Rocky And Lisa Freda Winners, Maine’s “Innovation in Tourism” Award

I am happy to announce that my two very good friends, Rocky and Lisa Freda, owners of Sun Valley Sports in the Bethel/Newry/Sunday River area were chosen as the recipients of this year’s Innovation in Tourism Award issued by the Maine governor, John Baldacci.

A friend and local business woman, Wende Gray, nominated the Freda’s for the award. Below is a copy of the nomination letter sent to the governor’s office.

In 1995 after 20 years as a field representative for an agricultural supply company, Rocky Freda found himself without a job, a casualty of the mid 90’s corporate downsizing. Rather than wallowing in self pity, Rocky saw this as an opportunity to change his lifestyle and pursue a career doing what he loved best: being in his beloved outdoors, hunting, fishing and snowmobiling.

As fate may have it, his future was determined at a chance meeting at a snowmobile shop with the operations manager of Sunday River Ski Resort, who encouraged him to check out the Bethel area to set up an outfitting business. In the winter of 1995, Rocky purchased a 3 acre parcel on the Sunday River Road in Bethel. The real estate included an old mobile home (fondly nick-named the “Tuna Can”), and two 300 square foot hunting shacks. Not the most attractive facility to rent his fleet of 12 snowmobiles but Ricky was resolute. With the help of Mother Nature’s snowfall that year, his fledgling Sun Valley Sports was off and running.

Since 1995, Rocky has invested over a half million dollars in his outfitting business. The 3 acre parcel is now home to a 1200 square foot retail store that offers canoes and kayaks, and fishing equipment, clothing and accessories as an Orvis franchise; a storage and repair garage for his fleet of snowmobiles and ATV’s and two three bedroom pine-sided cabins, one which is his home and one, complete with outdoor hot tub for his sporting guests. He has a fleet of 20 snowmobiles, 7 ATV’s, three drift boats, two 15-passenger shuttle vans, a 4-wheel Suburban, and 60 canoes and kayaks..

Sun Valley Sports is a full service outfitter providing Orvis Endorsed fly-fishing instruction and guided trips, canoe and kayak rentals and shuttles on the Upper Androscoggin River, ATV tours, moose safaris, paddle sports youth programs, hunting trips, whitewater rafting trips on the Kennebec in partnership with a licensed whitewater outfitter and guided snowmobile tours in the winter.

As a testament to Rocky’s indomitable spirit and Yankee ingenuity, last winter and again this year when Mother Nature did not co-operate with plentiful snowfall, Rocky hauled out his ATV’s, worked with the landowners to secure an ATV trail and provided his guests with wildlife tours. Unlike many other small snow dependent businesses, Sun Valley Sports survived an otherwise disastrous winter season.

In addition to Rocky and his wife Lisa, Sun Valley Sports employs a full time Master Maine Guide year round and part time receptionist. This summer Sun Valley expects to employ five additional Maine Guides.

Sun Valley Sports has aggressively marketed its business through its website, advertising, public relations and partnerships with Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Orvis. Rocky has been instrumental in promoting the resurgence of the Upper Androscoggin River as a fishing destination.

This past summer Rocky had the pleasure of hosting visitors from Australia, the United Kingdom, Texas, Tennessee, California and Michigan.

Along with the demands of growing a small business, Rocky has served on the Bethel Chamber of Commerce as its Treasurer and President; board member of two local snowmobile clubs and project director for the Dept of Conservation’s Western Mountain Snowmobile region; Bethel Snowmobile Winter Fest Organizer, a member of Trout Unlimited and its regional director for the Androscoggin River and is now into his second, three-year term as a member of the Bethel Planning Board.

Of course, behind every good man is a good woman. In 1995, Lisa Freda gave up her position as a medical technician, earned her Master Maine Guide’s license and hitched her wagon to Rocky’s star. Using an appropriate outdoor metaphor, Rocky admits “I’d be up s____ creek without a paddle if it weren’t for Lisa.” Lisa is transportation engineer, IT manager, comptroller, reservations and housekeeping manager, professional guide, inventor of the “Lisa’s Leach” streamer fly, as well as Rocky’s appointment secretary, personal chef and mistress of their two labs, Buddy and Brookie.

Rocky and Lisa’s commitment to raising the standards of Maine’s outfitting industry, understanding of outdoor recreation and its integration with hospitality and tourism, and unselfish dedication to the Western Maine region is worthy of recognition by the State’s Tourism industry.

Congratulations Rocky and Lisa Freda!

Tom Remington