Taylor Cassat Hits the Mark with Hunting Land Access
By Katelyn Allen on Monday, October 28, 2024
When Springdale-native Taylor Cassat (a graduate of Har-Ber High School) was working for Intelligence Collection and Analysis for Navy SEAL Teams, he developed an entirely new appreciation for the outdoors. During his nine-year U.S. Navy career, his love of the outdoors began to flourish. Taylor and his fellow Special Operations Veteran, Justin Neal, struggled to find land to rent and hunt on while traveling in the military. The two dreamed up an accessible platform that would allow hunters of all backgrounds to easily rent private land to hunt on.
“Access to hunting isn’t as easy in other places as it is in Arkansas,” Taylor said. “[So putting Sabo together] was hard, very hard...It was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, but I’ll say that it was also one of the most rewarding.”
Taylor knew as soon as he was done in the military, being an outdoor entrepreneur was the career for him. He turned that online platform dream into a reality, and SABO Outdoors was officially founded in 2022. While chatting with Angel Investor Group, he learned about the University of Arkansas’ Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP; a business incubator for recreation-focused entrepreneurs). He quickly applied.
“GORP is extremely well designed for first-time founders,” Taylor said. “It really helps you take an idea and create a fully operational company out of it. I learned a ton about being a business owner and the outdoor industry as a whole.”
The GORP program provided SABO Outdoors with several opportunities to launch into success. Not only has the University of Arkansas provided excellent resources for Taylor to get his company off ground zero, but he is also in the process of completing his Agriculture Business and Risk Management degree.
