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Clinch Life Outfitters, Inc (St. Paul, VA) Review

Updated: Dec 1, 2022


Name

Clinch Life Outfitters, Inc

About

Established in 2016, Clich Life Outfitter, Inc serves as the leader in the outdoor recreation industry in the Clinch River Valley.


Slogan:

Mission:

Vision:

Focus

A specialty outdoor center providing the GEAR, GUIDANCE, and INSPIRATION to allow everyone to “Clinch Life Outdoors.” Supports a wide range of outdoor recreational activities including fishing, kayaking, hiking, biking, camping, hunting, and ATVing.


Appalachia


Wise, Scott, and Russell County Virginia, and the new Clinch River State Park.

Shuttle Services, Nash’s Ford to Dungannon launches.


Sustainable

Environment: Owner of Clinch Life Outfitters works with Appalachian Conservation Corps with their Stream Sweepers program.


Economics: Only Outfitter in a town that has heavily embraced nature based tourism. Offers a wide variety of gear that can't be matched within a 35-45 minute drive. Offers fishing guiding and kayaking guiding.


Society: Helps bring down constraints by offering guiding services and a wide range of camping supplies, with friendly staff, with very generous business hours, in a downtown setting. Owner is involved with the Clinch River Valley Initiative.


Tourism

Guides

Bank Fishing Trips. Kayak Fishing Trips.

Kayak Tours.


Shuttles

With various round trip options. 1-way and round-trip service for a kayak or canoe.


Gear

Hunting. Firearms. Fishing. Firearms & Ammunition. Dog Accessories. Vintage Clothing. Camping Supplies. Live Bait.


Gear Rentals

Kayak & Canoe. Rod & Reel Rentals.

24 hour rentals.


Planning (Travel Agent or Travel Specialists)


Service hours: Monday-Sat. 9:00am-8:00pm. Sunday 1:00pm-8:00pm.



Collaboration


Owner of Clinch Life Outfitters works with Appalachian Conservation Corps with their Stream Sweepers program, and the Clinch River Valley Initiative.



General Impression


Clinch Life Outfitters, Inc is a great organization and indeed a leader for their service area. If every distressed county in the Appalachian Regional Commision had an organization like Clinch Life Outfitters, Inc we would be in great shape. The organization offers a diverse amount of goods and services, is located in a town that has worked hard to improve their community with tourism, has friendly and knowledgeable staff, and has very generous business hours.


Outlook


With 73 jobs coming into St. Paul (location of business), and

280 jobs coming in at Norton (27 minutes away), and

50 new jobs coming Lebanon (24 minutes away), and

120 to 160 jobs coming in to Bristol (50 minutes away),

And a State Park facility coming over the next 5 years, the outlook looks excellent. Furthermore, the town of St. Paul keeps improving and growing and has a 4 lane road for access.


Recommendations

Create, outsource, or collaborate with Transporter (chauffeur) services to bring in tourists from airports, bus stations, and towns like Abingon, Kingsport, and Bristol into their service area. Transporters can also offer better access to more recreational opportunities away from the Clinch River Valley. This connection will be needed with the influx of jobs coming in the near future.


Create, outsource, or collaborate with Travel Specialists or Travel Agents who can help trip planners from near and far visit the area. This Travel Agent would already have a firm foundation to work with in the town of St. Paul and the diverse services that Clinch Life Outfitter, Inc offers. This connection will be needed with the influx of jobs coming in the near future. St. Paul could be a hub for travelers from all over the world.


Collaborate with Southwest Virginia Community College’s Adventure Tourism Outdoor Leadership Program, and Radford University’s Outdoor Leadership Program, to create a farm system to facilitate workforce development that will be needed in the near future for the region. A internship program could be created to help train their next employees, thus making Clinch Life a leader in workforce development.


Expand outdoor services (Guided Hikes, andn Logistical support) into the nearby Clinch Ranger District and the Eastern Divide Ranger District by creating a commercial special use permit. There are over 500 jobs coming and folks will want to explore.


Improve the website so that tourists can see the connection to Stream Sweepers and the Clinch River Valley Initiative. This will increase recruitment, and showcase the commitment to the environment, and society that the owner has, thus motivating ecotourists to support the organization.


Add a link that takes trip planners to various Clinch River water levels.

If we have made any mistakes in this write up, please let us know. Thank you.


Travis Stanley

Appalachia Sustainable Tourism Collaboration



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