Today we’d like to introduce you to Clay Courts.
Clay, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Native to Atlanta and been an outdoor enthusiast, primary kayaking since high school. Graduated with a business/finance major, worked 1 year in the finance industry, decided it was not for me. Sold everything, took earnings traveled the world for 2 years kayaking, surfing and play in the outdoors while working odd jobs. Returned to ATL in 2000, started a real-estate company from the ground up and sold it in 2007. My passion is working with people, started a private equity firm in 2008 Five Stand Capital. Our second investment was a combination of my true passions, business and the outdoors. We partnered the Nantahala Outdoor Center in 2012. The NOC is 45 years old, the largest whitewater outfitter in the world,
The 450-acre main campus in Bryson City, NC is in the famous Nantahala River has lodging for 250+, 3 restaurants, zip lines, scenic railroad, the Appalachian trail crosses the campus, top kayaking school has employed 23 Olympians, 2 gold medalists. The Nantahala Outdoor Center hosts over 1.6 Million guests per year, employs 1000+ guides per year and offer over 125 outdoor adventures. In 2015 the NOC signed a 10 deal with the National Park Service to be the exclusive onsite outfitter for the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) at Johnson Ferry and Powers Island here in Atlanta, The CRNRA hosts over 3.2 million visitors annually. The NOC was brought in to reinvigorate the recreational aspects of the Chattahoochee River. My personal passion for the water and outdoors has allowed me to work alongside the 1000 NOC guides, the true leaders of the company and use my passion for business to prepare NOC for the next 45 years of growth as we continue to expand the company and services to our guests.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, After the investment in 2013 we experienced heavy rainfall all summer to the point that it was unsafe for us to take customers rafting, of course, all the guides loved it, best kayaking all summer. The NOC is 45 years old and very much a community. When it sold I was considered corporate and the company had sold out. It took many years of working with the company to earn their respect and doing things differently was not popular. New policies and procedures took years. Being the best whitewater outfitter was their strength, but one of the processes and procedures were in a format that provided for consistent training and scale-ability. A strong guest focused company culture was their strength and maintaining while correcting the foundation was not popular at times. We have invested a lot of time, money, muscle into the NOC and it has been a huge success. All guides are on board and we are all rowing in one direction, so to speak.
Please tell us about Nantahala Outdoor Center.
The NOC has a very long history of making memories for guests. We are a community of people who are passionate about human powered adventure, we enjoy safely taking guests out of their comfort zone and exposing them to an outdoor adventure, where you can watch them grow as an individual or a team. Part of the NOC is a professional organization called Solo Southeast.
Solo is a wilderness medicine program that teaches all levels of medical classes with the emphasis of being in the outdoors. We teach from the basic of Wilderness First Aid and Swift Warter Rescue all the way up to Wilderness First Responder and EMT. The NOC Solo Southeast clientele range from outdoor enthusiasts like teachers and camp counselors to fire departments and Navy Seals. The NOC offers all of our guides the ability to achieve additional certification at a reduced rate so that the company can ensure that all of their guests are being guided by a highly trained leader. Safety and the customer experience is core to what we do as you will always remember your first rafting trip with your family or friends.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I am very pleased with the progress we have achieved at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and since I am only one of the team of over 1000 guides, it is the team that makes the difference at the Center and nothing that I do on my own.
Personally, if I was to turn back time, I would have gone straight into graduate school from college instead of spending the fist year working as a securities analysis. I believe that my experience starting a company from the ground up was an education you can’t get in school, but it would have been beneficial to continue my education in a classroom environment and would have been a good network builder.
Pricing:
- The NOC offers rafting options for beginners to experts all within 2 hours of Atlanta from $50 to $125
- The NOC offers two ziplining options within 2 hours from Atlanta, the Mt. Top Zip is ridge line to ridge line, 1/2 mile zips over 300 feet off the ground. Approx $100
- The NOC offers full adventure packages to just a lazy day by the river in the Great Smokey Mountains
Contact Info:
- Address: Main Campus Address
Nantahala Outdoor Cetner
13077 Highway 19 West
Bryson City, NC 28713 - Website: www.noc.com
- Phone: 828.366.7502
- Email: clay.courts@noc.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nantahalaoutdoorcenter/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NOC
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/NOC
- Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48984-d1101559-Reviews-Nantahala_Outdoor_Center_Private_Adventures-Bryson_City_North_Carolina.html
