Outdoor Industry Association® expects more than 300 executives from the outdoor industry will fan out across Boston Friday, Oct. 3 to participate in four service projects as part of OIA Rendezvous, the organization's annual executive leadership and education conference for the outdoor industry.


Sponsored by Timberland, the service projects will put outdoor industry representatives to work with four local nonprofits – Middlesex Fells Reservation, Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center, Trustees of the Reservations (at Bradley Estate) and Franklin Park Zoo – to do extensive trailwork, maintenance, planting and harvesting, play area installations and other outdoor work. The service projects cap off the three-day OIA Rendezvous conference, which draws hundreds of leaders from outdoor companies throughout the country.


Local community service is an integral part of OIA Rendezvous. Timberland has been sponsoring the Rendezvous service projects for 14 years.


“At Timberland, community engagement is at the heart of who we are as a brand and who we are as people,” said Cassie Heppner, senior manager of North America marketing for Timberland. “And any time we can link these efforts to the outdoors, even better. We look forward to serving alongside our outdoor industry partners and local community members to help effect real and positive change right here in our backyard of Boston. It’s amazing how much 300+ people can accomplish in one day!”


“Rendezvous is about bringing people together for learning and community-building,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, president and CEO of OIA. “The service projects are a great way to bond with industry colleagues while giving back to the host community.”


At the Trustees of the Reservation’s 90-acre Bradley Estate, volunteers will lend a hand with trail maintenance, harvesting vegetables, preparing the farm for winter, painting, mulching and more.


“We rely on the generosity of volunteers to support the vast number of properties under the care of the Trustees. We are quite a small staff compared to the amount of land managed, so every hand really does help when caring for our special places,” said Lisa Caissie, director of volunteer services at the Trustees of Reservations.