The High Adventure Company wants you to enjoy your passion, while we take care of the details. For more than 25 years we have built and developed lodges on three continents. We currently own and manage some of the finest sporting properties in the world. The properties we don’t manage, we work with the venue management staff to ensure you have the experience that exceeds your expectations, few companies in the world have this much control over your experience. The following are a few examples of the respect the media has for the High Adventure Company.
“High Adventure Company has an unparalleled record for developing small, high quality operations into some of the finest sporting Destinations in the world” SPORTING CLASSICS MAGAZINE
“The top-shelf international sporting properties company” MENS JOURNAL
“Burrell has emerged as one of the South’s leading sporting figures and one of the most sought-after outfitters in the world. GARDEN & GUN
“One of the most respected operators of the finest sporting lodges worldwide” EDDIE BAUER
Through our sound customer service our corporate client base reads like the “who’s who” of the outdoor industry. These corporate clients include Beretta, Benelli, Swarovski, The NRA, Brownell’s, Winnercomm, ESPN, Hornady Ammunition, Krieghoff, Ruger, Remington, Midway USA and Home Depot Supply. These companies trust us with their internal and external clients for traveling the world to our outdoor venues and so should you.
Another reason to use The High Adventure Company for your sporting travel needs are the awards our own industry has bestowed on us. These have included Sporting Classic Magazine’s “Award of Excellence”, considered by many to be the top international outfitting award in the world, and GA Safari Club International’s “Outfitter of the Year”. Again in 2011 we won Sporting Classics Magazine’s “Award of Excellence” for the second time as the Official Travel Concierge for The Beretta Trident Program. No other company in the outdoor industry has won this award twice. In January 2012 we won an unprecedented third award of excellence as the owner of Tipiliuke Lodge, voted the world’s top fishing lodge for 2011. In December 2012 HAC’s exclusive Honey Brake Lodge was voted Best of the Sporting South by Garden & Gun magazine.
We strive to have lifelong clients that we come to know as an extended part of The High Adventure family.
John Burrell, High Adventure Company’s President and CEO, has been an avid outdoorsman since childhood. One of the most respected professionals in the outdoor industry, John has years of experience managing one of the nation’s top sporting destinations and was heavily involved with the development, marketing and operations of a collection of high end lodges on three continents. He also formed a successful international outfitting firm for outdoor powerhouse Mossy Oak/Haas Outdoors and was the youngest partner in their recreational real estate firm Mossy Oak Properties. A Certified Wildlife Biologist and award-winning outfitter, John was chosen as the lead guide to help legendary clothing manufacture Eddie Bauer design and test their new Sport Shop clothing line, the most award winning line of outdoor clothing ever developed. His destinations have been featured in most of the world’s top sporting publications as well as The New York Times, Mens Journal, Southern Bride magazine as well as most of the industry television series. He is the co-host of the popular TV series Brush Country Monsters on the Sportsman Channel and was featured weekly on ESPN’s Under Wild Skies as an international outfitting expert. Having been on over 30 African safaris and at least that many trips to various destinations throughout South America, John’s knowledge of the world’s top sporting destinations in unrivaled in the industry and his experience was gained in the field, personally guiding clients all over the world. He takes pride in providing all his clients the best experience possible and always goes the extra mile to ensure that quality.
Katherine Hughes, The seed was planted early with her several safaris to South Africa and Zimbabwe. Developing a passion for travel, outdoors and people growing up in Alabama then paired with a B.A. In Communications/ Public Relations from Mississippi State, the foundation was set for her future. Being dedicated to her passion she headed out to Wyoming to work at the Darwin Ranch, a famous guest ranch hidden in the Gros Vendre mountain range which gave her a background in customer relations and hosting hunters (elk, moose and mule deer). Next chapters in her book took her to work for one of the best outfitters in Namibia gaining experience in international game operations, trophy details and a client liaison. After getting back state-side she then she joined the Westervelt Sporting Lodges team to manage their operation on the famous Atlantic salmon river the Miramichi. While in New Brunswick she was selected as the youngest member of the Miramichi Salmon Association Board of Directors and still serves on the board today. From there it was off to New Zealand where she served as service manager at Poronui, considered by many to be one of the sporting destination in the world. Katherine is now opening our New Zealand office which will give us extended hours of opperation as well as offering our clients a direct poing of contact on the Southern Hemisphere.
George Gates, Our General Counsel, comes to the High Adventure Company from a background in litigation. After receiving a J.D. from the University of Mississippi, he practiced law for seven years doing general litigation and appellate work in a number of fields, including medical malpractice, personal injury, and mass tort. Despite his love of the courtroom, the practice of law left him unfulfilled, and, luckily for us, he chose to embrace a different path in life. For the High Adventure Company, he handles contract drafting and negotiation, and is involved heavily in the consulting and lodge development aspects of our business.
