Red truck outdoor experience bridges two great learning opportunities

It is in my nature to push big ideas forward and it is to my benefit or detriment that I keep pushing and never give up.

I started a company that was a marketplace for high quality outdoor gear.

Red Truck's Marketplace was a combination of selling high quality gear that was lightly used by elite athletes or previous year's inventory of products that an Outdoor Curious Consumer would love to purchase and not be concerned it was a not the latest release or best in class.

This idea came from my time at Nike as the Global Director of Footwear Sustainability working to create more product with less impact to the earth. The best path for this is to fully utilize product that is already out in the marketplace: either used or deadstock.

We recognized that there was so much product out there that was in perfectly good shape that people would love to give a try before going all in on a sport.

The Red Truck Outdoor Experience started as a way for the outdoor curious consumer to come to a location and try products that the brands had in their inventory and provide a way for novice outdoor enthusiasts to learn and begin to enjoy a sport.

During the years that I traveled to bike races, events and outdoor industry trade shows it became clear to me that there was a huge gap/need to provide people the opportunity and access to learn a sport in an inclusive way. The Red Truck Outdoor Experience was originally targeted toward that demographic. That gap still exists today, but we have a big vision that is on track to close it.

The first RTOE (Red Truck Outdoor Experience) was scheduled to take place at a Scout Camp on the Oregon Coast in 2018, but we ran out of time and support to pull it off. The property there is underutilized during many periods of the year and it would have been perfect to test cycling, climbing, camping, surfing, fishing and paddling.

It was a great idea, but the timing and coordination to execute it well was just not right.  

We pushed it out to another location near the Oregon Coast that had great trail running, cycling and fishing in the surrounding areas.

This time we added a component that not only brought people in to try new activities. We created the IncubatorU Innovation Workshop as part of the program.

We built great partnerships with the local chamber of commerce, businesses, and tourism boards, but fell short again on marketing and sponsorships for the event.

We continued to explore ways to carry out the event, including as a pop-up innovation workshop. This would allow us to host it anywhere hat people could safely gather.

• I networked with other organizations for collaboration that would compliment their values and business strategies and optimize resources already in place: Hood to Coast and Loge Camps

• I spoke with other partners that were involved in the outdoor industry and saw the strong potential of this outdoor curious consumer. Outdoor City USA

• I spoke with a friend who works with small businesses and was pivoting his community model into something more virtual. Best HQ

• We agreed to combine the opportunity to learn a new outdoor skill with a short professional development workshop, introducing the IncubatorU Innovation methodology during the breakout session.

• The Red Truck Outdoor Experience would not only attract the outdoor curious consumer, but also businesses that need to bring their teams to an offsite and learn together in a healthy and inclusive environment.

We look for areas areas that might be underutilized during certain times of the  year and have natural outdoor resources, as well as a community that is welcoming and willing to participate. 

Maupin in May

How did we decide on this location?

We were already working to build a world class track and field complex and music venue overlooking the Deschutes River to the area and the more we learned about this community, the more excited we got to share it with others. The community was willing to help put this on and the idea took flight. We will teach participants to cast a fly rod, paddle safely in a raft as a team on the Deschutes River, learn simple yoga and stretching exercises, participate in local hiking and provide the opportunity to learn about history of this special town.

We will bring the IncubatorU Innovation methodology to the lunchtime workshop and make it a fun, healthy and productive day.  

It is in my nature to push big ideas forward and it is to my benefit or detriment that I keep pushing and never give up.

Join us on May 15th for a day to experience Maupin, Oregon at the Red Truck Outdoor Experience

Contact Michael@incubatorU.com for more information.

Spaces this year are limited due to physical distancing guidelines