Welcome to the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce's CommunityCast. Host Howard Fox sits down with Kristin Herr, co-owner of Evolution Expeditions, to discover how this unique business is helping locals and visitors alike explore the incredible natural wonders around Boulder City and the Las Vegas Valley.

You'll hear about Evolution Expeditions' origins, their range of kayaking and Hoover Dam tours, the family story behind how Kristin and her husband made the leap to buy the business, and what it takes to ensure every outing is safe, memorable, and fun. From quick sunset paddles and s’mores on Lake Mead, to full-day adventures down the Colorado River – Kristin shares both the behind-the-scenes magic and the customer experiences that make Evolution Expeditions a must-try for anyone wanting to discover, unwind, and get outside.

Tune in for an inspiring conversation about community, adventure, and how small businesses are shaping Boulder City as a premier destination for experiences!

CONTENT

1. Introduction to CommunityCast and Evolution Expeditions
2. What is Evolution Expeditions?
3. Evolution Expeditions’ History & Ownership Journey
4. Running the Business: Operations and Safety
5. The Role of Guides and Customer Experience
6. Range of Excursion Experiences
7. Customer Expectations and Feedback
8. Marketing and Customer Acquisition
9. Social Media Strategy
10. Community Engagement and Chamber Involvement
11. Memorable Stories and Group Types
12. Plans for Growth and Future Vision
13. How to Learn More and Book

LEARN MORE

Visit Evolution Expeditions' website at https://www.evolutionexpeditions.com/ or on these social sites:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LasVegasKayakTours

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evolutionexpeditions

Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g45963-d1809514-Reviews-Evolution_Expeditions-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html

NEXT STEPS

Visit the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce's website at https://www.bouldercitychamber.com/

KEWORDS

Evolution Expeditions, Kayacking, Evolution Expeditions, Emerald Cove, Las Vegas #amily Adventure, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, The Best Dam Podcast, Boulder City Chamber of Commerce

#EvolutionExpeditions #Kayacking #EmeraldCove #LasVegas #FamilyAdventure #LakeMead #HooverDam #TheBestDamPodcast #BoulderCityChamberofCommerce

Podcast Transcript

Howard: Hello everybody. This is Howard Fox and welcome to Community Cast, the production of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce. In these episodes, we're gonna introduce you to businesses that make Boulder City and the surrounding Las Vegas Valley Premier destination to discover, explore, and unwind. Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to the co-owner of Evolution Expeditions, Kristin Herr.

Kristin: Hi. Thanks so much for having me today. I'm so excited to be here.

Howard: Fantastic. And really appreciate you taking time out of your day. I know we, sent your husband somewhere, Sean, but, it's with your young son. and we're just excited that Kristin Herr was able to, take some time out of her day to talk to us a little bit about Evolution Expedition.

So one of the questions I have is for our listeners, what is Evolution Expedition?

Kristin: So Evolutionist Expeditions is one of the leading kayak companies that runs kayaking tours and Hoover Dams tours starting at the base of the Hoover Dam. And on the section of the Colorado River that is between the Davis Dam and the Hoover Dam.

We also run kayaking experiences on Lake Mead, and we just started adding walking Hoover Dam tours as well.

Howard: Excellent. And how long has, the business been around?

Kristin: So Evolution Expedition was actually established back in 2006. The original founder, his name was Dan. He was an outdoors man. He pioneered, we were one of the first on the river, like he was the first who pioneered what we know as the Emerald Cave tours today on that part of the, that section of the Colorado River.

Howard: Okay. Being around from 2006, how did you and your husband decide, let's do this.

Kristin: It was a big decision. We uprooted our whole family. We were living outside of Reno, Nevada in a small little town called BirdEye, and we looked at probably over a hundred different businesses trying to figure, find a business that we would enjoy doing together, that we thought we could do together, thought we would enjoy doing together that would do good in the world.

