Erie Canal Boat Company (ECBC)

Challenge:

ECBC is a small for-profit business with their primary site located on the shoreline of the Erie Canal in the Village of Fairport, New York. For several years, the owner of ECBC had watched an adaptive cycling program run out of the same sight by the person who would later become RAA’s executive director. When RAA began, the question was posed to ECBC Owner and Operator, Peter Abele: Would you be interested in running your business so that it was inclusive of people with disabilities every day you are open for business? What if you had adaptive and standard kayaking and cycling equipment, and knew how to match a variety of people to it…would you be willing to have a business model like that?

Solution:

The answer was “Yes!” This kind of investment was appealing – bringing more business in from a previously untapped market. ECBC was RAA’s first Inclusion Partnership, and together they explored a model of training, assessment, planning and implementation that could help Peter be able to welcome many more people to the Canalway for kayaking and cycling.

In his first year of operating with inclusion, Peter saw a 31% increase in revenue directly related to an increase in the number of guests with disabilities. The number of people with disabilities participating in his kayaking and cycling services exponentially increased, and they brought with them family and friends who had not yet paddled or cycled there, either. With RAA’s help, Peter offered Open House events to welcome people with intellectual and physical disabilities to try the equipment, learn about the business, and see how it all works.

Over the years, Peter has pursued his own marketing strategies, often attending health and wellness fairs at area organizations that provide services to people with disabilities. He has invested in more equipment as he responds to the needs of guests. And he has played a pivotal role in sharing this kind of business model with Canal Towns across New York and nationally and internationally.

“Anita and the people involved with RAA have energized my staff and I to develop a company that operates inclusively and promotes those values throughout the communities we operate,” says ECBC owner Peter Abele. “Expanding our business, developing closer stronger ties to national, state and local organizations, has helped bring cycling and kayaking to more people and greater interaction between people of all abilities. Without Rochester Accessible Adventures’ knowledge and support, it would not have been possible to reach those organizations, their employees and the individuals and families they support.”

Inclusion has become a core of his business operations. ECBC continues to partner with RAA in activities that propel active and inclusive tourism, including efforts like providing livery services for the Village of Brockport’s On The Canals program so that accessible options are available for individuals and families that need them. Our combined narrative provides a model for villages and towns to enhance their amenities much like The Village of Fairport has done – install accessible public restrooms, strategically line parking lots with accessible parking, consider routes of access that make the most sense for the most people, and install a BoardSafe kayak launch customized for their canal embankment.

Most importantly, Peter knows he is actively reaching people with a variety of disabilities: He has consistent revenue from rentals by people with disabilities – the biggest impact of all. People who had resigned to sitting on the dock while family members paddled. People who didn’t ride a bike anymore since sustaining an injury, or aging related problems. Youth who discover an adaptive cycle works for them and now their whole family rides together. Summer after summer, Peter is open for business, and every day, people with and without disabilities can access the historic Erie Canal together!

See more about the early years of ECBC’s partnership with RAA here: