The Outdoor Business Alliance celebrated 21 grantees across 19 counties, including Jefferson County’s Twisted Antler Seed Company, highlighting the geographic diversity of outdoor recreation businesses throughout the Commonwealth.

Brockway, PA – Today the Outdoor Business Alliance of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Office of Outdoor Recreation announced the award of $45,000 in Pennsylvania Trout Tank grants to 21 outdoor recreation businesses across 19 counties.

OBA’s PA Trout Tank program is the first statewide grant program focused exclusively on businesses that are part of Pennsylvania’s $20.4 billion outdoor recreation industry. The 21 finalists were selected from a total of 38 applicants requesting more than $90,000 in grants—twice the funding available during this first round of grants.

“Our inaugural PA Trout Tank grant recipients represent the breadth of Pennsylvania’s outdoor industry and demonstrate the high demand for funding to support outdoor entrepreneurs,” said Silas Chamberlin, executive director of the Outdoor Business Alliance of Pennsylvania. “Our grants will support new equipment and product development for manufacturers; investments in digital booking, membership and e-commerce platforms; enhanced marketing, and much more.”

Some of the grantees include:

• Hemlock Mountain Outdoors, located in Pike County, plans to use the funding to purchase materials to speed up and expand its manufacturing of ready-made camping hammocks.
• On Point Adventure Foods, located in Somerset County, plans to use the funding to purchase commercial kitchen equipment to expand and improve production of its homemade freeze-dried meals for outdoor enthusiasts, as it works towards USDA certification.
• Rosebriar Inn on Kettle Creek, located in Clinton County, plans to use the funding to renovate an additional guest room, as it advances phased improvements to its outdoor-recreation-themed rooms, underway since its acquisition of the inn and onsite restaurant in 2025.

The full list of grantees is available below and photos of today’s event can be downloaded here. Funding for the PA Trout Tank program came from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

“Outdoor recreation is big business for a lot of small businesses in Pennsylvania,” said Nathan Reiger, director of outdoor recreation for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. “From gear manufacturers and retailers, to guides, outfitters, campgrounds, and content creators, our small outdoor recreation businesses have a big impact on Pennsylvania’s economy. We congratulate the Trout Tank winners and applaud the OBA for using the Trout Tank program to support PA’s diverse outdoor industry.”

OBA hosted the grant announcement at 814 Home & Hardware in Brockway, Jefferson County. The hardware store is one of the primary retail locations for Twisted Antler Seed Company, a Trout Tank grantee. Twisted Antler will use the grant to purchase a commercial vibratory weigh filler to automate its wildlife food-plot seed packaging operation.

“We are grateful for the Outdoor Business Alliance’s investment in Twisted Antler’s growth,” noted Twisted Antler co-owner Jesse Schindley, who also spoke as part of the announcement. “The outdoor recreation is thriving all across Pennsylvania, including right here in Jefferson County.”

Outdoor Business Alliance of Pennsylvania is a 501c3 launched in 2025 to elevate the needs of PA’s $20.4 billion outdoor recreation industry and support development, innovation and growth among PA’s 9,000+ outdoor businesses. For more information, visit www.OBAPA.org

The full list of 2026 PA Trout Tank grant recipients:

Amarte Studio, LLC, Luzerne County

Appalachian Kayak, Dauphin County

Bald Eagle Valley Kayak Company, Clinton County

Bellevue Bicycles, Allegheny County

Trail Town Bikes, Luzerne County

Carried Away Outfitters, Mercer County

Cozy Embers Campground & Cabins, McKean County

Hemlock Mountain Outdoors, Wayne County

Hiking Hound Adventures, Delaware County

Lake Erie Trophy Fishing, Erie County

Lititz Outsider, Lancaster County

Long Tail Productions, Lehigh County

Mechanistic Brewing Co., Clarion County

Mud and Metal Offroad, Blair County

On Point Adventure Foods, Somerset County

Rise Up Racing, Lycoming County

Ski Shack, Lackawanna County

The Rosebriar Inn on Kettle Creek, Clinton County

Twisted Antler Seed Company, Jefferson County

White Rock Station, Armstrong County

YJR Outdoors, Montgomery County