TOURISM HAS turned the “Storms River Village into a sought-after destination; a thriving place with growing employment figures where a number of successful new businesses have recently opened their doors,” says tourism consultant Martin Hatchuel. “Current owner Ashley Wentworth took over the reins at Storms River Adventures (www.stormsriver.com) in November of 1998. At that time, the company offered a limited number of adventures, but it was a bit of a take-it-or-leave-it affair and didn’t rate very highly on anyone’s must-do list. It had, as Ashley puts it, two-and-a-half employees,” writes Hatchuel. Ashley realised that what was lacking in the business was people power, and he set about training as many of the locals as he could to fill as many of the company’s positions as they could. In fact, he spent fully 25 per cent of the first year’s turnover on staff development, and, by the end of 2001, Storms River Adventures had invested more than R300 000 of its own money in its training programme. In the process of building his business, Ashley Wentworth has created 30 full time and 40 part time positions, and has, amongst other things, seen to the training and registration of 65 tubing guides. By growing the skills of the local population, Ashley has been able to introduce a number of exciting new products to the area. The result – combined with a strong marketing campaign – is that the company has grown and the village has grown with it. The statistics speak for themselves. Since Ashley took over at Storms River Adventures, three new B&B’s – with more than 40 new beds – have opened up in the area, as has a hardware store and a second hand dealer. And with the launch of the awe-inspiring Tree Top Canopy Tours (visit them at www.treetoptour.com), Ashley was able to a assist three members of his kitchen staff to form their own company – Adventure Caterers cc., a black economic empowerment initiative in which these former employees hold 60 per cent of the shares, and now provide meals for this fantastic new attraction. And let’s not forget the Adventure Contractor’s Association, which Ashley helped to establish. This group of guides, many of whom were trained by Storms River Adventures, now sell their services back to the company – and to any other company that needs them. It’s impressive - the whole situation is seriously impressive. A lesson to us all in how effective and powerful a force for change our industry can be,” says Hatchuel.