Three local students start Hikers Inc.; business designed to inform Starved Rock visitors

Three local students Mathew Klein and Devin Soldati, of Bradley University, and Kyle Petersen, of Olivet Nazarene University, came together to create a tourism and lifestyle business entitled Hikers Inc. — and took first place at the Social Impact Challenge Competition.

“We grew up right next to Starved Rock State Park and between the three of us, we have been to the park over 100 times,” Klein said. “The park receives millions of visitors each year and features some of the most natural, unique and beautiful areas in the whole Midwest.”

The competition is a Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation initiative that encourages innovative ideas for positive social impact.

Hikers Inc. focusses on the health and well-being of hikers, the specific park’s history and the sustainability of a park’s ecosystem. Visitors will be able to learn, explore and preserve the natural wonders of the great outdoors through physical activities, educational resources and custom online applications.

“I really noticed the issues at the park the last time I hiked there with some friends from Bradley that came to my hometown to experience Starved Rock for the first time,” Soldati said. “They loved the waterfalls and sandstone, but we all noticed a significant amount of litter throughout the trails.”

Hikers Inc.’s website and mobile app gives park visitors practical information as they explore and preserve the parks while enjoying nature.

The idea for this business is something that has been bounced around between the friends and when they heard about the competition, they decided it was the perfect time to put the idea into practice.

“Late this summer we started to look at how we could make this work,” Klein said. “The competition came along and we saw it as the perfect fit to start and accelerate our growth with the project and commitment to get it off the ground and running.”

Klein mentioned he would like to see partnerships with surrounding businesses continue to grow as it takes a collective effort to preserve the parks.

“It’s great that Starved Rock not only provides economic benefits for a lot of businesses, but also we think it’s important for them to look and think how they can help the park,” Klein said.

Teams participating in the contest submitted a five-page summary of their idea. The pitched ideas were evaluated on their feasibility, sustainability, potential for success and the social impact they would make.

“There are three main things to the business: visitor participation, education and partnerships,” Klein said. “We believe with those three solutions, a lot of the problems such as people’s health, physical and mental, can be helped.”

Following the screening process, the top five teams were invited to present before an audience as the judges and various viewers cast their votes for their favorite idea to select a winner.

The business received high praise from William McDowell, the executive and academic director of Bradley’s Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

“Hikers Inc. creates a solution that motivates individuals to get moving, connect with their local state parks and impact the park in a positive way by helping to keep it clean,” McDowell said.

Following the first place finish at the Social Impact Challenge Competition, Hikers Inc. is hoping to pilot the project to the Illinois Valley’s Starved Rock.

While to begin the group is focussing on Starved Rock State Park, the trio hopes they can continue to grow to other parks. They want to become a source for all visitors to state parks to leave them in better shape.

“I think that all of us being from the area and knowing the people, we feel we have the knowledge as well as the connections to hopefully make this happen,” Klein said.

More information on the business can be found on its website https://www.starvedrockhikers.com/?fbclid=IwAR2iuTG0nes1tay_rZNcdnZqcVUwUTwIaklBbMz6FHXpvuzJTBmQ6iEqLfg