Your Trail Company:
Going Pro

Photo: Allegra Trails

Supporting Emerging
Trail Companies

PTBA member companies are overwhelmingly small businesses, and many are micro-businesses. For most of us, mastering the technical aspects of trail work was the easy part; navigating the complexities of running a small business is the bigger challenge.

This resource lays out what it takes to go pro as a trail company and is designed to support the emerging businesses that are fueling the growth of our industry.

This resource is meant to be informative, but in no means, comprehensive and should not be considered legal, financial, or tax advice.

PTBA asked our members what they wished they knew when they started their company:

  • I wish someone had told me to start my business sooner.

  • It takes time to build a company.

  • There’s still computer work and business skills involved in the trail industry.

  • Knowing when to say “no” is an important skill.

  • Embrace collaboration — it’s a powerful way to learn, grow, and deliver great product.

How PTBA members define professionalism

Client Relations

Communicate Clearly and Honestly: Timely, respectful, and honest communication with clients and colleagues

Serve Clients and the Community: Deliver what the client wants while balancing the needs of the community and end users

Maintain High Ethical Standards: Fairness, integrity, and thoroughness in all aspects of the work

Advocate for Quality and Sustainability: Say “no” when client requests compromise quality or sustainability

Provide Excellent Value: Complete projects on budget and use time and materials wisely

Quality of Work

Commitment to Excellence: Deliver only high-quality products

Go Above and Beyond: Elevate the trail industry through work that exceeds expectations and uplifts the community

Sustainable Trails: Create sustainable and maintainable trails.

Legacy: Every completed project is part of your legacy - take pride in your work.

Company Operations

Operate Ethically and Legally: Uphold legitimate business practices and follow relevant laws (environmental, labor, licensing)

Prioritize Quality and Professionalism: Provide high-quality work, fair pricing, and reliability in meeting deadlines

Value and Support Your Team: Pay fair wages and foster ongoing training and innovation

Safety: Actively manage safety on the jobsite and promote a culture of respect and inclusion

Environmental Responsibility: Act as stewards of natural resources and minimize environmental impacts

Communicate Effectively: Clear, transparent, and honest communication with clients, employees, and partners

Public Profile

Online + Print: Demonstrate professionalism through your website and other company documents. Be findable and accessible through clear communication channels

Objectivity: Stay objective and measured in public interactions

Knowledge and Representation: Stay informed about the trail industry and related trends, programs, and best practices

Engagement and Humility: Be an educator and collaborator, sharing knowledge and learning from your peers

Photo: Allegra Trails

Small Biz 101

This section is intended as a general overview and should not be considered legal, financial, or tax advice. The right choice for your business depends on your unique situation. We recommend consulting with an accountant, attorney, or small business advisor to ensure you’re choosing the best structure for your needs.

Also, the language is currently US-centric; however, we plan to create resources that align with terminology and processes for other parts of the world.

Business Structure

Sole Proprietorship

  • Structure: Easiest to set up; owned and operated by one person.

  • Taxes: Income and expenses are reported on your personal tax return using Schedule C. No separate business tax filing.

  • Liability: No legal separation between personal and business finances — your personal assets (like your home or savings) are at risk if the business incurs debt or is sued.

  • Best for: Small, low-risk businesses

LLC (Limited Liability Company)

  • Structure: A separate legal entity from you. Can be owned by one person (single-member) or multiple people (multi-member).

  • Taxes:

    • By default, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship.

    • Multi-member LLCs are taxed like partnerships.

    • Profits pass through to owners’ personal tax returns (no corporate tax).

  • Liability: Personal assets are generally protected from business debts or lawsuits.

  • Best for: Businesses that want liability protection without complex corporate formalities.

S-Corporation (S-Corp)

  • Structure: A corporation that has elected special tax treatment.

  • Taxes:  Profits pass through to the owner’s personal return (like an LLC), avoiding double taxation. You must pay yourself a “reasonable salary” (subject to payroll taxes), and remaining profits can be taken as distributions (not subject to self-employment tax).

  • Liability: Limited liability protection, similar to LLC.

  • Extra admin: Requires running payroll, filing quarterly and annual payroll tax reports, and holding annual meetings with proper documentation.

  • Best for: Businesses earning consistent net profits (typically $50,000–$60,000+) that want to reduce self-employment taxes.

LLC taxed as an S-Corp

  • Structure: You form an LLC, but elect to be taxed as an S-Corp by filing IRS Form 2553. 

