Summary:
Welcome back to the Startup Junkies podcast!
On this episode, hosts Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Davis McEntire spoke with Phil Shellhammer, director of the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program at the University of Arkansas, co-founder and CEO of Eksplor Gaming, and President of Wize Computing Academy. Phil and his family moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2009 with plans to leave shortly after. However, like many others, they fell in love with the outdoor community and opportunities that the area brought, and Phil now dedicates his time to helping other entrepreneurs find their path in the outdoor recreation space through the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP). Throughout the episode, Jeff, Caleb, Davis, and Phil discussed how GORP is contributing to the growth of entrepreneurs, why Arkansas is an excellent place for outdoor recreation, what’s next for GORP, and much more
Thanks for tuning in!
Shownotes:
(1:43) The Origin Story
(3:25) Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP)
(4:43) Why Outdoor Rec?
(10:26) The Kind of People and Founders GORP Is Looking to Bring In
(12:09) Definition of Accelerate
(18:15) Phil’s Projects Besides GORP
(24:07) Where Is GORP Going?
(26:21) National Businesses vs. Local Businesses
(28:00) Arkansas’ Future in Outdoor Rec
(33:53) The Landing Question – Advice to Younger Self
(35:39) Get in Touch
Links:
Quotes:
”…I think our whole region can claim world-class in a lot of different activities, and people from all around the world really come here and enjoy this activity. Therefore, because we have that, then we know we have people here that are passionate about it and that would have ideas or problems to solve within it.” Phil Shellhammer, (6:24)
“If I can get the right passionate people in a room and just have them talking about where the biggest problems are…then you can actually build entrepreneurs out of that [who] otherwise might not have dipped their toe, and they create a little side gig business until it’s a legitimate business.” Phil Shellhammer, (11:40)
“You need people wrapped around you that can help support, that have gone through it before, that know the expertise.” Phil Shellhammer, (30:51)
“…My whole goal is to sit with as many people as possible, walk them through their journey, help them figure out where their problem is, what problem they want to solve and how they want to do it. So the more we can do in outdoor rec within that, the better.” Phil Shellhammer, (36:10)
Getting Incubation Right with GORP
On this episode of the Startup Junkies podcast, hosts Jeff Amerine, Caleb Talley, and Davis McEntire spoke with Phil Shellhammer, director of the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program at the University of Arkansas, co-founder and CEO of Eksplor Gaming, and President of Wize Computing Academy. Phil and his family moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2009 with plans to leave shortly after. However, like many others, they fell in love with the outdoor community and opportunities that the area brought, so they stayed. Phil now dedicates his time to helping other entrepreneurs find their path in the outdoor recreation space through the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP). Throughout the episode, Jeff, Caleb, Davis, and Phil discussed how GORP is contributing to the growth of entrepreneurs, why Arkansas is an excellent place for outdoor recreation, what’s next for GORP, and much more!
The Origin Story
When Phil Shellhammer graduated from the University of Cincinnati, he began his career at Procter and Gamble. After 5 years, he got his MBA at Harvard University and then spent time working for Best Buy and Sam’s Club. Phil spent 20 years in a typical corporate environment before becoming bored and pursuing a career in entrepreneurship. Phil knew of problems that needed to be solved and believed he had solutions to share with the world, and entrepreneurship would allow him to do so. A serial entrepreneur himself, his current position at the University of Arkansas with GORP enables him to connect with entrepreneurs interested in outdoor recreation and help them grow their ideas and products into successful business ventures through training and mentor programs.
Definition Accelerate
GORP runs an a la carte version for whatever or however businesses need them, which is great for early-stage entrepreneurs trying to get on the right path. They also have a cohort-based version, which is an intensive 12-week incubator program that offers classes, workshops, team-based mentorship, as well as a venture intern program. GORP also offers a financial incentive to help companies move from idea to product. Their team of mentors allows startups to be paired with those in further stages of business development. This allows the businesses to accelerate their process and procedure development to find success and scalability sooner.
GORP is primarily interested in partnering with experts in outdoor recreation activities and products and helping them get on the right path to developing their business. Participants in this program do not necessarily have to be up and running their own successful businesses—in fact, many of them are not. Most are people doing other things full-time but are users and participants in outdoor recreation who recognize problems that need to be solved.
“…My whole goal is to sit with as many people as possible, walk them through their journey, help them figure out where their problem is, what problem they want to solve and how they want to do it. So the more we can do in outdoor rec within that, the better.” Phil Shellhammer, (36:10)
What’s Next?
Arkansas is an ideal place for GORP because of the opportunities to come from the outdoor community. Not only is Bentonville dubbed the mountain biking capital of the world, the area is also world-class in many areas such as economic development, quality of life, camping, hiking, climbing, hunting, and fishing, to name a few. GORP encourages businesses to think about what kind of impact they can have, and with so many opportunities for innovation and growth, the possibilities here are nearly endless.
Connect with Us!
Do you consider yourself a startup junkie? Join in the conversation by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Startup Junkie wants to come alongside these entrepreneurs every step of the way. Want to learn more about our services?
English 
Spanish 
Korean