Maine Outdoor Brands, a nonprofit alliance of 125 outdoor recreation-focused companies from new startup ventures to Flowfold and L.L.Bean Inc., is seeking to raise money for education, marketing and workforce development through a license plate initiative.
The Portland-based group, founded in 2017, advocates on behalf of the state’s $3 billion outdoor recreation industry.
As camping, boating and other outdoor activities gain popularity during the pandemic, the group is encouraging Mainers to show their support by pre-ordering a specialty “Adventure” auto registration plate illustrated by Bri Dostie, the Cape Elizabeth-based founder of a social enterprise called Confluence Collective.
Jenny Kordick, executive director of Maine Outdoor Brands, told Mainebiz on Monday that more than 500 people have reserved the plate, for which 2,000 pre-orders are needed for an official launch.
“With the license plate,” she said, “we hope to inspire more outdoor adventure in Maine and strengthen the growing outdoor industry here. Funds from the plate will be used for training, mentorship and marketing to support our state’s outdoor recreation entrepreneurs and brands, as well as the nonprofits working to get more people outside.”
Dostie, whose company aims to support inclusiveness in fly fishing, told Mainebiz that she he worked with the group last winter on the initiative, and that after surveying members about three options this spring, they landed on a design.
Courtesy/ Confluence Collective
Bri Dostie, founder of the social enterprise Confluence Collective, designed a specialty license plate for Maine Outdoor Brands.
“With so much of Maine’s identify wrapped up in rocky coastlines and lighthouses,” she said. “I was excited to put forward what I think is a local’s view of Maine with rolling mountains and conifers lining a riverbank or shoreline, keeping wildlife and mindful interaction at the forefront with an iconic canoe.”
For the plate to become a reality, 2,000 Mainers are required to place a pre-order online. As an incentive for doing so, Old Town Canoe Co. is giving away a classic red Discovery 119 canoe to one of the 2,000 people who sign up.
Should Maine Outdoor Brands meet the order threshold, it will then be up to state lawmakers to give the official green light.
If they do, all those who have placed an order will receive a voucher redeemable for the specialty plate, which will available in 2021.
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