BEDFORD — More than 50 local business and government leaders from the south-central Pennsylvania region gathered at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa for a workshop co-hosted by the Bedford County Development Association and the state Office of Outdoor Recreation on Tuesday afternoon.

The Elevate Business Engagement Workshop, the sixth of 10 total workshops held across the commonwealth in March, was designed to connect stakeholders to discuss the creation of a statewide outdoor business alliance.

According to Nathan Reigner, director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation within the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the outdoor recreation industry contributes more than $19 billion annually to the Pennsylvania economy.

This constitutes about 2% of Pennsylvania’s gross domestic products, and has been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the commonwealth’s economy since the early 2020s, he said.

His office, and by extension the Elevate initiative, seeks to build organizational capacity within the industry, use the industry as an engine of community and economic development and to deliver inclusive wellbeing through the outdoors, according to the office’s website.

The workshop was intended to identify priorities for the alliance, consider potential organizational structure and forge connections between relevant parties, per a packet distributed to attendees.

According to Reigner, he has already heard lots of encouraging feedback from participants in the first five workshops and anticipates more concrete action on the issue toward the end of 2025.

Other states already have similar organizations in place, such as Maine Outdoor Brands and the California Outdoor Recreation Partnership, which are both 501(c)(6) industry associations that operate in a similar capacity to the planned Pennsylvania outdoor business alliance.

The alliance would be a private-sector partner for the Office of Outdoor Recreation, Reigner said, which would foster the development of the industry and raise Pennsylvania’s profile as a national destination for outdoor recreation experiences.

The Elevate workshops hope to engage three primary categories of stakeholders: producers, providers and professionals within or adjacent to the outdoor industry, according to presentation materials.

Producers directly manufacture and/or repair outdoor equipment and gear, providers offer experiences such as campgrounds and ski areas, while professionals support outdoor businesses and infrastructure with services like marketing and social media content.

According to Reigner, the alliance is going to address barriers to growth currently present in the outdoor recreation industry, enable public/private partnerships in the sector and “help Pennsylvania take a seat in the national conversations in this industry.”

The commonwealth has the eighth-largest outdoor recreation industry in the country, but it is not often thought of as being among the top tier of states.

“We want to make sure it is first in mind,” Reigner said.

Bedford is well-poised to grow its outdoor industry with an abundance of natural resources and convenient transit access, he said.

“It has all of the ingredients in place,” Reigner said.

According to Bedford County Commissioner Deb Baughman, there is already excitement around the potential of the regional outdoor industry.

“There’s a lot of energy here in the community, a lot of grassroots energy, and anytime you can capitalize on that grassroots energy to propel development, enthusiasm for one of our outdoor assets … that’s a win, so I’m all behind it,” she said.

Baughman said she supports the creation of a statewide outdoor alliance because it could provide support and expertise to local volunteers and small businesses.

“The state focusing in with an outdoor recreation alliance could really help support our local outdoor sector with business development and lobbying,” BCDA vice president Jennifer Marsh said.

This coordination could help “bring the sector together and elevate it,” she said.

People are very excited about outdoor recreation, Marsh said, and they understand the value it holds for both residents and visitors.

Outdoor recreation provides health benefits and a draw for regional tourism, which boosts the local economy.

“It helps economic development organizations with retention and recruitment efforts, which is hugely important,” Marsh said. “A focus on outdoor recreation, while it won’t solve all of our problems, I think it has potential to hugely help with population decline.”