Explore Opportunities at UMaine for Outdoor Recreation Business Leaders
SustainME Micro-credential
SustainME supports outdoor recreation and other businesses in building the skills and confidence needed to pursue sustainable innovation. The program is structured as a progression:
- Level 1 is entirely online and asynchronous and introduces foundational concepts in business models, sustainability, and innovation tools;
- Level 2 brings entrepreneurs together in hands-on workshops to apply those tools and identify a concrete innovation opportunity within their own organization; and
- Level 3 provides tailored coaching and implementation support to turn that opportunity into action. Recent philanthropic support from L.L.Bean has helped extend this applied programming, enabling more Maine businesses to move beyond ideas toward practical, firm-specific change.
Build a Better Business Workshops
Build a Better Business offers hands-on workshops designed to help entrepreneurs strengthen core business fundamentals, from financial modeling and business model mapping to resilience planning and growth mindset. Topics are adapted to industry needs and local demand, allowing workshops to respond to the specific challenges facing outdoor recreation firms across the state. For businesses navigating seasonality, workforce pressures, or succession planning, this flexible format provides practical tools, peer learning, and clear next steps.
Business and Law Clinic
Through the Maine Center’s Business and Law Clinics and The Foundry, entrepreneurs can access student and faculty expertise to tackle real-world challenges, from legal structure and intellectual property to operations, product development, and commercialization. These clinics help firms experiment, problem-solve, and prepare for growth without taking on prohibitive costs.
Graduate and Undergraduate Programs
Interested in graduate and undergraduate education? Explore Maine Business School and Maine Graduate School of Business academic programs relevant to the outdoor recreation industry! Learners can pursue studies that match their moment, from dedicated Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration programs like Sport Management, to concentrations that can be added to any Business degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (undergraduate) or Outdoor Industry Management (MBA), to the Innovation minor open to all UMaine undergraduate students.
Related academic programs include:
Do you have questions about these opportunities for outdoor business leaders?