Builder Profile
Above left: The climbing tower at Beaumont Scout Reser- vation, Mo. Above right: An accessible high bridge at the University of Wisconsin Platteville. Inset: ABEE founder Jeff Boeke, who has mentored owner Ryan Olson since taking on emeritus status after selling Olson the business in 2010.
platform requirements, on the other hand, is part of the reason ABEE tends to avoid those projects, Olson says. “People always want longer, faster, steeper,” including some camp opera- tors, he says. “We don’t like that men- tality. We want people to have a nice ride with an easy landing, and enjoy the view along the way. I don’t like building thrill rides—that’s just not in our wheel- house. With speed comes more risk.”
customers want a two-hour experience at an aerial park before moving onto something else,” says Olson. A strong commitment to accessibility. Not surprisingly, ABEE also puts a special emphasis on building accessible courses, a concept that has been growing and expanding in the past several years. “We’ve focused on universal designs to accommodate people with differing abil - ities since our founding,” Olson says. “A lot of courses can be adapted with just a few simple design changes. I wish more people would do it.” ABEE has built zip lines that allow nurses to ride with patients requiring oxygen tanks, and some that integrate swing arms and pulley systems to bring to height people who cannot do so on their own.
much as they are capable,” he stress- es. “We don’t want people to feel like luggage.” Other examples include a uni- versal zip line built for the Girl Scouts of Colorado named in the memory of a scout with disabilities, and a pair of similar zip lines at Indiana University’s Bradford Woods outdoor center. A commercial project and learning experience . A foray into building, own- ing, and operating an adventure park, Heightened Adventures, in the theme- park and entertainment-rich adventure zone that is the Wisconsin Dells, was an instructive experience for ABEE. It lasted only a few years before Olson sold the course to the owner of one of the town’s well-known water parks. “I really enjoyed being there, riding around on a golf cart and supervis- ing,” says Olson. “I really thought that might be my retirement job.” Staffing, however, was a challenge in the busy
THE SWEET SPOT
ABEE’s sweet spot is small- and me- dium-sized aerial courses that cost between $150,000 and $300,000, Olson says. “They are easier designs but still have lots of elements with multiple years of use.” In some cases, that’s a perfect fit for commercial operators, too. “We work with some rafting companies whose
“We try to involve the individual in it as
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