Apply for Membership
Photo: Timberline TrailCraft
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 (see below) 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.
Upcoming deadline:
1/17/2025
Application Process
Step 1: This application form will generate a private web page for your applicant company that will serve as your portfolio application. PTBA will send you a link to this page with further directions once your eligibility is validated.
Step 2: Applicants can customize the About page with pictures and information about your company and employees.
Step 3: Applicants must upload required documentation which includes:
PTBA Member company sponsor letter
3+ letters of recommendation from clients/partners (dated within the last 5 years)
Project Experience Documentation (details below)
Resume/CV of the qualifier/owner
Step 4: All applications will be rigorously reviewed by the Membership Committee and the membership at large who will follow-up with the applicant with questions or clarifications.
Step 5: All applicants will do a 5-10 minute presentation on their application materials allowing opportunity to connect with other members and for questions to be answered directly.
Step 6: The Membership committee will recommend companies for membership and their application will be voted on by the PTBA membership (completed typically within 2 months of the deadline).
Why Apply to Join?
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.
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New Member Criteria and
Submittal Requirements
Applicant Companies must comply with all specific new member criteria in order to be considered for membership. As befits a professional trade organization, significant importance will be given to demonstrated experience/ability, as well as to adherence to trail industry recognized best practices. New member companies are expected to not only be skilled with trails, but also to comport themselves and run their companies as fair, honest, and ethical contractors and business people.
Form of Business
The applicant must demonstrate that they are the owner or legal representative of a for profit entity which is generating income from work in the trail industry. This person will be the company’s qualifier.
A majority amount of the applicant's work in that business must be in trail planning, design, construction, maintenance, or industry related business activities (i.e. education and training, general consulting, planning and design related to trails, GIS work related to trails and/or bike parks). Majority can be defined by percent of gross revenue and/or people hours worked.
Any form of business is acceptable, but it must be legally created and registered in the state (or states) in which they base their operation.
The applicant business must have been formed and active for at least three years prior to the date of application.
Documentation
CV/Resume of the Qualifier
Certificate of good standing (or equivalent) to document form of business and when formed
2. Professionalism
Through references, the applicant must demonstrate that it operates honestly, ethically, and seeks to avoid conflicts of interest in their business dealings.
Applicants must have a demonstrated history of fair dealing and integrity in the trail industry.
To proactively prevent a potential conflict of interest, no owner, partner or shareholder in an applicant business may concurrently be a government employee with an agency which is involved in trail management.
Documentation
The applicant must submit a minimum of 3 letters of reference from clients or partners (at least one within the last 3 years and two within the last 5 years). This is in addition to the letter from the PTBA sponsor.
3. Experience
The applicant must demonstrate expertise and competence in the trail specialties in which the company is working. In particular, the applicant must possess not only a working knowledge, but have shown the ability to translate that knowledge into finished projects.
The applicant company must have been providing professional services for three years before being considered for full membership.
The applicant must have a demonstrated ability to bid and manage contracts, and to satisfactorily complete projects. A minimum of 3 contracts as a lead contractor or 5 contracts as a sub-contractor is required.
Documentation
Project experience documentation is a company’s SOQ (Statement of Qualifications) that includes details of completed projects. For ease of review, it is preferred that this document is uploaded as one pdf rather than multiple photos and descriptions.
For each project include:
Project Name
Project 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
4. PTBA Member Sponsorship
Each new member applicant must be sponsored by an existing PTBA Contractor Member. The sponsor must have been a PTBA Contractor Member in good standing for at least two years prior to the date of application.
Sponsor Requirements
The sponsor must be familiar with the work of the applicant. Preferably, the sponsor will have worked directly with the applicant on at least one project. The sponsor must actually see and review the applicant's work in its final form, and ideally, the sponsor will also have seen at least one of the applicant's projects while in progress.
The applicant is encouraged to apply with a sponsor who works in a related trail expertise. For example, a business that is focused on MTB trail construction is encouraged to seek a member company which has similar professional experience in the Industry.
Documentation
A letter from the PTBA member sponsor
Sponsorship FAQs
Why would a current member sponsor my company if I am likely to compete directly with that company in the future?
Every member company has been nominated and sponsored by another member, who have most likely been at times collaborators and at times competitors. The PTBA membership is committed to growing our membership sustainably to strengthen our industry, and many members look for opportunities to mentor new companies. We believe that the trail industry is strengthened by this process, and all members benefit from the promotion of this system.
What if I can not find a current company member to sponsor my company?
There are a few ways to build a relationship with a PTBA member company:
Look for opportunities to partner with current PTBA member companies
Invite a current PTBA member in your region to view your work, especially an ongoing project
Attend a PTBA conference and network with current PTBA trailbuilders to build your industry network
5. Presentation
Applicants will be asked to do a 5-10 minute presentation on the application materials, specifically:
Background of company (form of business, when formed, etc)
Qualifier background
Project Experience
Q&A
This was re-instated in 2024 to enable better connection and opportunity to answer questions about the application materials directly.
Member Dues
Annual member dues are paid upon acceptance. Following that annual member dues are paid by January 31 of each calendar year. Current member dues are: $325 per year