My husband used to be a whitewater rafting guide. So when he presented me with this business, I said, now you got my attention. Let's take a deeper dive and a look. And we bit the bullet and it was a big decision. We uprooted our family and, but we did it, and here we are. So we purchased the business in July of 2023.

So we moved here in the hottest part of the summer in July.

Howard: Okay. Not as part of the summer. I can empathize with that. That's when I moved to Las Vegas from Chicago. It was right on July 4th weekend.

Kristin: So there you go.

Howard: I get hot. I get hot. So what does it take to run a business like this? You're the kind of like the part of the running the business here in the office, answering calls, sending out emails, confirming reservations, making sure you have the right merch, preferably triple.

But what is it? The folks that are out on the river with the customer and the client, what gives them the authority to say, I'm competent and can do this kind of work? Keep your customers safe.

Kristin: At the end of the day, we train them.

Howard: Okay.

Kristin: And we train them very well. We train our guides more than any other outfit.

We make sure that they, that safety comes first in every area and we make sure showing our customers a really good time. Positive attitude is a big piece of it and it does take a lot of like trust. You're putting trust in people that we're struggling. People, they're drive from the strip, they're driving trailers.

So I think it's very important that we don't ski and to try to save a buck. And our training, you have to make sure that your guides know what to do. 'cause I don't, I want them to be comfortable. I want them to get comfortable in what they're doing and have confidence. And at the end of the day, it really does come down to training and finding the right people.

Sometimes people will start our training program and they're not a good fit. They don't make it. The reality is they don't all make it. Some quit somewhere. Like you're just, you're not fitting the bill.

Howard: Well your employees, especially ones that they have a very responsibility that we have people's lives, figuratively on the water, in their hands, and they are your brand ambassadors.

Kristin: Absolutely. Absolutely.

Howard: What are the range of excursion and experiences that the, and also destination? You mentioned a couple of those, but also the duration of those, like I'm.

Up there. I don't like talking about my age.

Kristin: Sure.

Howard: I'm not gonna be able to handle probably a full day excursion. So what are the range of excursions and people, if they're interested, can go out on,

Kristin: Usually our shortest one is about three hours. That's three hours from the time you launch on the rivers to the time you come off.

There are breaks and there's a stop as well to provide snacks and water and juice. You guys get outta your kayak. We do have a shorter one on Lake Mead. We have our Lake Mead sunset paddle. It's a very beginner tour. You're probably only kayaking about two miles all together, and we build a bonfire and then guests get, we make s'mores and we provide like a catered deli dinner for them.

So those are, the shortest ones great for people who just wanna get out. They wanna don't wanna be out there all day long. Who are beginners now, we also have up to the full day, which is 12 miles one way and seven hours on the river. So that one has multiple stops on the river as well. But I never recommend that one for beginners, and I'd like to have people to have, we have one of the things when they're booking that reservation, are you physically fit enough?

To complete a 12 mile active paddle. The last thing I want is my guide having to tow somebody six miles because they. Later out,

Howard: Okay. So I'm not going out on the full day. Maybe the two or three hour one. What is it like to work with visitors who, there's expectations. You come to Las Vegas, maybe they don't, but not heard of Boulder City.

They probably have heard of the Wever Dam, but they're coming here, you're providing this experience. What are they saying to you after they, they've gone out on the river with you?

Kristin: We have a lot of positive feedback at the end of the day, like if you look at our reviews,I, it's funny because I'm the behind the scenes guy.

I'm in the office on the phone and I get positive reviews, so that makes me really happy when I get a five star review because I'm like, okay, great. Usually it's the guides who are getting the five stars reviews, but at the end of the day, I keep saying that it's. That positive feedback of this was a unmemorable experience.

This is the happiest my family has been. I am so glad we got off the ship to do this. I get the feedback. It was worth every penny. Don't be afraid to go out. And then when we get the repeat customers, because to me, if you have people who are coming back and they keep coming back to us and they keep bringing new people, that says a lot.

Howard: How are you getting your customers? I and I know there's social involved the websites, but what other, in addition to that, what other ways are you getting your customers?

