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Fishes and llamas and burros, oh my!

That sequence pretty much describes the third, second and first place winners at this year鈥檚 Adventure Pitch Fest, an annual showcase of New Mexico鈥檚 outdoor recreation businesses.

Following an afternoon of food, music, wall climbing and networking, eight entrepreneurs from across the state went head-to-head on Thursday evening in a rapid pitch battle to win a combined $15,000 in cash awards, funded by a one-time disbursement from the Economic Development Administration鈥檚 American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The pitch fest comes as the New Mexico Economic Development Department鈥檚 Outdoor Recreation Division was expecting the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis to release 2024 data showing the economic impact of the outdoor recreation industry, but the federal shutdown is delaying that.

In 2023, the latest available data, New Mexico鈥檚 outdoor recreation industry produced 29,182 jobs and $3.2 billion in economic output, according to bureau .

The pitch fest businesses were chosen as finalists for the battle following a selection process with ORD. The division partnered with ActivateNM to host the event. Adventure Pitch Fest has occurred in conjunction with the New Mexico Outdoor Economics Conference for the past three years; this year marks the event鈥檚 first as a stand-alone gathering.

In a series of three rounds, entrepreneurs had 60 seconds to deliver pitches about their businesses and subsequently answer questions from a panel of five judges.

Dehydrated backpacking meal manufacturer FishSki Provisions from Valdez earned $2,000 with a third-place finish; wilderness guide service provider Wild Earth Llama Adventures from Questa won $3,000 at second place; and burro race organizer New Mexico Pack Burros took first place, winning $10,000.

鈥淚t feels fantastic,鈥� said New Mexico Pack Burros founder, CEO and pitcher Shane Weigand. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited. We鈥檙e going to use that money to help improve the spectator experience.鈥�

For Weigand, attending the pitch battle was a bit of a miracle. He spent last week in a trauma unit after accidentally cutting an artery in his leg during a hunting trip in southern Colorado two weeks ago.

鈥淚 had my burros with me, was able to get the burros rescued and got myself rescued,鈥� Weigand said. 鈥淪o thankful.鈥�

Weigand created New Mexico Pack Burros in 2016, organizing pack burro races across the state with the intention of reviving a familiar sport in New Mexican heritage and bringing needed traffic and dollars to New Mexico鈥檚 rural towns. Burro is a Spanish word for donkey.

鈥淭he sport has actually been around for the last 76 years, but just here in the last several years, we brought it back to New Mexico in towns like Silver City, Magdalena, Cerillos and then soon Ruidoso,鈥� Weigand said. 鈥淭hose races help Main Street businesses in rural New Mexico because when the burros come to Main Street, thousands of people come to see, and it鈥檚 really spectacular.鈥�

The races usually feature between 50 and 100 teams, a mix of individual burro racers and burro rescues from across the country. New Mexico Pack Burros earns its revenue from merchandise, vendor sales and sponsorships, similar to the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 International Balloon Fiesta, Weigand said.

Weigand said he wants to make New Mexico known for balloons, chiles and burros 鈥� a tagline that he concluded his final pitch with during the third and final round against Wild Earth Llama Adventures.

鈥淭hat was really, really tough,鈥� Weigand said of the pitch battle. 鈥淵ou think you have it rehearsed and then you get up there.鈥�

Stuart Wilde, who founded Wild Earth Llama Adventures in 1993, agreed.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a challenge. We鈥檙e all used to telling our story, but to put a timer on it 鈥� the hardest part was really editing everything down,鈥� Wilde said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lifetime. How do you share your lifetime in 60 seconds?鈥�

Wilde鈥檚 business guiding people on outdoor trips, accompanied by llamas, was inspired by his own llama needs as a nature lover who became a single parent of an 18-month-old in his early 20s.

鈥淚 had a kid strapped to my back and I couldn鈥檛 carry all my stuff,鈥� Wilde said. 鈥淚 got my first two llamas just to carry my stuff around the wilderness, and then the phone started ringing with people that wanted me to take them out hiking and camping, and the business was born.鈥�

Wild Earth Llama Adventures offers day hikes and multi-day excursions, exploring New Mexico鈥檚 natural history, ecology, geology and folklore while trekking areas like the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Rio Grande Gorge.

Wilde said he will use the money to help feed the business鈥� 30 llamas at its rescue ranch north of Taos; expand with more trips; and launch an intern program for local students.

For FishSki Provisions founder and president Rob McCormack, the cash will serve as a down payment for a larger manufacturing space. The company currently manufactures its dehydrated Southwest comfort food 鈥� including a Hatch green and red chile mac and cheese and blue and yellow corn grits 鈥� at a leased space in Alcalde.

FishSki Provisions launched in 2016. Today, the company sells its products in more than 750 stores across all 50 states.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of grit, tenacity and a lot of love for the outdoors,鈥� said Karina Armijo, director of the state鈥檚 Outdoor Recreation Division and a judge for the event. 鈥淚 think that鈥檚 what is really inspiring to see. It doesn鈥檛 matter what鈥檚 going on in the outside world; these people are going out there every day and continuing to do really good work.鈥