While George serves as our General Counsel, like everyone on our team, the outdoors is his first passion. George grew up hunting ducks, deer and everything else with fur or feathers along the banks of the Mississippi River. Since then, he has taken that passion for the outdoors worldwide. He has hunted and fished North, Central, and South America, Africa, and Australia. From fly-fishing in Patagonia to Cape Buffalo in Zimbabwe, he has done it all! He has a passion for firearms and currently competes in NRA Silhouette, IPSC, and Steel Challenge. He has received rifle and handgun training at Gunsite Academy, and shotgun instruction at OSP. While serving as general counsel is one of George’s important roles, don’t be surprised to find him in the field on one of our hunts. He travels every year to guide mule dear and elk hunts in the Rocky Mountains, and works behinds the scenes in several of our upland bird operations.
George operates out of our Memphis, TN office located inside of Tommy Bronson’s Sporting Goods at 964 June Road.
George attended the Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA; attained a degree in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and a JD from the University of Mississippi in Oxford, MS.
Sean Finley, Sean Finley has a unique and extensive background in outdoor luxury travel and hospitality management fields, merging his passion as an outdoorsman and his experience in the hospitality industry. Sean has worked as Vice President of Member and Concierge Services for a private outdoor sporting lodge brand, which has given him exposure to over 30 luxury lodges worldwide. His travels have included bone fishing in the Bahamas, dove shooting in Argentina and archery hunting for red stag, Himalayan tahr, fallow deer and arapawa ram in New Zealand. He has also fly-fished in British Columbia and Montana, and bird hunted in Oregon, South Georgia, South Dakota, England, central Missouri and Alberta, Canada. He has also successfully stalked red stag and fly-fished in the highlands of Scotland. From bow hunting Elk in the Rockies to stalking plainsgame in Africa, Sean has the international experience to fulfill the dreams of his clients. He is a member of the Oneida Archery prostaff and has worked as a field biologist for the Tennessee and Alabama departments of Fish and Wildlife.
Sean is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor’s degree in Aquaculture, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. He also attended Tennessee Tech University where he earned a Masters degree in Fisheries Management. Sean also holds a second Masters degree in Hospitality Management from Texas Tech University.
He is currently director of sales for The High Adventure Company out of Atlanta, GA and offices out of Indianapolis, IN.
Seth Johnson, director of technology for High Adventure Company, co-founder of Whitetail Destinations and President of Outdoors Interactive, brings the world of hunting and fishing to life on the web and HDTV. Seth is responsible for all our multimedia marketing materials which is extremely important in today’s technology driven environment. His award winning web design has earned him the reputation as one of the country’s top multimedia production specialist, and he currently holds a tenured professorship at a major university specializing in web design. His true passion is the outdoors and serves as the executive producer of our popular Brush country monsters TV series; as well as three other national shows. With years of experience hunting and filming all over the world, he has much to offer his fellow hunter. A solid understanding of what a hunter wants both out of his hunt and from the high tech media tools that surround today’s outdoor industry uniquely qualifies Seth as a leader in his field.
Todd Mayzurk, North American Big Game Consultant for the H.A.C., brings his years of experience as a avid North American big game hunter to the team. Having hunted Mule Deer from the Sonora Deserts of Mexico to Stone Sheep in the high Mountainous regions of B.C., you will find no one in the industry with a greater passion and understanding of the sport. So the next time your ready to throw on a pack and head into what truly is God’s country, rest assured that he has the first hand knowledge needed and expected from every H.A.C client. Whether its traversing steep rocky cliffs for Goats in Alaska or just canoeing one of the many winding river bottoms of the Yukon for Alaskan Moose, he can help make your next adventure that trip of a life time you’ve been waiting for.
Justin Chumley, Hunting Consultant/Coordinator of worldwide hunting excursions, came to the High Adventure Company at the beginning of 2007. He works closely with John in taking care of the logistics of clients’ trips, as well as working in numerous other areas of the company from database management, to developing marketing materials. With a degree in computer science and an number of years working with one of the countries top recreational land companies, Justin is able to bring a unique mix of talents to bear and is a valued member of the High Adventure team.
Drew Burrell, Biologist and Hunting Consultant, Drew has a profound love of travel that is only rivaled by his passion for the outdoors. From backpacking through Europe to guiding ski trips in the mountains of Colorado, Drew has gained an appreciation for travel and knows the joys of a well planned trip. Drew just returned from the fields of South Dakota where he spend time guiding High Adventure Clients and assisting with the operations at Cheyenne Ridge Signature Lodge.
Tyla and Scott Kuhn, Wingshooting guides / managers, Tyla and Scott are the newest additions to the High Adventure family. They have over 10 years experience managing one of the country’s premier wingshooting destinations. In addition, they are two of the finest upland guides in the industry and come to HAC with a kennel full of world class pointing and retrieving breeds.
