How One Oak Ridge Outfitter is Expanding Outdoor Access
When you come to a fork in the river, which route do you take? For Chad Ward and his family, it’s been the path of chasing a big dream.
Since 2025, Ward has owned and operated River Run Outfitters, a premier adventure outfitter offering premium kayak, canoe, paddleboard and paddleboat rentals designed to help locals and visitors enjoy the area’s scenic waterways. Like any great adventure story, Ward’s unique personal journey prepared him for this career transition, sparking a deeper mission to increase community-wide access to outdoor activities in Oak Ridge, TN.
A Bold Decision: From First Responder to Adventure Outfitter
Ward grew up playing sports, but a spontaneous canoe trip with friends at age 12 first sparked his lifelong love for nature. Later, a high school whitewater rafting trip to Colorado sealed the deal.
“I thought to myself, ‘This is awesome. I want to work in this industry,'” Ward recalls.
Following high school, Ward moved to Colorado, spending several years working as a whitewater rafting guide in the summer and a snowmobile guide in the winter. Eventually, he met his wife and relocated to Oak Ridge.
“When I got married, I realized I needed to do something more stable,” says Ward, who served his community as a paramedic and firefighter for nearly a decade before returning to school to become a teacher.
Yet, the call of the wild never truly faded. Ward always harbored a dream of returning to the outdoor industry, though he wasn’t sure what form it would take. A chance visit to a local outfitter’s rowing clinic with his son changed everything.
“I looked around at this adventure outfitter and saw the potential, not just as a business but also as a way to build something meaningful for my family and the community,” Ward says.
He began helping out at the shop and ultimately decided to purchase the business from the previous owner, officially rebranding it as River Run Outfitters in 2025.
Expanding Outdoor Accessibility on Oak Ridge Waterways
Since taking the helm, Ward has focused heavily on building a fresh, purpose-driven identity for the business.
“We’re not just continuing something. We’re shaping River Run Outfitters with purpose,” Ward emphasizes.
That purpose goes far beyond simply providing standard watercraft rentals. Ward envisions River Run Outfitters as a gateway to the great outdoors for individuals who face traditional barriers to outdoor recreation.
“I want to make the outdoors accessible for everyone, from at-risk kids and disabled people to those who get overlooked, can’t afford it, or are recovering from addiction,” says Ward, inspired in part by his autistic, nonverbal nephew.
These community accessibility goals are already moving from vision to reality. Ward is actively working to install a handicap-accessible dock at River Run Outfitters. Additionally, he has introduced self-serve kiosks, providing outdoor enthusiasts with convenient, year-round access to rental equipment between standard business hours and seasons.
Get to Know Oak Ridge, TN
Want to learn more about living and working in Oak Ridge, TN? Check out the new edition of Livability Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
