See Last Year’s Challenge Partners

Each year, The Wright partners with organizations representing a mix of business and nonprofit organizations to present a set of challenges reflecting real issues being addressed in real-time by selected Challenge Partner organizations. Interested businesses and nonprofits are asked to submit a proposed challenge statement summarizing a specific project for students to address.

A wide range of outdoor-focused challenges are evaluated each year, and final selections are determined by an array of considerations, including:

• Challenges are identified in one of three tracks – People, Product, or Place.

• Regional Relevance: Challenges that present students the opportunity to meet in person, tour business facilities, and/or participate in field visits provide valuable hands-on learning opportunities for students.

• Participation Commitment: Ability to commit to required meetings, virtual or in-person, and overall time required in order to support assigned student teams over the course of the project.

• Highly engaged Challenge Partner & Student Team relationship. A primary factor in providing a win-win experience for students and Challenge Partners alike is active engagement on behalf of both groups.

Student teams will be expected to address their respective challenge assignments through five central impact areas impacting the outdoor recreation industry sector. These include:

• CONSERVATION & STEWARDSHIP

• EDUCATION & WORKFORCE TRAINING

• ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT & OPPORTUNITY

• PUBLIC HEALTH & WELLNESS

• DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION

Late January: Online kick-off for the 2025 Challenge.

February – March: Student Teams meet with Challenge Partners three times (at minimum). These 90-minute meetings/workshops are generally student-led, allowing students the opportunity to provide updates, ask questions, and further brainstorm around their respective challenges.

Early April: Final projects are due.

Mid-April: Culminating event of The Wright Challenge. Expect an exciting program of presentations and the selection of Best-in-Class Awards by a panel of industry professionals. This is a rewarding opportunity to see student teams at their best and a chance to see the work of the other student teams and Challenge Partners.

The Wright Challenge is a learning experience for students and Challenge Partners alike. To provide innovative and actionable solutions to the problems set forth by Challenge Partners, participating students are required to provide three primary deliverables at the end of the Challenge:

Written proposal response to the Challenge Partner: Teams are required to develop a four-to-six-page paper outlining the challenge, and the team’s proposed solution(s).

Pitch Deck: A Pitch Deck presents a high-level overview along with the story of the written response.

Live Presentation: Student teams will have the opportunity at the final event to present their work to industry professionals.

Final projects will be judged by a panel of industry professionals and assessed based on a wide array of criteria, including:

• Attention to central impact areas affecting the Outdoor Recreation Industry:

  • Did the team include thoughtful analysis regarding the challenge and its relationship to the five impact areas set forth at the outset of the program: Conservation & Stewardship; Education & Workforce Training; Economic Development & Opportunity; Public Health & Wellness; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion?

• Innovative thinking and problem solving

  • Did the team demonstrate a clear understanding of the challenge and present an innovative solution?

  • Is the team's problem-solving approach well-reasoned and thorough?

• Project viability

  • Is there tangible evidence the solution is on track (even initially) to solve the challenge problem?Is the team's solution economically viable and sustainable?

How well did the team vet the concept with potential partners, users, and/or customers?

The Wright and the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office (CO OREC) provide a unique opportunity for Colorado students to develop career readiness, preparing young adults for success in the workplace and lifelong career management. Upon completion of The Wright Collegiate Challenge, all students who demonstrate a strong understanding of the career readiness competencies will receive an endorsed certificate from The Wright and CO OREC. Utilizing the National Association of Colleges & Employers's (NACE) eight career readiness competencies as a framework, The Wright Collegiate Challenge is designed to support students in developing and elevating their knowledge and application of these competencies through Challenge participation and supplemental activities.

The eight NACE competencies are:

• Career & Self Development

• Communication

• Critical Thinking

• Equity & Inclusion

• Leadership

• Professionalism

• Teamwork

• Technology

CERTIFYING BODIES

The Collegiate Challenge is hosted by The Wright, a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is presented in a programmatic partnership with the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, a division within the greater Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. The CO OREC Office serves as the State’s central coordinator of outdoor recreation industry matters, which includes policy and resource development, industry promotion, and connection with the constituents,  businesses, and communities that rely on the health of the State's outdoor recreation economy. 

HIGHLIGHTS 

The professional experience and skills gained through participation can be applied immediately in the workforce and offer: 

• Real-world understanding of the challenges that businesses face and the skills needed to be market-ready graduates.

• Tools and knowledge to help students develop an effective leadership style.

• Preparation for success in the Colorado workforce by developing skills that will position students for career advancement.

STUDENT REQUIREMENTS/CRITERIA

Successful completion is determined by the students' comprehensive collaboration and well-rounded engagement. The degree of attention, curiosity, interest, and passion that is demonstrated during the Challenge will influence candidacy. Our hope is that each requirement will help students develop competencies in all 8 of these areas:

• CAREER & SELF DEVELOPMENT

  • Become aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses by engaging in the peer-peer feedback survey.

  • Actively engage in student teams; display curiosity; seek out opportunities to learn.

  • Network to build relationships with students selected Challenge Partner.

• COMMUNICATION

  • Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives.

  • Inform relevant others when needing guidance with project deliverables.

  • Complete post-event feedback survey.

• CRITICAL THINKING

  • Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources to fully understand their assigned problem.

  • Proactively anticipate needs and prioritize action steps.

  • Effectively showcase project findings, actions plans, and rationale at the final event and in project deliverables.

• EQUITY & INCLUSION

  • Keep an open mind to diverse ideas and new ways of thinking.

  • Advocate for inclusive and equitable practices within student teams. 

• LEADERSHIP

  • Recognize and maximize personal and team strengths to achieve project goals.

  • Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.

  • Serve as a role model to team members by approaching tasks with a positive attitude.

  • Motivate and inspire your team members through encouragement and building mutual trust.

• PROFESSIONALISM

  • Actively engage in 3x 90-minute meetings/workshops with selected Challenge Partner.

  • Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.

  • Be present and prepared; demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for meetings).

  • Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.

• TEAMWORK

  • Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals.

  • Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.

  • Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.

  • Build strong, positive working relationships with their team and Challenge Partners.

• TECHNOLOGY

  • Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.

  • Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of work.

PROGRAM TEAM

Chuck Sullivan – Executive Director, The Wright

Tim Mullin – Program Manager, The Wright

ADVISORY TEAM

Samantha Albert – Deputy Director, Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office

Matt Nunez – Programs Manager, Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office

Sarah Engel –Associate Director of Operations, Jake Jabs Center for Entrepreneurship, University of Colorado Denver Business School

Kristen Freaney – Founder, Path to Peak Education + Consulting

Rebecca Gillis – State & Local Government Affairs Manager, Outdoor Industry Association & Board of Directors, The Wright

Jay Zeschin – Co-Founder Denver Startup Week & Board of Directors, The Wright

Kirstie McPherson – Entrepreneur; Community and Economic Development Manager, Colorado Office of Just Transition; Board of Directors, The Wright

Lindsay Hastings – Challenge Advisor, 2021 WCC Fellow

Lorin De Spirito – Challenge Advisor, 2022 WCC Fellow

ACADEMIC ADVISORS

Dr. Scott Borden – Director, Outdoor Industry MBA and Assistant Professor, Western Colorado University School of Business

Dr. Jennifer DeBoer – Director, Outdoor Industry MBA and Assistant Professor, Western Colorado University School of Business

April Gentile-Miserandino – Business Professor, Colorado Mountain College – Leadville

Kathleen Law – Assistant Dean of Instruction, Colorado Mountain College – Leadville

Sarah Shrader – Program Director, Outdoor Recreation Industry Studies, Colorado Mesa University