Community Highlights: Meet Alaney Miltner of Pine River Paddlesports Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alaney Miltner. 

Hi Alaney, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Growing up I always enjoyed the outdoors. I grew up in a family that went camping, fishing, and encouraged us to be outside. Fast forward to when I was 17 years old, I started working at the Pine River Paddlesports Center in May of 2012. I absolutely fell in love with the business – the customers, the staff, the work – it was fun & fulfilling. That’s not the only thing I fell in love with: the owner’s son, Jacob, and I hit it off and started dating a couple of months after I began working there. In the fall of 2012, I left for Hillsdale College to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Politics. I came home every summer, though, and still worked at the Paddlesports Center and continued to date Jacob. I graduated Summa Cum Laude from Hillsdale in May 2016, and I married Jacob one month later. We never had intentions of taking over the Paddlesports Center. Instead, I started an Admin job at Baker College in Cadillac. I quickly discovered that I hated working the typical 9-5 workday, that I despised sitting inside all day, and that I missed working at the river. Also, I was thinking of the future – we wanted to have kids one day, and I wanted to have the freedom to homeschool them (I was homeschooled K-12 and had a wonderful experience). Climbing the corporate ladder didn’t make sense for me if I was simply going to quit work to raise children a few years later. The next year, in 2017, Jacob and I decided that I would quit my job, go back to the livery and that we would work toward owning the Pine River Paddlesports Center. 

It has been a long road filled with lots of financial sacrifices between 2017 and us finally purchasing the business in 2022. But we are thrilled to be the owners of the Pine River Paddlesports Center – doing what we love, and doing it together. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not always a smooth road to get here. After we decided we wanted to purchase the canoe rental, Jacob’s parents divorced. This put the future of the Paddlesports Center in jeopardy – we weren’t sure which parent would come out with the business at the end of the divorce, or if the judge would order it to be sold. In order for my father-in-law to keep the business in his name at the end of the divorce, Jacob and I had to give up the home we were currently living in (his parents owned the home). It was a very messy, bitter ordeal, but Jacob and I moved out of our home in April of 2019. We decided to purchase a 10′ x 12′ canvas outfitters tent and live in our campground as we worked hard, long hours and saved up money. We stayed in the tent in our campground during the summer months and lived with my father-in-law or with a friend in Idaho for the winter months. We spent 3 summers in our tent – not having a real home was one of the most challenging things we have done so far. But we kept the goal of purchasing the business in mind. We hoped that the current sacrifice would be worth the payoff later. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Pine River Paddlesports Center?
The Pine River Paddlesports Center & Campground is located in the heart of Michigan’s Manistee National Forest. We specialize in renting canoes, kayaks, rafts, and stand-up paddleboards on Michigan’s premiere paddlesport rivers – the Pine and the Big Manistee. We have one of the widest selections of paddlecraft rentals in the Midwest – we specialize in making sure that you and your family & friends are in watercraft that are both experience level and size appropriate, and that you are paddling a section of river that is the best for all of your skill levels. 

Another component of our rentals that sets us apart is that we take the time with each group to get an accurate reading of everyone’s experience level. We want you to go out on the river and have an awesome time – we don’t want you feeling overwhelmed or nervous. So, if anyone is new to the Pine River, we give you a quick, 10-minute paddling ‘primer’. It is fun, fruitful paddling instruction that helps even a person new to paddling to feel much more comfortable. 

In addition to our summer rentals, we also offer guided fall and winter rafting tours. We have had so much fun with these guided tours. It allows our customers to enjoy the amazing fall colors or winter scenery, without being nervous about tipping or getting wet. We have also enjoyed the opportunities to get to know our customers a bit better as we guide them down the river. It really is an amazing experience. 

In the summertime, we also operate a unique, quiet campground. We sell a ‘quiet’ camping experience. I love this because our customers do not need to worry if there will be a loud boombox in the campsite next to theirs – our rule of thumb is ‘your neighbors shouldn’t be able to hear you, and you shouldn’t be able to hear your neighbors’. Plus, our campsites are some of the most private I have ever seen – they are hedged around on three sides with woods. It is a peaceful camping experience in the forest. 

What were you like growing up?
Growing up I enjoyed the outdoors, I enjoyed people, and I especially enjoyed animals. I was an inquisitive, self-disciplined, sarcastic perfectionist. My self-discipline and perfectionistic tendencies have served me well as a business owner. However, they’ve also been one of my biggest adversaries – I tend to be a bit of a workaholic! 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thepineriver.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pineriverpaddlesportscenter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pineriverpaddlesportscenter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZQOsshvP7znlVfOJbFGjNg?app=desktop