ presence focuses on outdoor recreation, bio-design, whole health, advanced mobility, and technologies for retail, supply chain, logistics, and corporate enablement. Additionally, Toby is a serial entrepreneur and investor, with his most current venture being Omni Brands, a company that designs, builds and scales ecommerce businesses with its product studio, third-party logistics and ad agency services. Toby also serves on the Greater Bentonville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Throughout the episode, James and Toby discuss modernization in Bentonville and The Collaborative’s mission and vision for the future.

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Because Bentonville Highlight Episode

Welcome to a special episode of The Bentonville Beacon Podcast. This week, we’re taking a break from our regular episodes to highlight why Bentonville is so amazing. We’ve chosen a few clips from some of our favorite moments of The Bentonville Beacon Podcast so far. Sit back and enjoy these clips, and check out Bentonville, where you get more of what you want, and less of what you don’t!

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Cycling, mountain biking woman on cycle trail in autumn forest. Mountain biking in autumn landscape forest.

How Bentonville Became the Mountain Biking Capital of the World

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Gary Vernon, a seasoned Sr. Program Officer at the Walton Personal Philanthropy Group. Gary, a key person behind OZ Trails, is the main reason for the explosion of the mountain bike trails in NWA. Throughout the episode, James and Gary discuss the large expansion of trails and what that has meant for the culture and economy in NWA, specifically Bentonville.

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Floating Around Bentonville

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell was joined by Rob Mahler, founder and lead tech for Naz-T’s FloaT Shop, a local Onewheel rental and repair shop that specializes in repairing and customizing PEV vehicles. James and Rob talked about the vision, challenges, and future of building Naz-T’s FloaT Shop, the development of NWA, and the growth of Onewheels.

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A smiling man outside of Encore Bike Rental.

Delivering Bikes Across Northwest Arkansas

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell was joined by Morgan and Tyler Baumgardner, a husband and wife duo who recently launched Encore Bike Rentals, a service that meets you where you are with the bikes you need. James, Morgan, and Tyler talked about how they ended up in Bentonville, Encore Bike Rentals, and how everyone in Bentonville can benefit!

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Cycling, mountain biker couple on cycle trail in autumn forest. Mountain biking in autumn landscape forest. Man and woman cycling MTB flow uphill trail.

Bonus Episode | Boosting Your Mountain Biking Skills

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sat down with Rich Drew, professional mountain biker and YouTuber, and founder of The Ride Series, a service to teach mountain biking skills for athletes of all skill levels. James and Rich had the opportunity to talk about all things mountain biking, pouring into the community, and of course, Bentonville.

Thanks for joining us!

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A young woman with a rope engaged in the sports of rock climbing on the rock.

How Northwest Arkansas is Revolutionizing the Rock Climbing World

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sat down with founder and CEO of Lacaida Ropes, Pedro Somarriba. Pedro and his new company are the first of its kind in the state, and The Bentonville Beacon got the scoop on everything they have planned for the outdoor community here in Arkansas. James and Pedro talked all about the Lacaida Ropes company launch, the products they are kicking off, and all that they have planned for the future of their company and for this climbing community in Bentonville.

Thanks for joining us!

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Paddling through Northwest Arkansas

On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell had the opportunity to chat with Scott Holley, the president and co-owner of Eddyline Kayaks. Scott brings a unique perspective and opportunity to Bentonville and he is excited to share it with Bentonville Beacon listeners. James and Scott discussed the ins and outs of the kayak industry, as well as Eddyline’s mission to partner with its customers to protect the ability to enjoy the waters they depend on for their craft.

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