 Some small business ideas are brought on by specific life events, changes, or opportunities, whereas some are year-long dreams that finally come to fruition. For Ben Schnekenburger and his brother Mick Schnekenburger, starting Churchville Outfitters, a family fishing business was a long-time goal. Born and raised in Churchville, ON, just blocks away from Port Glasgow, the brothers grew up in a prime location. "Nobody in my family really fished, [but] I was always drawn to the water," Ben said. "[I was always] going over to my neighbours and seeing the nets they had on the wall that always seemed so big. Living so close to the lake, we'd always see boats going out and you're just wanting to be on one as a young kid." Thanks to his close-knit neighbours, Ben got to go out on the water at Port Glasgow and fish for pickerel, which solidified his love for the water and fishing. Once he turned 19, Ben bought his first boat and has been fishing ever since.
Ben's brother Mick is 4 years younger than him, but he grew up to love the water and fishing just like Ben. Mick has travelled all over North America, where he learned to fly fish and chase bull trout and cutty throughout Alberta, British Columbia and Montana. Ben said that the two of them had always talked about opening a fishing business together. Mick was living out West working as an electrician but wasn't planning to stay there long term. Shortly before 2019, Mick decided to move back home to Churchville, pushing Ben to leave his job at the Ontario Clean Water Agency and pursue their fishing business dreams. "I think it was just time for [Mick] to come home, and we kind of always had this plan and were putting things in place," Ben explained. "I guess the stars just aligned with him coming home and me just saying, you know, it's kind of now or never. [Mick] being on board is what finally pushed me over the edge."  Churchville Outfitters officially opened in April of 2019, operating out of Port Glasgow in Rodney, ON. Ben and Mick worked to get all of their licensing and regulations. They are recognized members of the Ontario Sport Fishing Guides Association (OSGA) and are fully licensed captains and guides who fully comply with all laws and regulations set out by Transport Canada and the Ministry of Natural Resources. Churchville Outfitters offers day fishing trips and fishing packages, which include shore lunches and accommodations in their luxury wood cabin. They also offer wild turkey hunts on local private property, which they have been granted permission to access, but the fish are the main focus of the business. "The biggest thing that sets us apart I think is that we are the only ones going full time, 7 days a week, morning until night," Ben said. "The difference between a charter and an outfitter is accommodations, so people can come for multiple days and book packages if they'd like."
 Ben credits Mick and the rest of his crew for keeping things running smoothly. During their busy season (which runs mainly during July and August), Churchville Outfitters has a crew of 6, and during the off-season, they operate with 3. "[Mick] is my partner, and he's kind of the guy behind the scenes that keeps everything moving and doing the things nobody ever sees," Ben explained. "I would say recruiting a good team and having a good team, that's definitely the key to getting through everything." As for challenges, Churchville Outfitters faces some unique curveballs, many of which are out of Ben's control. Being a seasonal business itself is a challenge, but when weather and mechanical breakdowns and issues are added to it, it can make for some interesting days. Ben said that each of his team members has a different skill set, and that seems to help them get through everything thrown their way. However, one unique limitation the crew cannot help with is the remote service, both on land and on the lake. "We're in a remote area, and the service is terrible," Ben said with a laugh. "That's really tricky. There's no service at the lake or at the dock, and we have a quick turnover. In today's world you've got to be able to message people on all different platforms, and you've constantly got to be checking every single thing, so that's been really tricky." Rural service aside, they did get some help from Elgin County Tourism and Ontario's Southwest Tourism when starting out in 2019, which Ben said was very helpful. So far, their season this year has been good and steady, with good weather, which has been nice. This year has also been their first year with accommodations, which "has been a huge, huge project," said Ben. Their accommodation cabin, Maple Lane Luxury Cabin, is located on Ben's property, which has connections to Churchville's history dating back to the 1800s, another feature that sets their business apart from others. There was a tavern right in the house where Ben now lives and where his family settled, so when Ben, Mick and his dad began to build their log cabin accommodations, it felt like reconnecting with the previous tavern history. "We cut all the trees down by hand, my dad and my brother and I took all the bark off by hand and it was like a year and a half project just to get all the logs prepared and dried," Ben explained. "We built the whole thing basically; the outside, the roof, everything by hand and then had a local contractor finish it up. It's been a massive job but it's finally up and running and people seem to like it so far."
Come September, Ben and the crew move their boat out to Lake St. Clair, and continue fishing until the end of November on their sport fishing vessel, 'This Is Livin'. Churchville Outfitters has clients coming from all over: Americans, Canadians, day trippers, and more. Ben and Mick are always happy to answer any inquiries or questions, and they have a wealth of knowledge that we are proud to have in Elgin County. Port Glasgow and Churchville are less than an hour's drive from St. Thomas, so why not explore all that our area has to offer? You might even catch some walleye while you are at it. 
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