Paul Bugler News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Together. >> and that's how the idea for the lansing west virginia based adventures on the gorge was born. paul approached all three company owners. everyone involved sensed that a deal wouldn't be a simple one. >> i did see some challenges because we were competitors, for sure. and you know, that relationship, we had to work on. >> but soon enough, paul was able to convince them that the key to their collective survival was joining forces. >> there's a point in a family business where the family is necessary for its survival. there's a point in a business where the business outgrows the famil...

They were friendly competitors, and they all loved running the business they were running. so you can only imagine what it was like when the owners of these companies were approached about merging their operations into one. >> when paul first told me, i really wasn't interested. i actually said no. we had a good gig going. we were growing. we were making money. not a lot. but we were paying our bills. >> that's brian campbell the founder of rivermen. the paul he's referring to is paul bugler, a former financial guy who spent his weekends as a river guy. a few years ago paul saw an opportunity ...

You're buying from. you have to know if he's -- has a lot of product. if he's got a little product. if he's sitting on a lot, and you know he's sitting on a lot he's going to probably be a lower price than somebody else. >> you said know the person you're negotiating with. >> yes. >> and you're talking about knowing their supplies. supply and demand. what about knowing them as a person. is that helpful? >> with any business you know the person, you know the guy on a daily basis, you're going to probably get a better price than somebody else. because he likes you. >> when you go to a negotiatio...

None of the three original companies had done before. and that meant looking beyond the white water. >> our strategy is very simple. we need people to stay longer. and do more things. and you can run two or three different rivers. you can participate in a kayak school. you can take a climbing and rappelling class. you can do mountain bike tours. you can do horseback tours. you do atv tours. the zip lines have been the biggest product we've expanded into. we now have two zip line courses. >> with all the new activities and a bunch of new accommodations the adventures on the gorge was turned int...

>> and that's how the idea for the lansing west virginia based adventures on the gorge was born. paul approached all three company owners. everyone involved sensed that a deal wouldn't be a simple one. >> i did see some challenges because we were competitors, for sure. and you know, that relationship, we had to work on. >> but soon enough, paul was able to convince them that the key to their collective survival was joining forces. >> there's a point in a family business where the family is necessary for its survival. there's a point in a business where the business outgrows the family. and the...