It would be right to assume we’ve accumulated our fair share of Grand Canyon video watch-time over the years. But this new video, well, it just hits different. Maybe it’s the references to “canyoneering” and “scouting drops” in the midst of a full-blown rap verse–or maybe it’s the fact that these guys and gals are so endearingly dorky we’re totally engrossed in their every move.
And they sure got moves. Enjoy three full minutes of belly shaking, trumpet mimicking, and bubble-blowing goodness as they sing along to their unique parody of AJR’s “Burn The House Down”. If you manage to get this song out of your head today, we applaud you.
REFOCUSING ON WHAT MATTERS IN 3, 2, 1. | Photo: CORY LEIS
One reason paddleboarding is so popular is because it meshes so well with our hustle bustle lives. SUP, for the most part, is what I call a grab-and-go sport, like trail running and road cycling. You can do it just about anywhere at a moment’s notice if you already have a board and the gear. But how can we apply this streamlined approach to all our pursuits—paddling and otherwise? An Italian economist is the unlikely source of some great ideas about how to declutter your garage, gear closet and life.
My neighbor keeps track of how much his car costs him per month. He spreadsheets fuel mileage and repair costs. He uses this data to project how long it will be before repair bills and failing fuel economy dictate financial prudence and replacing his Yaris with a newer model. Based on his projections, he then starts squirrelling away cash so when the day comes he has accumulated enough to cover the full purchase price. He is a freak of economics and likely the only one in the country who does this.
SUP is what I call a grab-and-go sport. You can do it just about anywhere at a moment’s notice.
For the rest of us, it’s unlikely when the time comes to buy a new truck or upgrade to a carbon race board we’ll have a chubby piggy bank to take to market. No sir, we’ll up and drive to the car dealership and choose a model offering a low interest rate and manageable monthly payments. While a few paddlesports dealers arrange financing it is certainly not the norm. So if a new board strikes your fancy, please allow me to offer some helpful financial advice along the lines of Pareto’s Principle.
Refocusing on what matters in 3, 2, 1. | Feature photo: Cory Leis
While Vilfredo Pareto didn’t own a paddleboard, one could assume the 1890s Italian economist probably spent some time standing and paddling the canals of Venice. Pareto is famous for observing 80 percent of income in Italy was received by only 20 percent of the Italian population. With the help of a management consultant Joseph M. Juran, Pareto’s Principle has evolved into what is now simply called the 80:20 Rule.
In business, 80 percent of income often comes from 20 percent of clients. Farmers get 80 percent of their pumpkin yields from 20 percent of their seeds. You get the idea. This popular financial management tool is also the war cry of personal life coaches marching us toward simplicity.
Putting Pareto’s Principle into action
When I realized I get 80 percent of my fun from 20 percent of my stuff, Pareto and I started cleaning house. Hello Craigslist. Goodbye snowboard. Goodbye lead climbing rack. So long, dirt bike. I sold off 80 percent of my seldom-used things and took this money and reinvested it in the 20 percent of the activities I enjoy more, and more often.
I decluttered my gear closets, my garage and my life. Now I feel less guilt and I enjoy what is left because I’m using these things more. Because I’m paddling more often I’m in better shape, and my skills and confidence are higher. And I’m happier because I’m spending more time surrounded by enthusiastic people who are having as much fun as I am.
So, here’s my advice to you. Make a list of the perfect boards and equipment that will make your dreams come true. Then make a second list of everything you can eliminate from your home, garage and your life so you have the time and money you need to live those dreams.
This article originally appeared in Paddling Magazine Issue 65. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or download the Paddling Magazine app and browse the digital archives here.
Refocusing on what matters in 3, 2, 1. | Feature photo: Cory Leis
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely been on the receiving end of the ocean’s fury–perhaps more than once. Of course, even the most experienced paddler can still wipe out on a wave, but with training, determination, and a methodical approach, you can substantially lower your chances of losing control.
In the video, KayakHipster reveals his pro tips to easily kayak through waves with little resistance. One key learning is that a measured approach is the best approach; be sure to practice your technique on small waves and features before venturing out of your depth.
Learn how to lift a canoe all by yourself with these six easy steps. | Feature photo: ?
