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History of Rafting Concessions in Richmond The City of Richmond established a rafting concession in the mid 70's. The rafting trips were to operate from the James River Park, which was and is the only commercial access to the whitewater in Richmond. The concession was the idea of Tim McDonald, who was the original owner of James River Experiences and who operated that business until 1984. James River Experiences was sold to Richard and Katherine Ballou in 1984 and continued to operate until 1986. In 1987 there wasn't a rafting concession in operation. John Alley and Stuart Bateman, as a means of taking western trips and qualifying for noncommercial permits, started Rapid Transit Rentals, Inc., the parent company of Richmond Raft in 1987. Due to the high expense of rental equipment, the company was founded to buy equipment that would be rented to western trip participants. When the city franchise came up for bid, the owners decided to bid, as both had worked for the previous concession as raft guides. In 1988, the City awarded a rafting franchise to Richmond Raft Company by city ordinance. The first year as the city concession, the water was very low, and operations ceased for 2 weeks in July and 2 weeks in August. Rafting in Richmond is a seasonal business that is dependant on weather and water levels. Since that time, the company has grown in popularity and has been featured in numerous television broadcasts and publications such as Southern Living, Forbes, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Public Broadcasting Station, etc. In 1997, that contract was extended. Adventure Challenge, a business that offered snow skiing in the winter and kayaking in the summer, envisioned the addition of whitewater rafting. The concern of Buzz Kraft, the owner of Adventure Challenge, was he did not feel the Richmond area could support two rafting companies and that if he choose to expand into rafting and compete against the well-established Richmond Raft, eventually Adventure Challenge would be the one to retreat. The costs associated with a failed attempt would be huge. In 1997 Buzz Kraft approached the owners of Richmond Raft Company about allowing Adventure Challenge to broker trips with their business. A win-win situation was worked out which also allowed Kraft the opportunity to work with the owners of RRC and to share in their knowledge of operating a rafting concession in Richmond for over 10 years. In 1999, Buzz Kraft purchased Richmond Raft Company. It was an opportunity for Stuart Bateman and John Alley to pass on their business they had grown from a startup business to an established commercial rafting operation to someone they were comfortable with and confident in his experience. In August of 1999 an RFP (Request for Proposals) for multiple rafting concessions was issued by the City of Richmond. The City solicited proposals by direct mail, on the Internet, and other methods. Richmond Raft Company was selected to be the rafting concession. A lengthy negotiation process to set the terms of the rafting concession followed, lasting a year and a half, between the City of Richmond and RRC. During this time RRC had to operate on a day-to-day basis because the City of Richmond would not assure Richmond Raft Company access to the river. Unfortunately due to that limitation many opportunities for the City of Richmond, Richmond Raft Company, the James River Park, and Richmond residents were lost during this time. An agreement between the
City of Richmond and Richmond Raft Company took effect in November of 2001,
ending almost two years of the City of Richmond not having a rafting concession.
That contract expired in
November 2006 and was not renewed. The new proposed contract was not acceptable
for RRC to operate in a reliable, professional, profitable and reasonable
manner. The City refused to negotiate terms as it had in the past.
This page is Copyright & copy; 1999 - 2007, Richmond Raft Co.
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