Colorado River Discovery is out; Aramark is in. 

The National Park Service announced last week they have chosen Aramark as the concessionaire that will provide Colorado River rafting trips from below Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry. The contract will take effect Jan. 1, 2018 and is scheduled to last 10 years. 

This decision was not made locally; but came from the NPS intermountain regional office, to avoid possible local bias. 

Colorado River Discovery has been the Glen Canyon rafting concessionaire since January 2006. Aramark was the concessionaire prior to that, a contract they’ve held many years. Previously, Aramark ran their Glen Canyon rafting brand under the name Wilderness River Adventures, the same name as their Grand Canyon rafting brand. But going forward, Aramark will run their Glen Canyon rafting brand under the name Glen Canyon Rafting Hospitality.

As part of their contract GCRH will also be required to transport smaller water crafts, such as kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddleboards, from Lees Ferry to a destination of their choosing between Lees Ferry and the Glen Canyon Dam.

Proposals were evaluated and selected under the provisions of the 1998 Concessions Management Improvement Act by a panel of National Park Service representatives outside of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The Act allows concession contracts to be awarded with the intent of ensuring quality visitor services, protecting park resources and enhancing the competitive contract process for National Park Service concession contracts. NPS selected the bidder they believed best met those criteria.

“The owners and management at CRD were extremely surprised by the decision to award the contract to a different operator,” said Korey Seyler, general manager of CRD. “CRD is tremendously proud of all our accomplishments over the last 11 years. In that pride and passion for our partnership with Glen Canyon and the community of Page, we have always pushed to exceed the expectations of those partnerships, as well as the visitors we had the pleasure of serving.”

Much of the disappointment the owners and managers at CRD feel in not having their contract renewed is that it will end the many plans they had for the company’s future concepts.    

“We were excited for the possibility of an additional 10 years and the owners and management took the bid process as a chance to implement new and exciting concepts that we felt would benefit many,” said Seyler. “Our submittal called for $600,000 in new investment in the first year and $2 million over the first five years to foster interpretive education, quality employees, resource protection and energy consumption, by reducing our carbon footprint, to name a few.

“Unfortunately, NPS saw, on paper, that a different operator would be better suited to carry out the float trips contract in the future.”

Seyler said CRD will work to nurture a smooth transition to the new operator.

“It is our deepest hope that they can provide an incredible service and continued stewardship on the river that we love,” Seyler said.

For now, CRD plans to keep the River’s End Café open.  

“The café has seen tremendous support from the locals and non-rafting visitors, and we hope that this patronage can continue,” said Seyler.

CRD hopes to find a way to keep their doors open in Page and they’re looking at numerous options to make that happen.

“There are many questions that the owners and management must consider in the near future,” said Seyler. “Both individually and collectively, we are a group of doers. The CRD core, all have a tremendous affinity to the area in and around Page. I have little doubt that we will  look to achieve innovative opportunities in this community. We have a laundry list of ideas, and we will move toward implementing those ideas under our current circumstances, hopefully with the support and energy from the Page community.”

During their 11 years in operation, CRD and their café, River’s End Café, have won numerous Best of Page awards. They won best tour or best water tour every year they were in operation. 

They won best customer service three times and best small business twice. At last year’s Best of Page awards, Scott Seyler, one of CRD’s owners, received Humanitarian of the Year.  

Two years ago, CRD unveiled a 100 percent electric raft, the Helios, which cost them more than $350,000 in research and development and construction.

Dan Clous, Aramark’s general manager for fleet and river operations, said they don’t wish to comment on receiving the new Glen Canyon contract until things have been finalized with the park service.