The thought of tossing a 16-foot canoe over your head and down onto the base of your neck can be intimidating—until you’ve been schooled in the finer technical points of the one-person canoe lift. As impressive as it looks, the weight of the canoe is easily managed by most canoeists. The secret is to position yourself properly, let your legs do the heavy lifting and be sure to keep good time when you rock and roll the canoe onto your shoulders.
Find an area with no obstructions, stand at the center of the canoe and grasp the closest gunwale with your hands about shoulder-width apart.
Situate yourself in an open area and grasp the near gunwale at the center.
2 Slide the canoe up your legs
Bend your knees and slide the canoe up your legs so it is resting on your thighs.
Use your legs as a base to lift the canoe.
3 Rock the boat, grab the far gunwale
Begin a gentle rocking motion to build momentum and establish your timing. When ready, use the leg closest to the bow to heave the canoe up so you can grab the far gunwale with your hand closest to the bow. You are now holding the canoe with your bow-side hand on the far gunwale and the stern-side hand on the near gunwale. The canoe’s weight is supported by your bow-side leg.
Rock the boat back and forth to get some momentum, then use your leg to lift and grab the far gunwale.
Initiate another rocking motion using the strong muscles of your bow-side leg. Pick your moment and with a lift from your leg flip the canoe above your head so it follows an arc guided by your bow-side arm.
Use your leg again to lift the canoe and flip it over your head.
5 Settle the yoke on your shoulders
Duck your head forward slightly as the gunwale and yoke finish the roll. Settle the yoke down on your shoulders.
Settle the yoke on your shoulders.
6 Align your body to the boat
As you are swinging the canoe over your head you should be rotating your stance so you finish with your body facing the bow.
Rotate your stance so your body is aligned to the boat.
With a quick hop to help lift the canoe off your head you can reverse these steps to unload the canoe. And though you will be tempted to let other paddlers continue in the belief that this is a strenuous maneuver, pass on the tip of using the bow-side leg to propel the canoe upward and you’ll find you soon have other people offering to share the portaging load.
This article appeared in Canoeroots & Family Camping, Early Summer 2009 and in Paddling Magazine Issue 65. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or download the Paddling Magazine app and browse the digital archives here.
Depending on wind and weather, it takes three weeks to paddle from Port Hardy to Tofino, a journey of some 500 kilometers along the exposed outer coast of northern Vancouver Island. To attempt the journey solo demands a full palate of skills and experience—and arguably, some cahones. Five years ago, my first attempt aboard a sit-on-top kayak didn’t go according to plan. But I received a sign. Would my second try at a solo expedition, aboard a SUP this time, go any smoother?
The Village Idiot: Surviving a solo SUP expedition
In retrospect, I was woefully unprepared for my first attempt at the trip. My sea kayaking skills were nothing special at the time, but I figured I could drag myself back onboard the sit-on-top boat and continue in case of capsize.
Still, a deep fear overtook me even before I launched—not fear of drowning or being blown offshore, but the terrifying prospect of simply being alone. Then my boat sank. Within the first hour. The hatches leaked. Port Hardy wasn’t even out of sight.
The trip from Port Hardy to Tofino takes you along the exposed outer coast of northern Vancouver Island. | Photo: Laurent Beique/Unsplash
Knee deep in the ocean in fading twilight, I dragged my swamped boat ashore and tried to salvage what food and gear I could. Then, my hand bumped into something below the surface. It was black, with a touch of red and white. A baseball cap. Covered in barnacles and seaweed, it had washed in from the open Pacific on a flooding tide. A few seconds earlier or later and I would have missed it.
Pulling the hat from the water, I read the words emblazoned across its brim: “Your Village Called. Their Idiot Is Missing.” Clearly, the universe was sending me a message.
Second attempt leaves civilization far behind
When I told friends I was going to try again, this time on a paddleboard, the phrase “village idiot” was uttered more than once. Just launching from Port Hardy was a fiasco. I’d flown in earlier that day, inflating my board on a busy fishing wharf and lashing 20 days of food and gear to the deck. I called home before putting my wallet, phone and city clothes on a bus to Tofino. My voice cracked as I talked to my wife. The distant sound of my cheery young boys brought sobs.
It wasn’t until 6 p.m. that I finally paddled away, my board feeling heavy and unstable in the chop. I’d been bucking a brisk wind for 20 minutes when I realized I’d forgotten to buy apples, bagels and cheese. Turning back, I trudged into town.
