ABOUT US

The Alliance Collaborative was formed as a non-profit to be a resource for the users, manufacturers, distributors, vendors, and individual professionals working in and serving the challenge course, zip line, and aerial adventure industry. As active members within the industry, our founders realized that there is strength in numbers and value in collaboration with others who utilize the same products and services in their delivery of products or programs. The Alliance Collaborative provides our membership with access to resources and discounts that cannot be found or negotiated independently, and gives our members the opportunity to discuss common business problems and to collaborate on shared solutions. With group purchasing power we can save more money and develop more shared resources.

The Alliance was originally conceived, researched, and funded by: Challenge Works, Experiential Resources, Experiential Systems, Rope Works, and The Adventure Guild. These five organizations saw the benefit of collaboration after having worked together over the past 8 years, and formally began to get serious in the fall of 2019 after a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement, drafted by industry attorney Reb Greg was signed..

Over the past several years, while working within and on our own businesses, our five companies have also worked together to conduct research into the pros and cons of different business models. We began offering collaborative professional development events together, which have included events in conjunction with the Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) conference every year since 2016. Literally hundreds of our peers and ACCT members have already benefitted from some of this collaborative work, which has included full day sessions on:

• Machine Operator Certification

• Qualified Rigger Certification

• Ground Anchor Installation

• Wood Pole Inspection and Remediation

• Legal Issues for the Challenge Course Industry

• Developing Contracts and Written Documents

• Initiating a Trainers Forum to discuss best practices among industry Trainer/Testers

Privately, the five separate companies worked collaboratively to develop joint purchase agreements for commonly used hardware (ex. cable clamps) at a larger volume with discounted pricing. We negotiated a group price based on shared volume from a national equipment rental company, and contracted for a block of hours at a discount based on volume of work from an engineering firm. Further, we developed a list of minimally acceptable training requirements for those professionals who might join our companies’ job sites to perform installations or trainings (i.e. must have a machine operator card, must have completed an OSHA 10 Hr. course, must be able to demonstrate skills in splicing, swaging, etc.). Recently we’ve consulted with professionals within the insurance industry regarding coverage issues and the recent changes in the insurance market in an effort to find solutions to an industry-wide problem.

Throughout all of these actions, we’ve fostered a camaraderie between our companies and our employees. While competitors, we have also been able to look to each other as subject matter experts and resources, regarding everything from tips on how to navigate a difficult insurance market, to employees from one company being able to ask another company’s inspectors about an unfamiliar piece of gear. And we’ve all gained from being dedicated to helping everyone else succeed.