Adam Merrifield Takes the Helm of Southern Ontario’s Premier Outdoor Adventure Outfitter
Paris, ON – June 30, 2025 — Grand Experiences, the award-winning outdoor adventure outfitter founded in 1997 by Jamie Kent, is proud to announce a new chapter in its storied legacy as Adam Merrifield assumes leadership of the company.
Operating across three UNESCO World Biosphere Reserves and three Regional Tourism Organizations (RTOs), Grand Experiences offers guided, self-guided, and rental adventures in canoeing, kayaking, rafting, and tubing. As the only outfitter in the region with Paddle Canada Certified guides, the company continues to set the standard for excellence, safety, and environmental stewardship.
With two locations—its historic 150-year-old headquarters in Paris, Ontario, and a second base at Bingemans Park in Kitchener—Grand Experiences serves adventurers from across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Paris, Brantford, and Long Point.
The company’s experiences have gained provincial and national recognition, including a feature in Destination Ontario’s We Stand campaign and a spotlight on Ontario Southwest’s curated list of summer adventures for its Big Creek Eco-Adventure.
A New Leader With Deep Roots in the Outdoors
The new owner, Adam Merrifield, brings a unique combination of entrepreneurial vision and deep personal connection to the rivers Grand Experiences calls home.
Merrifield is the founder of Seydoggy, launched in 2005 as a software consultancy and transformed in 2023 into an outdoor sporting goods brand. He’s also the author of Mighty Smallmouth: Catching Big Bass on Small Water, a popular book celebrating the Nith and Grand Rivers. His Instagram account, @seydoggy.fishing, has become a go-to for fellow anglers and conservation-minded outdoor lovers.
But his journey to Grand Experiences began with something far more personal.
“After stepping back from work to deal with some deeply personal matters, I realized I needed to reconnect with what truly brought me peace. I knew I needed to make a profound change,” Merrifield shares. “I turned to the outdoors and began volunteering with Jamie Kent, helping guide school groups on hikes and paddling trips,” he continues.
Merrifield found the time in nature was profoundly healing, “I could feel years of strain lifting, as if life was slowly returning to me. For the first time in a long while, I felt truly alive,” he says.
Following a few months of discussion, Merrifield agreed to assume operations from Jamie Kent, who was ready to take a step back and embrace a slower pace in retirement. Kent will remain actively involved as head guide for the next few years, mentoring Merrifield and sharing his decades of experience.
Now at the helm, Merrifield plans to grow the company’s footprint with an eye on expanding farther north and adding guided fishing experiences to the lineup—drawing from his own angling expertise and passion for the sport.
As Grand Experiences enters this exciting new era, its mission remains unchanged: to connect people with nature through meaningful, memorable outdoor adventures.