An hour later, Port Hardy was once again fading behind me when I realized I didn’t have a lighter or matches. Seriously? I’d been planning this trip for months, but now scared and emotional, I was forgetting the most basic things. I needed to get a grip.
Two hours later, I’d clawed my way 10 kilometers along the coast. As a red sun dropped over the ocean, I dragged my board up a pebble beach and set up camp in a hobbit-like enclave of dark salal and fir.
My alarm woke me at 4 a.m. It was still pitch black. The tent was sodden with dew. Thirty minutes later I set off in fog, feeling my way along the shore. The ocean was glass. Seals followed curiously in my wake, and the cries of oystercatchers and gulls echoed off rocky headlands.
“Pulling it from the water, I read the words emblazoned across the brim: ‘Your Village Called. Their Idiot is Missing.’ Clearly, the universe was sending me a message.”
By mid afternoon, I had covered 60 kilometers and left civilization far behind. That night I camped among grass-tufted dunes littered with the fresh prints of a wolf pack. Finally, I had some traction.
There was no template to follow, or instruction manual to read. I wasn’t aware of anyone attempting the same trip on a SUP, which meant plenty of unknowns swirled through my mind. How would wind and swell affect the board? Would the D-rings I glued to the deck survive being maytagged by a wave? How would I land and launch in surf? With a fully-loaded board and a long fin I couldn’t just drag my board up the beach.
In the end, I developed a simple routine: Wake early. Be on the water by sunrise. Perpetually watch the sky, the winds, the currents, the tides. And paddle; hour after hour. Day after day.
Battling the Brooks
The crux of any trip from Hardy to Tofino is rounding the Brooks, an immense point that juts 20 kilometers into the Pacific, the so-called Everest of the Pacific Northwest. For years I’d imagined the move in my mind and played through every variable. But, a low-pressure system descended as I approached, forcing me to take shelter in a cove.
Hours later, a lobster boat putted in. Two sun-bleached men invited me aboard and offered an omlette. They suggested that if the winds didn’t break, they could carry me around the Brooks the next morning. The forecast was for five days of gales.
“A friend once referred to paddleboarding as the snowshoeing of the ocean. It’s slow and plodding, and some might argue without justification when compared to a seaworthy kayak.”
At home, my wife and boys were waiting. Would I be cheating myself to accept help? Or would I be cheating my family if I waited a week in this cove, just to say I’d paddled every inch of the shoreline? Eventually I looked at the Village Idiot baseball cap I wore and my way seemed clear. Two days later, the Brooks behind me, I set off again.
A friend once referred to paddleboarding as the snowshoeing of the ocean. It’s slow and plodding, and some might argue without justification when compared to a seaworthy kayak. Admittedly, the inability of my board to fight a contrary wind left me feeling constantly exposed. The slightest stirring of the air brought a shadow of doubt. More than once I fought for all I was worth, down on my knees, to reach the safety of land.
You’ll stand often, and fall often, on a SUP expedition. | Feature photo: Bruce Kirkby
Yet, as a kayaker and canoeist for more than two decades it felt good to stand up. I saw more standing, both in the water below and on the ocean ahead. That’s the first SUP metaphor for life: stand up whenever you can.
And the second: stop worrying about falling. As every paddleboarder knows, it is easy to put a fantastic amount of mental and physical energy into staying upright. Yet, whenever we do fall, it’s never as bad as we imagined.
Stand often, fall often. But take my advice for what its worth, coming from the Village Idiot.
Bruce Kirkby finished his 500-kilometer SUP expedition in 20 days. A bestselling author and explorer, see more of his work at brucekirkby.com.
This article first appeared in the 2016 Paddling Buyer’s Guide and also appeared in Paddling Magazine Issue 65. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or download the Paddling Magazine app and browse the digital archives here.
You’ll stand often, and fall often, on a SUP expedition. | Feature photo: Bruce Kirkby
Drysuits are an investment. In challenging weather conditions, they are a tool to keep you warm, dry and safe. As with any investment, it’s important to keep it in good shape to retain its value. After all, you can’t put a price on warm toes.
