We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Liz Winand a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Liz, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

After almost 45 years in business, one can’t help but reflect on what our legacy will be. What have we done to make this world a better place? How have we influenced our customer base to be good stewards of the environment? Have we been successful in introducing young and old alike to an outdoor lifestyle or an adventure they may have thought out of reach for them?

When we were celebrating our 40th year in business, I did a review of the numbers of programs and people we have reached over the years. Here are some of those statistics:

• Introducing active outdoor activities to our market area including windsurfing, mountain biking,
backpacking, hiking, cross country skiing, showshoeing and paddlesports
• Sharing with over 800 kids the importance of lifetime outdoor pursuits through our Kid’s Adventure Camps
• Teaching over 23,000 area school students the importance of the river through our Susquehanna River
Field Trip programs
• Leading over 100 people on trips to discover windsurfing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina
• Teaching paddlesports safety and technical skills to over 4,375 adults
• Guiding over 8,250 people to discover new outdoor adventures on the Susquehanna River, Chesapeake
Bay, and southwest Florida

As mentioned, those numbers were compiled almost 5 years ago. Our mission to “create an outdoor center catering to individuals and groups of all ages interested in the history, natural resources, and environmental importance of the Susquehanna River Valley and the Chesapeake Bay” has continued and we have certainly added to the numbers we have impacted.

That is the stand-alone, most important legacy we can achieve.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

We opened our shop on July 31, 1978. Our decision to get into the outdoor industry was based on the fact that we wanted to be entrepeneurs and what better industry to get into than one that supports the leisure time activities that we love. In 1978 there were not a lot of outdoor shops around so it seemed the perfect niche for us.

What we also wanted to do was provide outdoor programming. We did not want to be just a retail shop. That decision has held true through the 45 years we have been in business. It has added a unique highlight to our shop, has made it a true destination for outdoor activities, and has give us the ability to be creative with many types of programs that encourage people of all ages to participate in our activities. This has set us apart and made Shank’s Mare a true brand for outdoor pursuits in our market.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When we founded Shank’s Mare in 1978, we were totally under capitalized and had few role models to follow that had ever established an outdoor outfitters shop. We learned as we went. We took a lot of hard knocks including bringing on activities that did not take hold, bringing in hundreds of sets of skis in a year with no snow, running a kayak rental operation during a season where it rained every weekend, weathering many recessions topped by surviving during an once in a lifetime worldwide pandemic. The lesson learned is no matter how many years you are in business you have to continually think outside the box. You have to be creative. You can not be discouraged. You have to work hard and be ready to change when the need arises.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

One of the best pieces of advise we were ever given is “when the answer is “no” figure out how to say “yes”. That has been a core value that we have used to establish our reputation. If the answer is no, we make every effort to turn that around so our customers have information and a positive response to our decisions. This often times involves a safety issue regarding an adventure we are guiding. We have to explain properly to the participant that our decision is based on their welfare. We find the same thought applies to our sales floor. We won’t sell someone a product (kayak, paddleboard, etc.) that will not work for how they want to use it. Our “sales pitch” is not based on what we have in stock and what we need to move. We ask our customers lots of questions to clarify what kind of adventure they want to have, and we tailor the equipment or program to their needs. That is what has built our reputation in our market over the past 45 years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shanksmare.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shanksmareoutfitters/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shanksmare