  • Taxes: You remain an LLC legally, but are taxed like an S-Corp which allows you to split income into salary (taxed as wages) and distributions (not subject to self-employment tax).

  • Liability: You still get liability protection of an LLC 

  • Best for: Trail businesses with steady, predictable profits that want the legal simplicity of an LLC and the tax savings of an S-Corp.

Business Registration

Choose a unique name

  • Check your state’s business name database (usually on your Secretary of State’s website) to see if your desired name is already taken.

  • Check the PTBA directory so that you don’t duplicate a name in our small industry.

  • Check domains as well to see if you can get your company name for your website and email address.

Get an EIN (Employer Identification Number)

  • This federal tax ID is essential if you hire employees, work with agencies, or open a business bank account.

  • This IRS website has more information.

  • If you are a sole proprietor, you may not need a business EIN.

Register with your State (typically the Secretary of State)

  • You will have to pay a small fee and provide basic information about your business.

Open a business bank account

  • In general, you need an EIN and a certificate of good standing from your state to open a business bank account.

  • Keeping your personal and business finances separate helps with legal protection, liability, taxes, and recordkeeping.

Set up accounting and bookkeeping systems

  • You can use software like QuickBooks or FreshBooks, or engage an accountant, especially if you have payroll for multiple employees.

Operate Legally

Licenses: Some states require a contractor’s license to perform trail construction work. Be sure to research and comply with the licensing requirements in each state or jurisdiction where you operate.

Permits: Understand what land use and environmental permits are required for your projects, as well as the compliance obligations associated with them. You can learn more about permitting through the Trail Project Life Cycle web resource and related webinars linked on that page.

Labor Laws:

  • 1099 vs. W-2:
    It's important to understand the legal distinction between a W-2 employee and a 1099 independent contractor. In general, if you control when, where, and how the work is done, the worker should be classified as a W-2 employee. If the worker controls their own schedule, methods, and tools, they may qualify as a 1099 contractor. Misclassification can lead to fines and back taxes.

  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA):
    This federal law sets minimum standards for wages, overtime pay, and record-keeping. However, many states have their own labor laws that offer greater protections—make sure you follow both federal and state requirements.

  • Anti-Discrimination Laws:
    Federal laws—including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)—prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability. State laws may extend protections further or apply to smaller employers.

Insurance + Bonding

Types of Insurance Common to the Trail Industry

Having insurance that matches your company’s operations not only protects your company, but it is also required for many trail contracts. Below are types of insurance that may apply to your company or be required by clients.

  • General Liability Insurance: Protects against claims of bodily injury or property damage arising from your trail building activities.

  • Professional Liability Insurance: Coverage for claims of negligence, errors, or omissions in your professional services as a trail builder.

  • Property Insurance: Safeguards your equipment, tools, and structures used in trail construction against theft, damage, or loss.

  • Workers’ Compensation Insurance: Provides financial protection for your employees in the event of work-related injuries or illnesses.

  • Commercial Auto Insurance: Covers vehicles used for transporting equipment, materials, or personnel to and from trail construction sites.

  • Environmental Liability Insurance: Shields you from claims related to environmental damage or pollution caused during trail building activities.

  • Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI): Protects your business from claims related to wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and other employment-related issues.

  • Excess Liability Insurance: Provides additional coverage beyond the limits of your primary liability policies, offering extra protection against large claims.

  • Inland Marine Insurance: Covers tools, equipment, and materials while they are in transit or stored off-site, ensuring your essential assets are protected wherever they go.

Granite Insurance and Marsh & McLennan Agency are insurance providers who are part of the PTBA Vendor Network.

They have provided education and Q&A sessions for our member companies - and have demonstrated understanding of the trail industry.

Key advice: Be transparent about your company operations and build
a relationship with your insurance agent.

Bonding + Trail Projects

A bond (or surety bond) is a financial guarantee that a contractor (like a trail company) will fulfill its obligations—whether that’s finishing a project, paying subcontractors, or following the law.

Bonding can be required for trail contracts:

  • Public trail projects (municipal, state, or federal contracts often require bonds).

  • Large-scale or high-stakes projects where the client wants extra security.

Types of bonds applicable to trail projects:

  • Bid Bond: Guarantees that if your company wins a bid, you’ll sign the contract and provide the required performance/payment bonds.

  • Performance Bond: Guarantees that you’ll finish the project to the agreed-upon standards.

