Meet Savannah Mack of Float the River

Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah Mack.

Hi Savannah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It all started when TJ moved from working in Texas up to Akron to be with Savannah, who was getting her degree from the University of Akron — they lived down in the Valley with a balcony overlooking the Cuyahoga, and TJ asked a simple question “Do you want to float the river?”

Only ever seeing canoes or kayaks on the river, that is what Savannah thought he meant, but TJ had been spending most weekends (like many Central Texans) on the rivers there in tubes. From there, they bought a few clearance tubes at Big Lots and tried it out. After taking a few friends out over weeks, everyone’s reaction was the same — “This is so fun! When can we go again?!”.

So TJ and Savannah started the path to making this accessible for everyone. Starting with some pitch competitions winnings from contests at the University and a dream of ecotourism — Float the River was born in 2019 and has been running strong, going into their 8th year of providing a relaxing, fun, and scenic adventure down the Cuyahoga River.

Floating Season opens May 23, and is offered every weekend, including Holiday Mondays, through Labor Day Monday!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
While we have extremely enjoyed the journey of this fun outdoors ecotourism business, it hasn’t always been “smooth sailing”!

From our first year having record rainfall (more than the area had gotten in 200 years!) to the second year being a global pandemic… we’ve had our fair share of wondering if the business would make it! But we stuck to our faith in the float, and we’re still offering the area’s best “stay-cation” adventure, 8 years later!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Float the River offers 1-2 hour tubing, kayaking, and rafting trips on the beautiful and scenic Cuyahoga River. We’re open every weekend from Memorial Day weekend (this year, May 23rd) through Labor Day Monday, including holiday Mondays, and July 3rd!

We also offer larger group trips through the week for birthday parties, company outings, bridal parties, family reunions, and any other type of get-together that’s on your schedule!

We differentiate ourselves by providing top-tier customer service, and getting people thinking and excited about river conservation and cleanliness. We hold our annual river clean-up the first Sunday in August every year (this year, August 2nd), and don’t allow any single-use items on the river, to deter unnecessary litter.
One other major differentiator is how seriously we take safety — there are many times when we do not take out any trips because of high or fast moving water. While not all companies may take this as seriously, we know we have a duty, not just to our customers, but to the community to make the right call – so they know if we’re closed, they should think twice about taking their own gear out that day! And it’s best to wait until water levels have returned to a safe level.

We’re most proud of starting this from the ground up, and our amazing team that makes it all possible!

Pricing:

• Tubing – $30/pp
• Kayaks – Starting $40/pp
• Rafts – $125/4pp
• Season passes – $150/pp (unlimited trips)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Floattheriver.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/float_the_river
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19t2zv8bQE/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@float_theriver