WATERVILLE, ME (September 28, 2021) Three outdoor recreation startups based in Maine have received funding from Maine Technology Institute to advance product development projects totaling $76,000 in scope. Each startup is a graduate of the Waterville-based Tortoise Labs product design course, which begins a new session on October 14th. With its focus on early-stage idea generation and validation, Tortoise Labs …
Bozeman, MT (June 8, 2021) – Outdoor recreation contributes to economic success in many ways and will help lead recovery from the pandemic, according to a new report released by the State Outdoor Business Alliance Network (SOBAN), a new network of business organizations that share knowledge, opportunities, and best practices to strengthen commerce, infrastructure, and participation in the outdoors. The report …
PORTLAND, Maine (May 26, 2021) – Maine’s $3 billion outdoor economy and success as an attractive place to live, work and visit depends on having robust outdoor recreation infrastructure including local parks and recreation areas, larger-scale conservation projects to draw visitors to rural Maine, trail networks, and accessible information about all of it. COVID-19 has driven unprecedented demand for outdoor experiences and has exposed …
PORTLAND, Maine (May 5, 2021) – A Maine Outdoor Brands (MOB) member survey, in partnership with the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, found that while employers in Maine’s outdoor industry are attracting a younger workforce, it remains difficult to fill open positions. A survey was conducted in early 2021 by the Survey Research Center at the Muskie School of Public Service at …
PORTLAND, Maine (April 26, 2021) – Maine Outdoor Brands (MOB) submitted testimony in support of LD 983, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Promote Land Conservation, Working Waterfronts, Water Access and Outdoor Recreation, and LD 687, An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Promote the Conservation of Land, Working Waterfronts, Water Access and …
PORTLAND, Maine (March 25, 2021) – Maine Outdoor Brands (MOB) submitted testimony in support of LD 700 “An Act To Promote Economic Development and Outdoor Recreation through Investment in State Parks” to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. You can read the full letter here. Formed in 2017, Maine Outdoor Brands (MOB) works to unite and provide a voice for Maine’s …
PORTLAND, Maine (February 2, 2021): Maine’s outdoor industry leaders recently gathered to live stream the Maine Outdoor Brands (MOB) Trailblazer Awards Ceremony. The ceremony honored MOB’s Outdoor Innovation, Outdoor Industry Leader of the Year, and Outdoor Brand Collaboration award recipients. The 2021 award recipients are the Portland Gear Hub’s Bikes for All Mainers program, Back40’s Henry Gilbert, and Maine Island …
PORTLAND, Maine (January 27, 2021) – President Biden signed an Executive Order today establishing a national goal to conserve at least 30 percent of our nation’s lands and waters by the year 2030. This action comes less than two months after the Maine Climate Council set a goal of conserving 30 percent of Maine’s land by 2030 as part of …
Maine ranks in the top five across the country in the value outdoor recreation adds to statewide GDP PORTLAND, Maine (November 10, 2020) – For the second year, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released statistics showing the role that outdoor recreation plays in each state’s economy. According to the report, which focuses on 2019 data, Maine’s …
PORTLAND, Maine (August 19, 2020) – Launched this month by Maine Outdoor Brands, the ADVENTURE specialty plate provides a way for Maine vehicle owners to show their support for Maine’s growing outdoor recreation industry – including all the outdoor gear manufacturers, outfitters, youth trip leading organizations and more – whose products and services enable more Mainers to get outdoors. Maine …