Highland Outdoors wins big at WV Business Plan Competition 🎉💸
May 01, 2023 9:57 pm
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This newsletter is brought to you by Friends of the Cheat
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Team HO takes home top prize at business competition
Nikki and I are thrilled to announce that Highland Outdoors took home a $19,000 award from the statewide WV Business Plan Competition at the annual Bridging Innovation conference. After three rounds of competition, including the submission of a full business plan and a five-minute Shark Tank-style pitch in front of a panel of judges, we came in first in the Platinum group. We were up against some really incredible businesses and startups—congrats to all the winners at this year's event!
We'll use our funding to take the mag to the next level. We'll finally be able to hire much-needed help, rent office space, grow our distribution network via mail, and increase our contributor rates so we can better compensate those who help make the magazine a true community effort. Big thanks to all those who supported us throughout the competition. Onward!
What's a financial windfall if it doesn't include a comically large check? Photo courtesy Highland Outdoors
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HO in the Hills
If you read our Spring 2023 issue, you learned about Joel Brady's harrowing ascent of Green Magic in the Hills, the hardest climbing route at Seneca Rocks. While Brady's ascent was indeed an impressive feat, what's even more impressive is Matt O'Brien's dedication to reading our magazine in the vertical world. O'Brien, who belayed Brady on the first ascent of the route, recently read the article while rappelling the very wall on which the route was established. Big thanks to Finley Conway for the photo!
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Join us for Cheat Fest!
Early spring is one of our favorite times of the year. From wildflower hikes and picking ramps to overnight floats in the Smoke Hole Canyon, it doesn't get much better than spring in West Virginia. Coinciding with it all is the annual Cheat River Festival, a can't-miss party that serves as both Friends of the Cheat's biggest fundraising event and the kick-off for the summer festival season.
We are mega-proud to be one of the VIP Party Presenting Sponsors again this year. Being able to support our favorite events means a lot to Nikki and me. However, it takes two to tango, so I'd like to send a heartfelt thanks to our friends at FOC for welcoming us as sponsors again.
Per the usual, we'll be set up with our vendor booth on Friday and Saturday and will be slangin' mags and stickers and selling merch. You can't miss our orange Highland Outdoors tent. Come say hi, dance your heart out, and support the best river keepers around!
FOC always kills it with the festival poster art by John Victor. And how about that music lineup?
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You know the drill—subscribing is the best way to support Highland Outdoors. If you love the mag and want it to continue, please consider joining our 380+ subscribers (thank you!) to get each issue delivered right to your door—and to continue reading it in the future.
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Have you seen these yet?
AJ DeLauder plucks the heartstrings with this poignant piece about rediscovering a familiar and forgotten land among the bucolic backroads of Preston County.
At noon on a beautiful fall day last year, Joel Brady pulled himself atop the narrow fin of Seneca Rocks after an epic battle on the rock, in the process establishing Seneca's hardest rock climbing route.
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Stay tuned for our next installment in mid-May, featuring a sneak preview of the Summer 2023 issue, updates on our spring travels, giveaways, and more.
Enjoy, and thanks for reading #westvirginiasoutdoormagazine!
Dylan Jones
Editor-in-Chief
Highland Outdoors