The buzzing on the factory floor wasn’t just boat-shaped forms rotating and maneuvering into ovens, or the drills adding bolts to the freshly baked kayaks. It was the team of Old Town employees laughing, chatting and sharing their stories with 30 high schoolers from northern Maine who were there touring the Old Town Canoe and Kayak factory on a beautiful April day.
For the past year and a half, Maine Outdoor Brands has partnered with the Northern Forest Center and Rural Aspirations Project to support Extended Learning Opportunity (ELO) coordinators and their students across the Moosehead and Katahdin regions. As a well-positioned conduit between education and industry, MOB facilitated this trip to Old Town to help shine a light on future job and career possibilities for students that they might not see otherwise.
Waiting outside the factory, we gathered and waited for the last two schools to arrive. When the school bus came to a stop and the door opened, the final 12 students filed out, revealing the bus driver, Andy, who also happened to be the ELO coordinator from Greenville High School! In addition to teaching, he works for Northeast Whitewater in the summers, guiding raft trips and driving participants to the put-in on the Dead and Kennebec Rivers. What a guy!
Inside, we learned the history of Old Town and what we should expect on the tour. With safety glasses on, we split into small groups and began exploring the factory floor. Students were quick to learn and asked great questions of the employees at their stations. We watched powdered resin get poured into molds and clamped together before moving into huge ovens to bake. We saw finished boats getting float tested to ensure there were no leaks. Finally we saw how boats were packaged up and stored before getting shipped out across the globe.
From there we walked over to the Jetboil section of the campus to explore the research, development and marketing efforts that go into crafting the finest camping stoves around. Students walked away with a broader understanding of just how much work goes into improving current products, developing new products and pushing everything out to a worldwide market.
As Elijah from Greenville High School put it, “I would in all honesty rate that experience a 10 because we were exploring a facility that makes things I use almost every day in the warmer months. I have an Old Town canoe and many Old Town kayaks and seeing how they were made was very interesting. Not only was this experience a great way to learn but it was a great way for me to bond with my classmates as well.”
And Kalani, a freshman, left us with this, “The biggest impression I got was the marketing, it made me realize how much work goes into attracting customers, as well as the research and thoughts behind it. It was a great time! I enjoyed listening to everyone talking about their jobs, and seeing their passion for it.”
MOB would like to extend a huge thanks to the Old Town & Jetboil staff who so warmly welcomed these students and provided a truly inspirational day. We’ll be back!