We recently connected with Adam Bass and have shared our conversation below.

Adam, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The idea stemmed from providing guided rafting trips while volunteering at a local non-profit. I organized these guided raft trips on many different sections of the river and were a great way for the non-profit members to connect and experience the beautiful Boise River. Some of these trips were like expeditions with significant safety and trip orientation aspects needing to be divulged with the group prior to beginning the trip. As a trip leader, it was important that I set the correct tone at the start of the trip and encourage individuals to have fun while being conscious of safety. It is a difficult task to organize trips such as these, but the positive benefits are worth it. Some of the trips included trash cleanup while others focused on environmental interpreting to the groups. I learned soo much and became even more grateful for the Boise River natural resource. At the time, the only way for the public to access the river was through renting or by using your own equipment. This means visitors, businesses, and disadvantaged groups are not accommodated as well as they could be to access the Boise River natural resource. In my mind, it is a human right to be able to experience a natural resource like the Boise River through being able to paddle it.

An outfitter was needed to improve access to the Boise River natural resource for visitors, business groups, and disadvantaged persons. Environmentally, the Boise River would also benefit from an outfitter because guides can provide history that encourages further understanding of the river flowing through the heart of Boise. Economically, an outfitter has a license with the State to conduct commercial operations within the Boise River. These licenses are capped, similar to liquor licenses but there are less of them. It would take a lot of upfront investment but having an outfitter license will be a foundation for creating a sustainable business, is a benefit to the community, and is a benefit to the natural resource. So, I decided to create Boise River Outdoor Opportunities, LLC (BROO) to provide commercial services on the Boise River based on these aspects.

These services are a one stop shop to have a positive outdoor experience on the Boise River. The trip includes all necessary equipment, water, snacks, a guide, and pictures. Including everything with no hidden fees or costs is rare these days and I want to make it a point to provide such simple costs going forward.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My childhood began in the Boise area and by a very young age I understood the use of a boat and kayak to travel in a river. The summers were spent swimming and boogie boarding in the Boise River with friends and family. I continued to develop skills in school that would set me up well for success as an engineer, studying science and math diligently.

I went on to higher education and received a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Boise State University. During this time, I made mistakes that I learned from and overcame the obstacles created from the mistakes. It took a tremendous amount of sacrifice and perseverance to overcome these obstacles. It taught me the benefits of hard work and where it can get someone. After graduating in 2010, it was difficult to find a job but I was able to obtain one as an Engineer In Training at a consulting firm in Boise. Along with this came the illustrious ability to fund fun for myself, which I did.

Whitewater kayaking became a driving force for me to get out into the outdoors. Going on trips with friends to find new places and have our skills tested is as enjoyable and entertaining to this day as it was in my childhood. The scale of these experiences has continued to grow as I grow.

I became a Professional Engineer in 2014 and continued to practice the extreme paper pushing business as a desk jockey. This is where I earned my chops as basically a “project expeditor”. Developing roadway and bridge infrastructure takes a tremendous amount of design and permitting. The development process taught me much about the balances of working in the best interest of the general public while keeping a project within budget, scope, and schedule. I excelled in this position having been an engineer of record for dozens of bridges and miles of roadway in Idaho. I continue to practice as a professional engineer to this day. All this paper pushing and permitting was the perfect experience for what is needed to conduct commercial rafting operations on a federally owned but held in state trust river that is the heart of many municipalities and counties. Each with their own distinct interests in the Boise River.

In 2018, I volunteered with a local non-profit that works to educate the public and provide improvements to the ecology of the Boise River. This was a tremendous benefit for developing a foundation of being knowledgeable about the natural resource. It is important that a guide knows the area they provide services in very well. Without working at the non-profit, the outfitting idea would have never come to fruition. Other ideas were fostered and acted on while volunteering such as managing the development of the Boise River Watertrail Guidebook. This guidebook included descriptions from professional subject matter experts relating to flora, fauna, pictures, geomorphology, and aquatic organisms. The product came out great due to this information and the high quality aerial photos of the entire 75+ miles of the lower Boise River.

In 2021, the first season of BROO happened and it continues to grow. I act as the designated agent of this outfitter with authority that allows me to advocate for three main things 1. Guest Experiences 2. Environmental Integrity 3. Business Sustainability. All three topics are very nuanced but I consider these when making decisions of what new services to make available for guests.

BROO is here to provide positive experiences on the river. In an age of handheld computers, it is important that we go back to our roots of romping around in nature to let the mind reach a healthy level of wanderlust. The recent exposure of mental health awareness means that outdoor opportunities like the services BROO provides are an essential part to a healthy community and ecosystem. Everything is connected, as defined by one of the Laws of Ecology.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a professional engineer working on highways throughout Idaho, there are many times where multiple projects are being developed at the same time. Each project has its own characteristics ranging from roadway design, bridge designs, hydraulic designs, hydrology evaluations, geotechnical designs, public involvement, utility design, temporary traffic control, permitting, stakeholder involvement, among others. Each characteristic typically has a professional subject matter expert as a lead. I have found success as professional engineer in pivoting from project to project while understanding the unique characteristics they have. I can then use this understanding to develop plans and contract documents that incorporate all the characteristics to culminate in construction of the project. Most projects I have worked on are within sensitive areas because every bridge over a water resource will impact the natural resource in some way so the impact must be reduced and mitigated if needed.

This pivoting has given me unique experience to expedite projects through diligent and prudent communications during development. With this in mind, one can see this experience would be beneficial when it comes to the administration of an outfitting company. Being an outfitter in an urban area means there are numerous jurisdictional permitting and licenses that must be obtained to operate commercial rafting on the Boise River. The Boise River is owned by the United States Federal Government, the Idaho Department of Lands holds the riverbed in public trust, and the Idaho Department of Water Resources holds the water in public trust.

All of this experience and diligent work acting in good faith of the general public through practice with a professional engineering license and outfitting license provides a basis for positive outcomes. The tangible outcomes are seeing families and other groups having fun on the river, making memories, and being in a mentally healthy outdoor setting. The positive social aspects is why I founded BROO. Two additional benefits are having a business operating in the river that is sensitive to environmental impacts and to provide quality and unique jobs to the community. I will continue to practice as a professional engineer and a professional outfitter to support the public interest in the environment and in social dynamics.

In conclusion, I go to the river to learn about many things. I learn the most about myself and others I am with but also learn about the natural environment and how it interacts with the built environment. My ask to the reader is to find a way to support our natural environment and encourage sustainable uses of it.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Patience, patience, patience, and then prudent action in good faith. Patience in truly understanding the history of the team. Patience in truly understanding the goals of the team. Patience in truly understanding the needed actions to achieve those goals. With that foundation, it is difficult to have low morale.

Throughout the year I check in with my team both individually and as a group for people to speak their mind. My understanding with communication is information or intent is never 100% conveyed. So a continued back and forth must be encouraged even if items must be “tabled” for future discussion. As the designated agent, I make the final decisions and every affected team members opinion must be adequately considered. My justification of decisions must be available to team members for them to understand that I have listened to their perspectives and these perspectives have been considered in the decision.

Boise River Outdoor Opportunities will always seek to include those interested in working for this quality outfitting and guiding company. Come be a positive influence on the community and have some fun while doing it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.boiseriveroutdoor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boisebroo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoiseBROO
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-bass-50a55122/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/boise-river-outdoor-opportunities-garden-city

Image Credits
Ones with BROO logos need Lance Miller Photography Credits. https://www.jlphotographydesign.com/