Community is a necessary part of life. It brings people together and helps us feel as if we belong. As human beings, it can help us see a meaning to our existence and create a sense of feeling wanted. Community is also proving to be one of the key components in industry to creating a successful business.
Bonsai Design is an aerial adventure company that was born and raised in Grand Junction, Colorado — a town known for its easy access to outdoor activities, such as hiking, canoeing, and skiing. Many of its businesses are locally owned and operated, and the town has a friendly small town feel. Junction has a lot of heart, but not a lot of obvious resources. For Sarah Shrader, Owner and Co-founder of Bonsai Design, the main draw to Grand
Junction was for her three kids, “We didn’t want to raise them in an urban area. We wanted them to have access to wild spaces and to be able to be outside” Shrader explains. The outdoor space that Grand Junction provided in combination with their business concept was the perfect storm. Bonsai provides outdoor aerial adventure courses, specifically zip lines, ropes courses, and climbing towers. Being able to have access to the environment right in their backyard provided them with the opportunity to give “experiences that connect people to the natural world.”
The technology that Bonsai utilizes in their courses are all unique to their company. “Building and manufacturing components like braking systems and trolleys; that was a super important piece, and still is, of our company” Shrader explains. She goes on to elaborate on the environment that was already existing in Junction, “The great thing about Grand Junction is that we have this incredible amount of infrastructure in manufacturing there that’s left over from the oil and gas industry, and still in place”, says Shrader. This leftover infrastructure was really helpful for fabrication of their heavy aerial courses. “We have a lot of engineers, manufacturers, fabricators, welders, plastic workers, and metal workers…an incredible amount of talented vendors to choose from, and we can be working with them all in the same room five minutes from the front door of our HQ.” This easy-access manufacturing allows them to do all of their inventing and testing in their own backyard.
With Bonsai’s prosperity also comes a disadvantage — in growing from a company that needed to prove their concept to a company that needed capital to grow, they had a lack of access to executives. Many executives have kids, and want to send them to the best schools. However, highly sought after schools were not located in Grand Junction as theMesa County Valley School District’s funding was so low. Shrader saw this shortcoming and took it upon herself to get involved. “Since then we have passed a school funding, Mill Levy in Bond Override, which I was really involved with because of that specific situation. It’s hard to grow a business in a community where they don’t fund their K-12 schools” Shrader explains. Her involvement in passing the Bond and Mill Levy Override, which raises property taxes within D51 boundaries by $6.5 million annually for 10 years and puts those funds toward the Mesa County Valley K-12 Schools, has helped improve the quality of schools in Grand Junction. Shrader’s community involvement has led to change in legislation and helped tipped these odds in her business’s favor.
As Bonsai proves, utilizing and nurturing the resources right in front of you will not only let your company thrive, but your community as well. The infrastructure for building their courses was already in Junction’s community, but in order to grow her company she needed to become a community leader too. This narrative doesn’t just apply to Bonsai or Grand Junction, it applies everywhere. Supporting your community is a great way to support your business. As Shrader frames perfectly, “It’s just to be apart of helping your community change and rebrand itself…We are humbled to work with such skilled and talented companies that are feeding their families and providing jobs for people in our community. It’s a great partnership. It’s the single best thing about running a business in Grand Junction”.
