Rowers Choice - Innovating Rowing

2024e4 - Mark Gainey - StravaMark Gainey was a kid from Reno, Nevada who never expected to end up on the Harvard Rowing team.  Mark was actually recruited to Harvard for running!  Mark was a fast cross country runner who had an unfortunate injury that ultimately let him to the Harvard boathouse.  Once he got in a boat he was hooked.  On top of that, he met his future business partner.  Now years later, Mark has launched multiple successful companies, most recently, the fitness app STRAVA. 

2024e3 - Tim Spell - OpenWaterTim Spell is one of the founders of OpenWater and the definition of a grinder.  Tim and Alex first crossed paths at George Washington Rowing and have stayed close ever since.  In 2012 Tim founded OpenWater, one of the leaders in cloud-based software.  In addition to talking about the work that went into his company, he talks about the importance of fitness and the role it has played in being a leader.

2024e2 - Jack Carlson - Rowing BlazersJack Carlson didn't start out with the plan to start a fashion company that has been featured in Forbes, Equire and Target.After being introduced to rowing in prep school, Georgetown, Oxford and a run at the US National team, Jack's side hustle of creating the Rowing Blazer's book, was launched in partnership with Ralph Lauren.  Hence, the Rowing Blazers brand was born.

2024e1 - The Gathering Place BreweryThe 2024 season of the Rowers Choice Podcast has a different theme than the past few years.  We are going to continue to talk with rowers, but this year we are focused on talking to rowers who started or founded a business.  We open 2024 with a good friend of Alex and CJ, Joe Yeado.  Joe is the owner of The Gathering Place Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Alex talks to Joe about his start in rowing at Marquette, rowing at Potomac Boat Club in Washington DC and then opening his brewery.  

On Friday afternoon of our Take over the Row - Coaches Conference, we held a happy hour and a recording of our podcast with two Philadelphia rowing legends, Bill Lamb and Bruce Konopka.  Enjoy this special episode!