Business caters to those wishing to explore Zion

[Iceaxe]

This is a nice feather in ZAC's hat.


Business caters to those wishing to explore Zion National Park
July 15, 2009
By Brian Passey - The Spectrum


SPRINGDALE - For Zion Adventure Company co-founder Jonathan Zambella, downsizing led to his dream job.

In 1995, he was working as a banker in Pennsylvania but lost his job due to downsizing, giving him the "opportunity to be unemployed." Zambella, an avid rock climber, knew he didn't want to stay in the financial sector.

"I said, 'I don't want a job. I want to create my own job,'" says Zambella from a loft overlooking the floor of his Springdale-based business.

Enjoying his severance package, Zambella spent some time leading outdoor adventure trips with a climbing buddy, Rick Pratzel, for Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn. They also made a trip out west to climb at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area near Las Vegas.

While climbing at Red Rock Canyon, Pratzel mentioned to Zambella that he had hiked the Narrows in Zion National Park with his son. After 10 days of climbing six of the climbers decided to take a break and drove to Zion in the middle of the night, arriving after dark to camp at the Watchman Campground. It was Zambella's first visit to the park.

The next morning, Valentine's Day 1996, he looked out the flap of his tent and saw West Temple looming high above him - his first glimpse of Zion.

They began the day with one of the park's most popular hikes.

"When we got to the top of Angel's Landing I was in awe," Zambella remembers. "I looked at my friends and said, 'I want to live here.'"

It was then that Pratzel first mentioned a business idea to Zambella that would eventually become Zion Adventure Company. Hiking was still the top priority of the day so they continued on to the Temple of Sinawava, where Zambella first experienced the cold waters of the Virgin River for himself.

He says Pratzel told him about his trip up the Narrows and how they wanted to go farther but the water was too cold without a dry suit.

"At the time there wasn't an outfitter in Springdale at all," Zambella says. "You couldn't even find a Nalgene bottle."

That's when the business idea truly began to blossom. Pratzel suggested opening an outfitter shop in the park's gateway town to prepare tourist for hiking the Narrows. Zambella liked the idea but said he also wanted to offer guiding services, especially for the rapidly emerging sport of canyoneering.

They soon returned home to Pennsylvania but immediately made plans to return to Springdale and build their fledgling business. During the second trip out West they looked for buildings to rent and hiked the Narrows in dry suits.

They loved it.

Soon they hooked up with New Jersey-based Henderson Aquatics to make dry suits for the Narrows adventures. Then they met with Five Ten, a California climbing company, which agreed to build an aquatic climbing shoe perfect for the Narrows. Finally they began to manufacture their own neoprene socks.

They met their last major obstacle as Flanigan's Inn owner Larry McKown agreed to rent out the old liquor store to the startup outfitters in what Zambella calls a "great deal."

"To this day I'm grateful to Larry for being so kind to us," he says.

Even with McKown's support, it wasn't easy for Zambella and Pratzel. Zambella says it wasn't easy to start a business at that time in Springdale. Yet they "persevered."

Then on Sept. 1, 1996, Zion Adventure Company opened its doors to the public.

Building a business

For the first few years, Zambella says he often worked 16-hour days, six or seven days a week.

Initially the business only offered gear rentals. By the second year they began guiding tours in the nearby public lands. Mountain biking and river tubing tours soon followed.

Then there is the bright yellow, 1974 Mercedes-Benz Unimog, the company's open-air, four-wheel drive shuttle they use for overland tours on nearby back roads. Zambella says the vehicle, which was originally designed as a European military personnel carrier, deserves a story of its own.

During the first couple of years, Zambella and two friends ran the business themselves while Pratzel remained more of a silent partner in Pennsylvania. They didn't begin hiring their first employees until 1998.

Pratzel and Zambella added a third partner, Michele Vanhise, as a sign of their thanks to her after she worked for the company for a few years to help launch the business. Zambella says they could not have done it without Vanhise because she worked for nothing during that time except room and board.

He says the company did not have a major financial investment in the beginning. They just built it up little by little, investing early profits in improving and expanding the business. Behind it all is a business model based on helping others.

"That's the basis of what we do," Zambella says. "We want to learn and we want to grow."

Zion Adventure Company now has 24 people on staff, including eight year-round employees. Summer and fall are both extremely busy seasons for the business, Zambella says. Springtime is moderately busy and winter is slow, just as it is for most businesses in Springdale.

Yet Zambella says the tourist season is becoming longer each year.

"Even in the economic downturn we're growing," he says. "When the economy is slow, people go to their national parks. ... Rather than going on an African safari, they go to a national park."

European travel is up because of the weakness of the dollar compared to the euro, meaning its more affordable now for Europeans to travel in the United States.

Once customers arrive at Zion Adventure Company there are a variety of activities they can try.

The business offers guided trips for canyoneering, hiking, climbing, biking, river tubing and overland tours. Additionally they operate shuttles to trailheads and rent gear for climbing and canyoneering.

Amy Nichter has worked at the company year-round as an outfitter, matching customers with the right product or service. She says the No. 1 rental at Zion Adventure Company is shoes for hiking the Narrows.

As a former national park ranger who first moved to the area for its rock climbing, the job is a good fit for Nichter.

"You get to share a beautiful place, which I think is probably the best part of my job," she says.

Although many of the guiding activities take place in public lands within a 50-mile radius of Springdale, Zambella says they have been operating limited guiding in Zion itself since commercial activities were first allowed in the park a few years ago.

Among the activities inside the park boundaries are guided hikes, seasonal photography workshops and commercial shuttle service to trailheads.

Zion Adventure Company is also getting in on the world travel scene, offering niche canyoneering trips to Costa Rica, Mexico and Switzerland. Zambella says they also plan to expand canyoneering trips to Lake Powell as well as kayaking expeditions.

Yet in Zion alone there is a "lifetime of canyoneering to be had," Zambella says. The canyoneering trips are not only for the hardcore outdoor enthusiasts.

"One thing we really press upon is that canyoneering is for everyone," Zambella says, adding that they have expeditions for every skill level. "If you can walk you can go canyoneering."

[Deathcricket]

When I went to Bogleyfest with Tom last month was the first time I set foot in that building. I was amazed at the amount of gear they had and how organized the setup was. They had computers to sign up on and track inventory, helpful people to walk you through the process and recommend stuff. Was very impressed. Not many businesses I see in Utah are run half as well as what I saw on that day.

[cookiecutter]

In no way am I trying to puff myself up - but our group, just as most of you are, are not the stereotypical "tourists" to Zion. We had a few items we had to pick up and were waiting in line behind a bunch of crude wealthy people trying to reserve their time floating the river. We all have the same right to the store, but these people had no clue what they wanted and were wasting many people's time. The cashier told the group to stop talking the way they were, and called another employee to help those of us who were picking up some gear. Very cool peeps in there!