The Professional Paddlesports Association (PPA) will host the second session of the National School for Paddlesports Business in Loudonville, Ohio from March 19 to 21, 2007,. The school is designed to improve business management knowledge, skills, and abilities for paddlesports industry professionals.
A sold-out event in 2006, the national school provides a practical learning approach for paddlesports industry business owners, managers, and staff. The school's curriculum is based on a two-year cycle of achievement and is designed to provide an intensive curriculum in a minimal amount of time at an affordable cost.
“By focusing classes into a two-day period we can reduce “out-of-the-store” impacts for our attendees,” said Scott Teuber of Wisconsin River Outings who is the chancellor of the association's Board of Regents. “We want folks to
be able to attend the school but we don't want to cause significant disruptions in their business.”
The school will have an emphasis on six major learning tracks: finance and accounting, customer relations, advertising and marketing, retail sales, operations and personnel management, legal issues and risk management.
Attendees at the school can also earn up to 24 credits each year towards becoming a Certified Paddlesports Professional (CPP) a designation that benefits the PPA membership and the entire paddlesports industry that enables individuals to distinguish themselves as having achieved the highest
level of industry professional development.
A total of 75 credits plus graduation from the school is required for the
initial certification. Program participants are also required to maintain
certification by earning additional continuing education credits over time.
The registration fee for the national school is $215 (US) for PPA members
and $290 for non-members that register before February 15. The fee includes
tuition, room and board (double-occupancy), and course materials (mailed two
weeks before the school).
