Garrett Kababik

Co-Founder & CEO, Channel Islands Outfitters

A leader in the outdoor industry regionally, Garrett Kababik began at the age of 13 as a River Guide on the Delaware Water Gap in Pennsylvania. Over his 6 years on the river, Mr. Kababik developed a love and passion for leading groups into the wilderness inspiring him to graduate from the University of New Hampshire with a BS in Recreation Management Policy Administration and a focus in Outdoor Education. Mr. Kababik was hired as General Manager for Paddle Sports of Santa Barbara right out of college and
continued with Paddle Sports until early 2009 when he left for the Appalachian Mountains to thru-hike the AT from Georgia to Maine. This experience was the catalyst for the realization of his vision and in October 2010 Mr. Kababik, with partners Fraser Kersey and Johnny Dresser, founded Channel Islands Outfitters and purchased Paddle Sports of Santa Barbara.

As a guide-owned company, Mr. Kababik, Fraser, and Johnny have established Channel Islands Outfitters as a mission and values-driven business based on the common goal of preserving the oceans and natural places through CIO’s education-based and market-driven restoration model. By setting this foundation, CIO is fundamentally driven by the overall goal to create and leverage sustainable business ventures that viably reduce human impact while promoting individual capacity building, education and engagement in nature. CIO continues to transform a traditionally retail-heavy, seasonal, and geographically-limited business model into one that promotes continual use through their Outdoor Fitness Memberships, has a continued need year-round through their prestigious training programs (corporate, guide, and individual), and simultaneously encourages healthy living, community building, and environmental restoration. The company’s Outdoor Fitness Memberships, essentially an adventure co-op, eliminate the need to purchase, transport, and store individual equipment, while promoting education, training, and interaction. By sharing the equipment, less gear needs to be produced and stronger community ties are created. Channel Islands Outfitters continues to pioneer new models of engagement and interaction with nature, demonstrating the impact of clean business principles in the outdoor industry.