Success Story: Management
Year-round Employment in Recreation
Whether a person wants to go it 'on their own' or would rather take a fun and informative tour, Central Oregon Adventures wants their clients to take home a treasured memory of a great vacation. A client can kayak, canoe, take a scooter ride or see Central Oregon from an ATV or snowmobile.
Carey and Amber Greiner started the business in May 2002, with Carey as the only employee. That first summer was rough, renting ATVs out of a gravel parking lot.
As the business took off, they added snowmobiles in the fall, then canoes and kayaks the following spring. When a competitor went out of business in 2003, they were able to acquire exclusive USFS permits that allowed them to become the only permitted ATV tour company in the state and the only snowmobile tour company around Mt. Bachelor. They can now take clients to areas unavailable through other tours.
Their continued growth has them looking at purchasing property and having their own building constructed sometime in the not so distant future.
The Greiners loved Central Oregon and knew they wanted to live here, so they packed up and left Portland, not knowing what they would do for work.
Carey was always inquisitive about the various businesses that he served as a UPS driver and felt drawn to having a business of his own. He also enjoyed working as a rafting guide as well as guiding rock climbing tours and challenge courses.
Amber had experience with bookkeeping and administration, having been secretary/treasurer for a trade organization she was involved with in Portland. These factors merged into a solid business plan a few months into their Central Oregon move while Carey was taking a business writing course at COCC.
Partnership with SBDC
Never having been in management positions, the Greiners knew it was a necessity to learn how to manage their business. ìWe had to learn how to step away from the day to day operations, to delegateÖ in order to manage and adapt to growth, we needed the SBDC to teach us how to run the business.î
The Greiners are now in their second year of the Small Business Management Program.
Our Greatest Success so far – "Attaining profitability and being able to provide year round employment in the recreation industry."
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