The recent federal government shutdown brought challenges across Eastern National and our federal partners, but our teams stayed focused on what they could control with patience, flexibility, and a strong sense of mission. While many sites paused operations, Eastern National continued uninterrupted service at North Carolina state parks, third party funded visitor facilities, and through our eCommerce and wholesale business. We also worked closely with the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service to identify opportunities to reopen select locations with financial support from Eastern National and our partners.

With this support we kept 48 federal stores open, funded by Eastern National and organizations including the Friends of Vicksburg NMP, Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Friends of Jockey Hallow, Fort Sumter Tours, Discover Puerto Rico, Essex Heritage and Salem businesses, the State of West Virginia, and ExplorUS. During this period our team served more than 130,000 customers and assisted hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The shutdown overlapped two fiscal years and resulted in an estimated $3 million revenue loss, affecting fiscal year 2025 and 2026 results. Even so, continuous communication and planning allowed us to reopen quickly once the shutdown ended, and our strong relationships with the National Park Service helped keep everyone aligned and ready.

As operations return to normal, we thank the teams at Eastern National, NPS, USFS, and all partner organizations for their resilience and professionalism during the longest shutdown in history. Your commitment to our shared mission made a real difference for the visitors we serve.