The RV Industry Association, working with our partners in the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, has been a leader in the mission to establish Offices of Outdoor Recreation (OREC offices) in all 50 states. To date, 17 states have offices or task forces that now exist to guide states in better investing in the outdoor recreation industry, seven of these offices being created just in the last year. But the RV Industry Association has gone beyond advocating just for the creation of these offices and put a renewed focus on truly establishing and cultivating relationships with the OREC offices to make sure our priorities are being heard at the state level, and that we are setting these offices up for success as they develop.
During the current public health crisis, we have seen the value of having OREC directors, a state government employee whose job and mission is to advocate for the outdoor recreation economy, of which the RV industry is a vital sector. We have been able to reach out for guidance and assistance that has been extremely helpful in advocating for the RV industry during our nation’s struggles through the COVID-19 pandemic.
An example of the good work that these OREC offices are doing shines through in the efforts of Wisconsin’s OREC office. One of the newer OREC offices, part of the seven created last year, the Wisconsin OREC office is now conducting a Stakeholder Input Survey, seeking information from businesses, organizations, and partners in Wisconsin to use in its strategic planning process. Having state government reaching out to industry stakeholders — to ask what our priorities are, what issues are most important to us, what improvements we would like to see made, what we most care about — is a refreshing example of the kind of open communication we continually strive for when advocating on behalf of the industry.
If a company operates in Wisconsin, please take the time to fill out this survey as the office has indicated that the aggregated answers will directly inform the direction of the office and what investments in the outdoor industry will be prioritized in the state. The Wisconsin OREC Office is asking that only one person per organization complete this survey by June 20.
The Wisconsin OREC office has also provided valuable information about newly offered small business grants. Funded by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the We’re All In Small Business Grant Program will provide $2,500 grants to 30,000 Wisconsin small businesses to assist with the costs of business interruption or for health and safety improvements, wages and salaries, rent, mortgages and inventory. The application period opened on June 15 and closes on Tuesday, June 23 at 11:59 p.m. Visit the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation website for more information or to submit an application. The OREC office seeks to encourage more people to play, work, and thrive in Wisconsin based on the state’s abundant outdoor recreation offerings and is already proving itself to be a valuable resource to the outdoor recreation economy of Wisconsin. You can learn more about the office on their website here.
The RV Industry Association is dedicated in its effort to advocate for more great opportunities for RV businesses like those listed above and to better connect our membership with their state government leaders in outdoor recreation so our industry can continue to thrive.
