The 2010 Canoe Kentucky Family

 

Ed Councill       

     Ed is the father of Canoe Kentucky. Known all over the state, and the nation for that matter, as a visionary in the paddlesports industry. He has served on many volunteer paddlesports boards, including being the President of the Professional Paddlesports Association, and won many awards for his service, including the ACA President's Award (2004) and the PIA President's Award (2007). He currently is retired from the day to day operations of Canoe Kentucky, and is spending his "not-so-free" time persuing his newest passion: getting kids and minorities into canoes and kayaks.

Bess Councill

     Behind every great man, there is an even better woman. Nothing could be more true. Bess has done every job that Canoe Kentucky could throw at her, including running shuttles,washing pfds, customer service, cutting grass, parking cars, and on and on.  She needs no awards, as the smiles on happy customers faces are award enough.Currently, you will see her upon your arrival to Canoe Kentucky as she will be operating a smooth and controlled parking situation. She also spends a great deal of time with her four grandsons, David, Charles, Boone and Dane.

Allison Depenbrock   

     From one generation to the next. As Canoe Kentucky moves into a new age and maturity, Allison is there to take it on. She has been with the business her whole life, learning to drive at 16 in a shuttle van. She has been full time for the past 13 years. She has worked in every capacity of the business, and is the welcome face most people see upon entering our shop. She also works part time for the Paddlesports Industry Association, as their Programs and Events Coordinator. In her free time, she enjoys helping to grow the female population in the sports of canoeing and kayaking, and getting her 2 sons out on the water.

Nathan Depenbrock

     Nathan came to Canoe Kentucky in 2002, with a background in Outdoor Recreation. He takes his ownership in the business seriously, especially the instruction and safety portion of the operation. He is an American Canoe Association Instructor, a Swift Water Rescue Technician and an EMT. He has dedicated a lot of time to the sport of whitewater kayaking, but has recently fallen in love with touring kayaks. His drive in life is seeing more kids on the water, starting with his two sons.

David Councill

     David was born and bred to be in this business. David is following in his grandfather, grandmother, uncle and aunt's footsteps, and beginning his time with his Canoe Kentucky. He has put in over 8 years at our business, but this is his first year as a full time employee. He does a little of everything, from signing you up for your trip, or packing your boat down to the water.

Michael Parrish

     Michael is new to us this year, but he is in no way new to the Peaks Mill area. Michael not only grew up here i the valley, but still lives here today. He is also in the Army Reserves, so we continually appreciate the service he has for our great country. You will meet Michael running your shuttles or taking care of you in the shop.

Bryan Floyd

     Bryan is one of our returning faces at Canoe Kentucky this year. Bryan's "real" job is with the state of Kentucky, being one of the heads of the mainframe computer, so needless to say, he is a computer geek! Bryan will be with us on weekends this year, and he will be assisting you in getting to and from the water while here with us.

Emma Engelman

     Emma is spending her second season with us at Canoe Kentucky. She comes from a paddling family, having a dad,mom, brother and sister who are all paddlers. More specifically, whitewater paddlers. Emma will be handling our customer service desk, as well as she will be greeting you in the parking area upon your arrival. We look forward to many years with Emma in the Canoe Kentucky family.

Todd Moore

     Todd has been in the Canoe Kentucky family for over 7 years now. Todd spends lots of time on the creek, both fishing and paddling, so any questions about anything on the creek can go to him. Worst case, he will tell you a good tale! Todd will be the one cutting up in the van ride up, and helping you get all your gear to the water.

 Jackson Lester

     Jackson is new to us this year, but he is no way new to the outdoors and the Elkhorn Creek. He is currently a student at Tulane in New Orleans, and has spent many summers on the creek. He was employeed last summer by the Department of Fish and Wildlife here in Frankfort, so he has great knowledge of the local flora and fauna. He will be one of our drivers this year, as well as do the occasional shop and guide work.