  • Payment Bond: Guarantees that you’ll pay subcontractors and suppliers.

  • License and Permit Bond: a type of surety bond specifically tied to getting a license or permit to legally operate your business or perform specific work.

Key roles in the bonding process:

  1. Principal – the company doing the work

  2. Obligee – the one who requires the bond (like a government agency or land manager).

  3. Surety - the bonding company that guarantees the principal’s performance. While bonding is a financial transaction, it is
    still an insurance product.

Learn more: Bonding Webinar

Ben Todd from Granite Insurance and Nick Hogan from Cincinnati Insurance provided this webinar to guide viewers through essential aspects of surety bonding for trail projects, covering:

  • Key roles in the bonding process

  • Who needs bonding and why

  • Requirements and acceptable collateral

  • Tips to streamline the bonding process

  • What happens when a bond is triggered and the impact on company owners

Safety + Risk Management

Best Practices for Safety in Trail Construction - Coming soon!

PTBA is working on a draft of Best Practices for Trail Construction as a resource for trail professionals across all phases of trail construction. Built to emphasize a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous learning, these guidelines will outline clear expectations in nine key areas:

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – proper use, maintenance, and enforcement

  • Equipment & Worksite Safety – inspection protocols, hazard awareness, and safe operations

  • Training & Education – ongoing learning, certifications, and mentorship

  • Planning, Communication & Culture – job hazard assessments and inclusive safety culture

  • Hiring & Onboarding – skills verification and safety-first orientation

  • Safety Programs & Protocols – formal plans, certifications, and stop-work authority

  • Physical & Mental Health – fatigue prevention, wellness, and mental health support

  • Continuous Improvement – incident tracking, peer reviews, and audits

  • Long-Term Risk Management – post-construction safety and stakeholder collaboration

These practices will align with general construction industry standards while going further in areas such as mental health, long-term risk, and environmental readiness. Informed by insights from PTBA’s end-of-year member survey on safety, they represent a refined, field-tested approach, an evolution of construction safety principles tailored to the unique challenges of trailbuilding.

Learn more: Risk Management Webinar

Trail construction involves a wide range of potential hazards—from environmental risks to equipment-related injuries—that can have serious consequences for workers, organizations, and land managers. In this webinar, PTBA member, Kevin Joell of Sierra TrailWorks, shares practical strategies to identify, assess, and mitigate these risks.

The webinar highlights key safety considerations including job hazard assessments (JHAs), personal protective equipment (PPE), crew training, emergency preparedness, and legal and financial implications of workplace incidents. Kevin draws from real-world experience to demonstrate how proactive planning and a strong safety culture can reduce risk, protect your team, and ensure the long-term success of trail projects.

Sustainable Trails

The Fundamentals of Sustainability

Understanding the fundamentals of sustainability is essential for everyone involved in trail development, from one-time volunteers to trail professionals. At every stage - planning, design, and construction - sustainability should be at the core to ensure that trails are physically durable, conserve natural resources, meet user expectations, and are maintainable over time.

What are the fundamentals?

PTBA is developing a six-part series on Trail Fundamentals to support sustainable trail development worldwide. This series features concise, 4–6 minute videos covering fundamental topics in trail development including contour vs. fall-line trails, sheet flow, understanding grade, how to use a clinometer, water management techniques like grade reversals and rolling grade dips, bench cut trail construction, and more.

Video 1 is online - and the rest are coming soon!

Sustainability in Practice

Entire books have been written on sustainable trails—what follows are a few high-level guidelines.

  • Planning and Design

    • Design trails that follow landscape contours

    • Integrate knowledge of local soils and their durability

    • Understand hydrology to keep water off the trail

    • Align with land management goals

  • Plan logistics to minimize impact

    • Designate staging areas and access routes

    • Limit redundant equipment passes

  • Minimize environmental impact during construction

    • Adhere to trail specifications

    • Establish clear work zones

    • Follow permitting requirements including any erosion and sediment control requirements

    • Operate equipment and tools with precision to avoid unnecessary off-trail impacts

    • Naturalize impacted areas following construction to encourage regrowth

Contracting + Proposals

Contracting

Contracting for a trail-related project typically begins with the development of a project bid and ends when the scope of work is complete.

PTBA created this web resource to provide an overview of multiple solicitation tools, contractual elements, and processes as they vary with scope of work, resources, and timelines. This resource was developed as part of this 2021 webinar posted on YouTube: From IDIQ to SOQ, Trail Contracting models and a Trail Contracting presentation delivered in 2024.

