Inside Outdoor Spring 2020 Issue

T he Outdoor Recreation roundtable, a leading coali- tion of outdoor recreation trade associations and organizations, has been increasingly vocal this spring, expand- ing its presence and weighing in on a number of key issues. In April, the ORR added two heavyweights to its coalition includ- ing the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and the Society of Outdoor Rec- reation Professionals (SORP). The ORR also named entrepreneur and strategist Lindsey Davis as its new vice president, adding new experience and leadership to the team. In ad- dition, the ORR has been continuing to advise policy makers about critical stimulus funding and the importance of continuing to help the outdoor rec- reation industry. “Outdoor recreation has been a major force in the American economy,” the ORR recently stated in its re- sponse to the CARES Act. “Annually, it generates $778 billion in output, comprises 2.2 percent of the United States GDP and supports 5.2 mil- lion jobs – many of which are in rural communities. The outdoor industry has also been growing faster than the economy as a whole in every indicator and during a time period when there has been unprecedented economic growth. In order to recover from this economic recession, all efforts should be taken to support this sector that can help communities recover, grow the economy, create American jobs and continue to benefit Americans’ quality of life.” The ORR thanked Congress for swiftly passing the CARES Act, while of- fering several recommendations to bet- ter support the industry. The ORR’s wish list for future funding includes increased flexibility for the way that seasonal em- ployers calculate Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness and eligibility, and extending loan forgive- ness for payroll costs for an additional eight weeks or as long as a state’s emergency order remains in place. In addition, the ORR wants to in- crease the Small Business Administra- tion’s lending authority to better meet demand, provide financial assistance for recreation associations, waive fees on public lands and waters and extend contracts and permits; and waive af- filiation rules for businesses in the marine and RV industry in the next stimulus package. “I think there’s a really interesting opportunity here, and it’s really on us to look through the tunnel vision of the [negative situation] businesses are going through to see the light at the end of it,” explained ORR executive director Jessica Turner. “And it could be pretty bright, if the government gets these investments right.” While the CARES Act was helpful, it’s clear that more work is needed to support the struggling recreation econ- omy in the weeks and months to come. “The way that our public land is structured and funded today, it’s not going to support a post COVID-19 rec- reation economy that really needs some different types of social distancing and access in local, close to home places,” Turner continued. “So if we can get this right now, I think we can set up the rec- reation economy for another 100 years, which is pretty exciting.” As Turner explained, this will re- quire continued bi-partisan support. “Ninety percent of the recreation economy is comprised of small busi- nesses,” Turner concluded. “We have about 110,000 businesses in our eco- system, 90 percent of which are small. Every small business that goes under is a significant portion of the recreation economy, and so we must support them. That’s really important.” m By Gerald Baldino ORR Stands Up for Small Businesses ORR executive director Jessica Turner Inside Outdoor | SPRING 2020 28 The Advocates