Matthew Ramos

     Another local boy who wanted to work near home. Matt is new for us this year as well, but has spent a good part of his life in and around the creek. Matt will be heading to Paris Island this fall, as he is enlisted in the Marine Corp. We wish him luck, and promise to work him hard in preparation for that life change. He will be helping you get all your gear to and from the water, and taking you up to the put in's and take out's.

Chris Drummer

     Chris has only been seriously paddling around 3 years, but has quickly excelled into an outstanding paddler. A class V boater, he enjoys his time on whitewater, but has also been seen hitting the Kentucky River on occasion. Chris is an independent instructor for Canoe Kentucky, and is American Canoe Association certified.

Tim McGee

     Tim has a resume full of rafting and leadership experience. He is a gradute of Brevard University with a degree in Wilderness Leadership, and currently working on his masters in Recreation and Parks Admin. He spends his summers leading trips and guiding rafts in North Carolina, but he will be spending his Spring and Fall with us. Look for him to be in the shop, in the vans, and on the river.

Kene Thorton

     Kene is a newer boater, but already accomplished. He spent his first year boating on the Ocoee, the Gauley, and his favorite local run, Cedar Creek. Kene will be one of our instructors this year, and he will be getting the new paddlers all ready to tackle the water. He is part time for us, spending the rest of his time as a supervisor at a local factory.

Kyle Wilson

     Good things come in packages, and that is what we've got. Kyle came along with Kene this year as a new paddler yet top quality instructor for us. He has been boating around 1 year now, and has picked up on instructional and people skills very quick. He spends his "real" job at the state, then "play" works with us on the weekends.

Ryan Gehlhausen

     Ryan is one of those hires that came in the middle of the season, but we can see that he is going to be a major asset to us here at Canoe Kentucky. Ryan is a computer guy, with a degree in graphic design and would love to work in that field some day. He will be grunting boats to the water for you, as well as driving to and from the access points.

Wyatt Tarter

     Wyatt has spent a good part of his life in the outdoors. He is an eagle scout, and has been very active in the scouts since he was young. He has also spent a lot of time in a kayak... he loves his Jackson Allwater. Wyatt will be one of your first impressions as Canoe Kentucky, as he is doing parking for us, as well as taking care of folks when they come off the water.

 

 

 

"Our Story"

     Canoe Kentucky began out of necessity, more than out of planning. Ed and Bess Councill came to Kentucky in the late 70's from Richmond, Virginia. Ed was employed by a state environmental agency, and then by Caveland Sanitation in South Central Kentucky. He was also the leader of a local Boy Scout Troop that his son was a member of. In 1980, they were planning their end of the year trip, a canoeing excursion for three days on the Green River. Days before the trip, the outfitter that was being utilized, had to back out on them do to other commitments. In a hurry, Ed scrambled to find another option.

     Ed contacted Osagian Canoes out of Lebanon, Missouri for help. He requested to purchase 6 canoes, paddles, pfd's and a trailer. He was not able to immediatley pay for all of it, so Osagian extended him some time to make it up. The trip went over well, as it became one of the highlights of the boy's scouting career.

     For the boys, high school began the next month. Girls took more attention than canoes, and the newly purchased boats laid dormant. Until one Spring afternoon in 1981 when a gentleman drove by and offered Ed some money to rent a few of the canoes for the day. This was the spark that was needed, and "Elkhorn Excursions" began.

     The original business was done out of the Councill's house. Most mornings waivers were signed over a cup of coffee around Ed's dining room table. "Elkhorn Excursions" also boasted dusk to dawn trips on the Elkhorn Creek. Ed's was still working during the week in South Central Kentucky, so he had to employ some help. Jim Pickett, Ed's friend, helped Ed and Bess keep things going by doing guide work, hauling boats, driving to and from the put in, and keeping the creek clear of debris. Things began to grow and soon more boats and more space was needed.

     In the late 80's, more boats were purchased from Old Town Canoes based in Maine. This grew the fleet and helped bring more people out to the creek. In 1990, the Peaks Mill Grocery Store went for sale. Being three doors up from their home, Ed and Bess immediatley jumped on it, and began the remodel. A larger place meant more staff, so their son Corey began employment.