In this drysuit repair video, the team at NRS walks us through how to repair minor holes and weak areas of your suit using a few basic tools. You’ll need Aquaseal and Seam Grip to bind the patches, along with waterproof fabric (usually be acquired through the drysuit manufacturer).
To build your own kayak can be as simple or as complex as you like. | Feature photo: Adobe Stock
To build your own kayak is to take part in a 4,000-year-old tradition beginning when the first Inuit hunter pieced together driftwood and sealskin and took to the Arctic sea. The process can be as simple or as complex as you like, ranging from assembling pre-cut pieces of a stitch-and-glue kit to creating a museum-quality craft of strips of cedar. We review three of the top techniques to get you started on a DIY boat-building project, plus five myths about wooden boats that don’t hold water.
For thousands of years, kayakers stretched and sewed sealskin over a skeletal frame of driftwood to create sleek, seaworthy crafts used for hunting in icy circumpolar waters. About the only thing distinguishing a modern skin-on-frame kayak from its Inuit origins is a newfangled, rot-resistant nylon skin. A lashed or pegged frame creates an edgy, hard-chined hull. A sculpted masik—the deck rib immediately ahead of the cockpit—locks the paddler in the boat. The characteristic low back deck enables unlimited options for rolling.
Skin-on-frame kayak. | Illustration: Paul Mason
Challenge: Builders need basic woodworking skills and the patience to take on the finicky tasks of joining the frame with mortises and tenons and sewing the skin. But don’t be intimidated. Building involves many little steps, very few of which can cause irreparable damage should you make a mistake.
Commitment: 60–120 hours, depending on whether the DIYer cuts a few detail-oriented corners.
2 Woodstrip-epoxy
A well-built cedarstrip kayak has the sheen of a fine piece of furniture. It’s no wonder many builders are tempted to hang their creation on the wall and never let it touch water. Beneath the glossy surface is a brawny fiberglass-wood composite that’s surprisingly tough. The hull and deck of woodstrip-epoxy kayaks are built on a strongback—a series of plywood forms over which narrow strips of bead and cove are fastened. Once hull and deck are attached, the entire structure is covered with fiberglass and epoxy resin, and finishing details like the cockpit and hatches are installed.
Woodstrip-epoxy kayak. | Illustration: Paul Mason
Challenge: Though not quite as foolproof as stitch-and-glue, complete kits and detailed instructional manuals like Ted Moores’ book Kayakcraft make strippers a reasonable project for novice woodworkers.
The precision-cut plywood panels of kit boats from designers like Chesapeake Light Craft, Getonthewater.ca and Pygmy Boats make stitch-and-glue the easiest technique for first-time DIYers. The panels are temporarily sewn together with wire, seams are locked into place with thickened epoxy fillets and the entire structure gets fiberglassed inside and out. Most models use temporary jigs in the stitching stage to ensure a properly aligned hull. At least two pieces of plywood go into the deck, which is then fastened to the multi-chined hull with epoxy or a gunwale-like strip of wood known as a sheer clamp. It’s also possible to combine a stitch-and-glue hull with a woodstrip-epoxy deck to create a more aesthetically pleasing hybrid eliminating the awkward process of bending plywood.
Stitch-and-glue kayak. | Illustration: Paul Mason
Challenge: Precision-cut plywood panels and detailed instructions make kit boats well within the reach of first-time woodworkers. It’s really just a sewing and fiberglassing job.
Commitment: The average builder can produce a stitch-and-glue kayak in 45 to 80 hours.
5 Wooden Boat Myths Busted
1 Wooden kayaks are fragile
Plywood panels and strips of cedar are just as durable and impact-resistant as store-bought composite kayaks when sandwiched between layers of fiberglass and epoxy resin and coated in UV-resistant varnish.
2 Wooden kayaks are high-maintenance
Wood-fiberglass kayaks require light sanding and a quick coat of varnish every three or four seasons—a small investment to maintain a beautiful watercraft.
3 Wooden kayaks are difficult to build
The simplest pre-cut stitch-and-glue kit boat can be built in 45 hours with minimal tools and no woodworking experience. By signing up for a boat-building workshop, reading instructional manuals and joining an Internet kayak-building forum, just about anyone can build a wooden or skin-on-frame kayak.
A full-size stripper or stitch-and-glue touring kayak weighs about the same as a carbon-Kevlar boat.