Photo: Great Lakes Trailbuilders, Patagonia

Getting Projects: Your SOQ

A Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) is a document that summarizes your company’s experience, capabilities, and expertise. It’s like a resume for your business and is often an integral part of a proposal. A typical SOQ includes:

  • Company overview: Basic info about your company, size, and structure.

  • Key personnel: Resumes or bios of your leadership and project team.

  • Relevant experience: Summaries of past projects similar to the one you’re pursuing. For each project, you could include:

    • Project Name and Location

    • Client (Company/Agency Name, Contact Name & Title, Phone & Email)

    • Project Description

    • Contracted Scope (and if it is a subcontract)

    • Completion Deadline per Contract; Actual Completion Date

    • Photo Documentation of each project

  • Other information you can include: Certifications, licenses, and bonding; Safety and risk management protocols, letters of reference

Tip: Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design tool that can help you to create professional-looking visuals.

Website, Email, Social Media

Many trail companies use their website as their online portfolio, populated with the projects from their SOQ, and they use their social media to showcase ongoing projects.

Many proposal reviewers will research both through their evaluation process, and some prospective clients will search online to find a trail company near them, so being findable is important.

Lastly, an email address that reflects the legitimacy of your business (i.e. name@yourtrailcompany.com) is another way to demonstrate professionalism.

The Trail Skills Project

The Trail Skills Project serves as the workforce hub for the trails community providing connections to trails education, trail expertise, professional development, and job opportunities. PTBA has been a leading partner in the Trail Skills Project since its inception in 2021.

On the Trail Skills Project, companies can:

  • Create a profile, designed to be a 'linked in' style snapshot focused on trail experience and aligned with the trail competencies to connect with potential clients

  • Identify the professional development needs of your staff through the creation of their individual profiles 

  • Find trails training opportunities to match the needs of your staff 

  • Post job opportunities 

  • Individual profiles of jobseekers creates a common ‘resume’ for review 

  • Find trail expertise to work on trail projects

PTBA Membership

Why Apply to Join?

We asked PTBA Members why they joined:

  • Networking, training, support, and camaraderie!

  • To be recognized as legitimate professionals in the industry.

  • To connect with and learn from more experienced peers.

  • PTBA represents the best of the best...it has a rigorous acceptance process.

…. read more

Member Benefits

Professional Recognition
PTBA membership signals credibility, professionalism, and quality—valued by clients and in competitive bids. Member companies are featured on our highly visited Find a Trailbuilder map.

Exclusive Communication Platform
Members gain access to a dedicated app and desktop platform where they receive RFPs, share questions, get updates on national trail initiatives, and connect with peers.

Education & Events
Members enjoy exclusive access to 3–4 annual webinars on critical business topics (insurance, OSHA, case law, bonding), with recordings and notes available. Members also receive discounted rates at PTBA conferences and partner events.

Business Tools & Resources
Access customizable templates, connect with expert webinar presenters, and explore resources for HR, contracting, insurance, and client education—continually developed with member needs in mind.

Industry Leadership & Advocacy
PTBA leads and collaborates on national initiatives including the Trail Competency Framework, Trail Skills Project, and efforts to establish a federal BLS code and apprenticeship programs for trailbuilding. Members help shape the future of the industry through volunteer opportunities and active participation.

Eligibility

  • As the trade association for the trail industry, only private sector companies are eligible for PTBA membership.

  • A majority amount of the company’s work must be in trails (planning, design, construction, maintenance, or industry related business activities) defined by percent of gross revenue and/or people hours worked.

  • All applicants must have a PTBA Member Company Sponsor.

  • All applicants must meet all New Member Criteria demonstrating the company’s quality, professionalism, and experience with an online portfolio that includes experience documentation, letters of reference, qualifier’s CV/resume, and a letter from a PTBA Member Company sponsor.

  • The applicant company must have been formed and active for at least three years prior to the date of application.

  • PTBA membership is for companies that provide trail-related services (construction, design, planning, etc). If your company sells products that support the trail industry (i.e. tools, equipment, bridges, trail counters, etc), please consider the PTBA Vendor Network.

  • PTBA membership is a company membership, not for individuals. If you are interested in demonstrating your individual trail acumen, you can create an individual profile/portfolio at the Trail Skills Project (PTBA is a partner).