     This was a large period of growth for the business. It was at this time a name change occured, and we became Canoe Kentucky. It was also when Ed began working the business full time, and no longer as a weekend gig. In order to continue to grow the number of boats rented and yet keep the Elkorn Creek in top shape by not overloading it, Canoe Kentucky began to franchise itself out. Satalite locations were opened on  the Green, Barren, and Cumberland Rivers. These were at first run by Canoe Kentucky, then purchased and independently owned and operated by other paddlesports entrepreneurs. 

     The franchise concept spread, and other locations opened. This continues today, as Canoe Kentucky has three independently owned franchises, one on the Green River, one on the Kentucky River, and one, believe it or not, in Akita Prefacture of Japan!. The other avenue of growth at this time was retail. Boat sales began as selling a few used ones here and there, until it was not enough to meet the needs of our customers. Boats were brought in from Dagger Canoes and Kayaks, as well as from Blue Hole Canoes. As things grew again, more staff was needed, so it was at this time that Ed and Bess's daughter, Allison, came to work for the company.

     The flood of 1997 changed a lot of things. Not only did it cahnge the 100 year flood line, it modified the creek, changed rapids, changed roads, and changed Canoe Kentucky. Rental was too water level dependant and some other avenues needed to be explored.  Retail had gotten so large that the space was not enough. More space was located at an old woolen mill in the Forks of Elkhorn, right at the put in for the whitewater stretch. This building grew retail from 2,000 sq feet, to 4,200 sq. feet. Rental stayed at the Peaks Mill location.

     More space meant more opportunity for retail. A new name was adopted for the retail side of things. The Kentucky Outdoor Center grew to carry over 14 different lines of boats, and the gear to go along with it. Whitewater was the specialty, selling over 75 whitewater specific boats in the first year. The location was perfect, as it was right on the creek and demo's were kept around at all times.

     Canoe and kayak sales go through surges, just like any material goods. That surge lasted from 1999 - 2002. KOC did well during these years and made many new paddleing enthusiests and many new friends that we still cherish and have today. At this time, Ed had put in almost 22 years into the business, and was looking for a way out. Corey had left in 1997, and Allison began running the show. Ed and Allison hired Nathan, her boyfriend at the time, to run things with her. Ed on his way out, and trying to run two seperate locations, with retail seeing less and less sales every month, became too much.

     KOC was officially closed in 2004. Retail was moved back out to Peaks Mill and, again, both rental and retail were done out of one location. A new plan was developed, one that would prove to be a bigger and better success, both in numbers and in cutstomer service. Canoe Kentucky scaled down to carrying 6 lines of boats, 2 lines of paddles, 2 lines of pfd's, and multiple other lines of gear. All the companies that were chosen we done so because we had personal relationships with all of the owners of them. This meant we were better able to sell and stand behind the products. All of the lines were also chosen because they could not be found at your big box stores.

     That brings us to today. Canoe Kentucky's rental fleet has grown from 6 boats to 90 canoes, 45 kayaks and 12 rafts. Our retail operation is considered the state's premier paddlesports shop. We are selling around 200 boats per year, a lot of that having to do with our expereince and the ablity to demo any boat, any day. We have also grown a very good instructional program, having 4 certified instructors on staff, and running over 500 people through our summer and winter programs last year.

     As of 2009, we have also opened a second location on the Kentucky River in downtown Frankfort. This outpost is open on weekends from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It is operated out of Riverview Park in town. At this outpost we are renting some more high end boats, including the pedal drive boats from Hobie. We will also have some of the stand up boards at this outpost. Come see the city from the water! We see this area being the big growth area for our business, hopefully venturing into a full time facility there, with a retail shop and all.

     The future is wide open. We are working on our guided trip offerings now, and see that as a big area for us. We also see that the sport is going away from whitewater and more into touring and fishing kayaks. With the lines we carry, we are ahead of this trend. We also forsee getting more involved in adventure travel, hopefully leading trips to other rivers in other state's and countries. This story continues... we look forward to you being a part of it!

 

 
 

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