Today we’d like to introduce you to Casey Vick.
Hi Casey, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was moving to Austin in 2008 after 10+ years of experience as a white-water river guide and knew I wanted to do something related to water. After brainstorming with my then-soon-to-be wife, we came up with the idea of starting a guided kayak tour to see the famous Congress Avenue Bridge Bats. At the time, we were the only ones conducting these tours. We began with just the tours initially, and then in 2012, we opened a retail store and began offering rentals on Lady Bird Lake. We’ve continued to grow and soon added paddleboard rentals to our fleet. So now we have an Urban Kayak Tour (daytime tour), our original Evening Bat-Watching Kayak Tour, and our daytime rentals of both kayaks and paddleboards.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Tourism in Austin is constantly growing, which has benefited us as well. We were fortunate to be able, to begin with the tours, see the demand, and then only commit to a retail lease. As everyone experienced, the pandemic years were interesting! After the initial shutdown, we were extremely busy since we were outside, the socially distanced activity you could do. One of the biggest challenges is keeping a friendly, happy staff throughout the year. We’ve had several great employees with us for a long time. The weather in Austin is good enough to operate throughout the year, but the winter months are leaner than the busy summer months.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started Live Love Paddle with my wife in 2009. We worked hard to get it started, and after having our two kids, it has been a family business, often with everyone in tow at the shop. We are the original Kayak Bat-Watching Tour, and we know our guides give the best spiel on the water about the fascinating colony that lives on the Congress Bridge. As for rentals of kayaks and paddleboards during the day, we are on the east end of the lake, where it is less crowded than it gets on the west end. There is plenty of space to paddle around and away from others. We like to keep a laid-back atmosphere and ensure all our guests enjoy their time on the water.
Are any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Being in a weather-dependent business, our family jokes that we are amateur meteorologists! We follow the weather closely, so our weather apps are important to us daily. We also study the weather from years past to try to schedule for the upcoming periods (staffing in April looks much different than in July!).
Contact Info:
- Website: livelovepaddle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livelovepaddle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livelovepaddle