5 Wooden kayaks lack performance
Wood-fiberglass construction yields ultra-stiff, efficient to paddle hull shapes; and the tight fit of Greenland-style skin-on-frame kayaks make them effortless to roll.
This article originally appeared in Paddling Magazine Issue 65. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions here, or download the Paddling Magazine app and browse the digital archives here.
To build your own kayak can be as simple or as complex as you like. | Feature photo: Adobe Stock
WHEAT RIDGE, CO – Down River Equipment, a leading river equipment supplier and manufacturer, just launched their Used Gear Program, becoming the first in the rafting market to offer this service to the river community. Down River designed the program to streamline how used equipment is purchased and sold, minimize waste by extending the life-cycle of gear, and put valuable river gear in the hands of those who need it most. Now, in addition to shopping Down River’s custom frame packages, sewn goods, and other unique product offerings, customers can sell and purchase used gear.
According to a recent research report by ThredUp, the preowned outdoor gear market is projected to soar to $77 billion by 2025, doubling what it is today. Down River Equipment’s roots in Raftopia coupled with their 40+ years of experience designing custom rigs laid a strong foundation for launching a used gear marketplace that is reliable and trusted.
Photo Courtesy of Down River Equipment
Down River Equipment’s Used Gear Program was inspired by the evolution of Raftopia, a widely recognized event that has been around since the beginning of the company’s existence. Raftopia started as a consignment sale and evolved into a used boat sale, new gear sale, and manufacturer’s exhibition that drew 2,000 rafters over a three-day event in April.
“Over the years we’ve brainstormed about how we could offer used rafts and river gear year-round,” said Phil Walczynski, Co-Owner of Down River Equipment. “When Covid forced us to change the format of Raftopia, it gave us the impetus to start buying and selling used rafting equipment. The Used Gear Program is set up so customers can purchase and sell used gear online any time of year.”
Products customers and buy and sell within the Used Gear Program include rafts, catarafts, stand-up paddleboards (SUP), inflatable kayaks, coolers, dry-boxes, oars, and frames. Down River’s in-house experts verify the quality and integrity of all used gear from sellers before accepting offers and putting them online for buyers to shop.
“We have seen a lot of different gear from many manufacturers over the years so, we know what to look for,” adds Tripp Arnold, Used Gear Program Manager. “I’m excited to spearhead a new program at Down River that provides a service to the river community and reduces our impact on the environment.”
To learn more about Down River Equipment and their Used Gear Program, visit downriverequip.com.
About Down River Equipment
Down River Equipment has been manufacturing and supplying the best river equipment since 1985. The company is owned and operated by river runners with a breadth of experience to assist customers with all of their river needs. Down River Equipment specializes in the custom fabrication, distribution, and retail of equipment for all types of river adventures. All products manufactured by Down River are made in Colorado and they are best known for their quality custom frames. They also manufacture dry boxes, sewn goods, tables, pumps, and cargo gear. In addition to their manufacturing operation, Down River sells river gear and distributes Hyside, AIRE, Rocky Mountain Rafts, Sawyer, Carlisle, Advanced Composite, and Engel among many others. Swing by Down River Equipment to experience some of the best craftsmanship and customer service in the industry. Visit downriverequip.com to learn more.
The Big Gear Show, the tradeshow for bike, paddle and outdoor gear, has hired two industry event and marketing professionals, Yoon Kim and Dave Petri. Yoon Kim will lead the show’s marketing and provide support to operations. Dave will direct retailer outreach, as well as support developing the show’s education program.
Yoon Kim is the founder of Outdoor Media Summit, the conference for media and marketers in outdoor, as well as Outdoor ECOM, the first digital marketing focused agency in the outdoor industry.
Dave Petri is the founder of the marketing firm, Cynosura Consulting and is the Board Chair for the North Carolina Outdoor Recreation Coalition. He is also the former Vice President of Marketing at Nester Hosiery where he led the launch of Farm to Feet socks and served on the Outdoor Industry Association’s Sustainability Advisory Council.
“Both of these experienced industry veterans are well equipped to grow the show,” says Sutton Bacon, founder of The Big Gear Show. “Yoon brings skills in show planning and digital marketing that will raise awareness to maximize attendance. Dave’s background in brand marketing can address the distinct needs of retailers attending the show. He brings additional insights on targeting military buyers, an important customer across multiple segments.”
