Uncle Sam’s Safari Outfitters is a locally owned outdoor outfitter that has been serving customers in Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas since 1982.
When University of Arkansas student Justin Macedo began work there in 2018, he likely could not imagine that one day he would hold the keys as owner.
With a love of the outdoors, Justin worked summer jobs as a fly fishing guide and boat captain in Alaska and three summers as a backpacking guide in Colorado.
Upon graduation from the U of A in 2022 with a degree in small business and entrepreneurship in hand, he learned that Uncle Sam’s was being offered for sale.
“I reached out to Scott Lacy at the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas for help in evaluating the business to understand if the purchase was a good idea for me,” said Justin.
Scott started by helping Justin evaluate the business from a financial and market perspective and they worked together to create financial projections and financing structure.
“Scott helped me understand how to best finance the business and determine how well the business would have to perform in order to pay down debt,” stated Justin.
They also worked on how to manage and project his cash and how much Justin would be able to pay himself.
The acquisition of the business was completed with a combination of owner financing and family loan with a determined time of paying down debt on the family balloon note.
Justin’s purchase of Uncle Sam’s was finalized in 2022. Under his ownership, it will continue as a locally owned Fayetteville institution for outdoor enthusiasts in Northwest Arkansas.
1494 N. College Avenue
Fayetteville, AR 72703