Why does the professor suggest speaking with an owner of a kayak tour company?

[Student (male)] Q3 [Professor] Williams, I know it’s a couple of minutes before our
   scheduled appointment, but I got out of class early, so I thought I’d just drop by
   to see if you were available...
[Professor (female)] Oh--hello, Andrew.  I was just looking over some student papers-
   nothing I can’t finish later on.
[Student] Great.Thanks. I really appreciate it.
[Professor] Of course. It’s no problem. So, what can I do for you today? Are you here to talk
   about your grade on the last big exam? I know a lot of students have questions
   about how I graded some of the essay questions...
[Student] Actually, I haven’t gotten my exam back yet. I was out sick all last week, so I just
   took the test this Monday, remember?
[Professor] Oh, that’s right. Sorry I forgot. I should have it graded for you in the next couple
   of days.
[Student] That’s no problem. I think I did pretty well...I didn’t have any trouble with the
   essay questions.
[Professor] Good. So, Q5 what do you need today?
[Student] Well, it’s about the final project for the class.
[Professor] Ah. [surprised] On community economic development? You know...
   the due date for that’s still quite far away.
[Student] Oh, I know, but...I just like to get ahead of schedule when I can. And I don’t
   have much work right now in my other classes. Might as well take advantage
   of it, you know?
[Professor] Yes, that’s a good idea. Um...the final project. Like I mentioned at the beginning
   of the semester, it’s a pretty open assignment...you can pursue whatever
   concepts from the class you’re interested in, in terms of community economic
   development. And in whatever form is most suitable for presenting your work.
   That could be a research paper...um, a website...anything like that.
[Student] Right. I’ve been thinking about the assignment, and, um, I’ve come up with an
   idea I think will work.
[Professor] Great.Tell me about it.
[Student] OK. I’d like to base my final project on an interview of someone in the local
   business community. Um, since I’m interested in starting up a small business
   when I graduate from school.
[Professor] Hmm...that sounds like a great idea. I don’t think any of my students have ever
   done that for this project. Yeah, that’s good. Let me see...if you’re looking for
   guidance with conducting an interview, I have a great collection of resources
   you might want to look at. And I’d be happy to recommend some other books
   that I don’t personally own but you can check out from Truman Library.
[Student] Oh, thanks.That’d be really helpful. Actually, though, that’s not the part that I’m
   having trouble with.
[Professor] Oh?
[Student] Q1 Well, I’m not too worried about the actual interview itself...but I can’t
   seem to figure out where to start in order to find a local businessperson to
   meet with. It seems like it’d be easy to do...but I just don’t know the best way
   to go about it.
[Professor] Well, that’s understandable. Um, OK...let’s see if I can come up with any
   suggestions for you. Q2 Hmm...I guess the best person to interview would
   be someone who’s already doing what you’re interested in doing after college.
[Student] Yeah, I think that’d be best. That really narrows down the possibilities. Um, my
   dream is to open a business as a kayak guide.You know, leading kayak tours on
   the rivers upstate,
[Professor] Great. OK, I know there’re a couple of local companies who provide that
   kind of service. I recommend you start by speaking with the owners of those
   companies and finding out if they’d be willing to share their experiences in an
   interview with you.
[Student] Do you think that’d work? 1 mean...just going in and asking them like that?
[Professor] I bet it would.They’d probably be flattered actually. Most businesspeople I know
   are more than happy to talk about how they started out...the challenges they
   faced and how they overcame them...those kinds of things.
[Student] OK. I’ll try it.
[Professor] If for some reason that doesn’t work out, Q3 you could also get in touch
   with the local small business association. See if they could help you contact
   some community business owners. Many of the businesses affiliated with that
   organization are really interested in community and economic development,
   and they’d probably be enthusiastic in helping you with your project.
[Student] Thanks. Those are some great suggestions. I’ll start with the ideas you
   mentioned and get back to you if I need help after that.
[Professor] Good luck, Andrew.