Human resources, and pay: The things to consider when opening an adventure center.

 Human resources, and pay: The things to consider when opening an adventure center. 

The recreation industry is usually staffed from part-time workers, as well as seasonal working individuals. When looking at adventure centers that offer high ropes facilities, and other outdoor based activities, finding employees may not be the hardest thing to do. When the pandemic first struck, and high adventure places were looking at losing a spring full of participants they had to shut their doors, and unfortunately turn seasonal workers away. With vaccines, and the pandemic better managed, the spring and summer are looking hopeful. More people are looking to travel to the high country this summer to enjoy the mountains, and all the perks that come with it. With that being said, a high need for employees is present in organizations located near Boone. Employees who were scheduled to work in summer 2020 are deciding to fill those positions within these adventure centers and stay in the area. Recreational places in the high country also rely on employees who are students which this summer is perfect as students looking for internships. There is a big push for employment with these organizations that are promoted through local schools such as Appalachian, and Lees-McRae. Said students will be quite interested in working with these centers and continuing after college. In addition, individuals who are not currently students will be available for work as recreation took a “time out” for a little bit and this is the first summer season that will be opening up for more opportunities. 

As an emerging recreation professional that is leaving the academic scene, and into the “real world” it is very interesting to look into wages, and what the best benefits there are to employees. With more expensive fees to attend these high adventure centers it is possible to pay a wage that is higher than minimum wage, but not by much. The average pay for a basic employee in one of these places is around $9-$11 an hour which is not the greatest but can be quite worse. Because of equipment upkeep, insurance costs, and general maintenance there is not a whole lot of room in the budget to pay employees $15. In order to help bridge this gap, adventure centers are offering free admission to those who work there as well just like Mast General, an “employee of the day” perk they can give to their friends. For those who work in management it might be possible to pay for a living stipend, or extra disposable income under certain requirements. Especially for seasonal workers, and within the adventure center industry sometimes benefits are way better than pay.