These two new hires complement the Big Gear Show’s current leadership and will help support the show’s commitment to the needs of brands and specialty retail across the show’s categories.
About The Big Gear Show
The Big Gear Show delivers a new model of B2B event designed for specialty retailers, produced by specialty retailers. The event is all outdoors, in the elements, featuring brands and gear that get customers outdoors. The show is in its second year and the 2022 event will take place August 2-3, at Deer Valley Resort, Park City, Utah.
Ed Vater in his natural habitat. | Photo Courtesy of Bending Branches and Aqua Bound
Osceola, Wisconsin – Ed Vater, Osceola resident and business owner, is retiring after an impactful 20 years at Branches – commercially known as Bending Branches and Aqua Bound. In the 15 years prior to joining Branches in 2002, he was one of the top managers at Laser Machining, Inc. in Somerset.
Branches started in 1982 in a St. Paul garage, when founders Dale Kicker and Ron Hultman invented a tip protection material for their canoe paddles. Trademarked “Rockgard”, this technology is still leveraged by Bending Branches today, and has become the industry standard for canoe paddles. Forty years later, Branches has expanded into every segment in paddlesports and sells on a global scale; but still embodies the spirit of a family-owned business and manufactures their products in Osceola.
Ed credits much of the early success of Branches to the founders, who moved the business from St. Paul to Osceola in 1994. He also said that he and the employees are deeply grateful for the strong commitment, financial support, and guidance from Osceola entrepreneur, Mark Kravik, who bought the company in 2001, hired Ed to run it, and then in turn sold it to him in 2015.
On his retirement, Ed said, “I have worked alongside so many wonderful people over the last 35 years. From the trade coalitions, to the retailers, to our employees – the whole industry is such a uniquely warm and welcoming environment. It is one that I’m glad to have played a part in.”
But according to Vater, it is the Branches culture that developed during his time that means the most to him. “Anyone can buy a tin building and put machines in it, but it’s the people here that make the difference. Our culture has helped develop not only our company, but also our community, into a wonderful place to work, live and play. That is rare, and something I’m immensely proud of.”
For those that have had the pleasure of interacting with Ed, he is received as genuine, thoughtful, deliberate and patient. Commonly, Ed leans on his many years of experience and knowledge before delivering an articulate piece of advice. Amongst peers, he is a valued member of the (Twin Cities based) Paradigm Executive Leadership group and a board member of the Paddlesports Trade Coalition (a unity of industry leaders). Closer to home, Ed is active in many local groups and community engagements. Most notably, he is an active member in the Osceola Chamber of Commerce, is on the board of the Osceola Industrial Development Corporation, and is a supporter of the local boy scouts, the area schools, the industrial park and so much more.
Ed Vater in his natural habitat. | Photo Courtesy of Bending Branches and Aqua Bound
Ed’s retirement marks the end of an era at Branches, taking the company from financial uncertainty to record sales, and becoming the world’s largest paddle manufacturer. Some of highlights over the past two decades include: introducing lean manufacturing, discontinuing hockey sticks in pursuit of kayak paddles (now over 80% of the business), acquiring Aqua Bound (formerly a major competitor), winning the ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ from the Twin Cities based Manufacturers Alliance, introducing key new products in canoeing, kayaking, kayak fishing, and stand-up paddles, and creating a winning team and culture at Branches.
Given the pandemic-driven demand for outdoor recreation, Ed and his wife, Kay, had many options for selling the business. After careful consideration, they prioritized what was best for their employees, customers and the local community, and sold the business to three members of their own leadership team.
Jason Eccles, Brian Boyea, and Cory Novinska, all local residents, will be taking over as the new owners. Eccles, the former Operations Manager with 20 years himself at Branches, has taken over as President. The plans for future growth and community engagement will continue as Branches looks to remain one of the top employers in Western Wisconsin.
Branches’ new president Jason Eccles (left) pictured with Ed Vater (right). | Photo Courtesy of Bending Branches and Aqua Bound
Ed plans to spend his retirement with family, traveling, paddling, working in community development, improving his 1948 International Harvester rat rod, and offering management and consulting services to local businesses on a part-time basis.