Kristin: We are involved in some OTAs, so online travel agencies, so TripAdvisor rides work, get your guide. Obviously they're a third party.

We really try to limit the amount of third party sales we have. We prefer the direct bookings where people call us or they book directly online. We do paid advertising as well. We advertise on Google and Meta as well. So we have an agency that works with our advertising and then we post on all the social media outlets as well.

Howard: Okay. So in addition to the website, which is Evolution Expeditions,

Kristin: plural

Howard: plural.com. Yes. I know you're on Facebook and on Instagram. Anywhere else we. Wanna mention it to our listeners?

Kristin: TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, or YouTube. A little dated, we're working on. Bing that up a little bit, website and Google things to do.

Even if you go check us out on TripAdvisor, you'll see all the possi we have on TripAdvisor as well, because we get a lot of direct bookings. People will go look there, but then they'll call us in boat drive.

Howard: That's great. Now for TikTok. Still in the tiktoks.

Kristin: So I have, Maggie is one of our guides here, and she also helps me out in the office a couple of days a week.

And she is the one who's really taken over my social media, which has been great because I personally don't have the bandwidth for it. And she's younger, and so she knows all the trends and she does a wonderful job on that. So I outsourced that to the one of our employees and. She does a fantastic job.

Howard: Alright. Yeah. Somebody needs chat, with Joe Wagan about that because they roped her. And Jill, as everybody should know, is the CEO of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce, but she's also become a TikTok star. So somebody talked her into that. What's it been like in setting up the business here, speaking of the Chamber, working with them to help you promote and grow your business?

Kristin: I think the chamber. It comes down to like they have integrity and they really are about helping the small businesses in Boulder City grow. And they've always been really helpful if we needed anything or contacting them. And they hold a lot of events and you can get some exposure. I know we, we usually do the Spring Jamboree.

It's not there to sell kayaking tours. It's more just to, hey, just to let locals know here we are, know more about us.

Howard: Okay. Okay. I'm curious about some of the stories that you hear or learn about as a result of these experiences your customers are having and are there some that really oh wow, I can't believe they just did that.

You gotta keep it PG or GI.

Kristin: Sometimes we get these bachelor parties in and they get a little, they get a little wild, and they wanna be drinking on the river, which we cannot do. I will say that we do have rules that we have to follow for the late ME National Recreation area, and we follow the rules by the book.

They can get a little round out there and we have one of our guides fade to her mermaid and put her mermaid tail on a mermaid for them. So they get a kick out of that. And that's just another way our guides go above and beyond for the customer experience as well.

Howard: And speaking of the customer, it's, you find it's mostly couples, bachelor parties or two or groups.

Or, big events coming in from Las Vegas and they just need to get away from the event for, they want to come out and get some nature, in them. What are some of the size of groups that you're working with?

Kristin: I feel like it's a mixed bag. We get a lot of couples, we get families and we get a groups, bachelor parties, bachelorette parties, big birthday parties, people are coming to celebrate.

And then we also do a lot of larger corporate, so our. we do, I've done up groups, up to 80 people for corporate before where they're planning the events for their, their team. They're out here in Vegas. Either they're going to a conference or it's like a thank you. They, it's a fun trip and they plan, they have different excursions they can choose from.

So I personally enjoy working with the corporations because I really get to tailor it to their needs. customize things for them and I like to do that.

Howard: Okay. Excellent. As far as the new year, 2026, are there new besides getting merged and Triple xl? But I'm not gonna cut that out. What are some of the special, happenings that you're starting to plan for some vision for the future where you see Evolution Expeditions being involved with?

Kristin: At the end of the day, we want to grow

Howard:  Right

Kristin: I'm not here to stay stagnant. I'm here to grow our business. So we have started adding, we just added on a combination tour where people can go kayaking and they also get a stop at the Hoover Dam. So before they go kayaking, we pick them up on the strip and then they go stop at the Hoover Dam and they mi walk across the Michael Callaghan, pat Silverman Bridge.

Our guide shares history about the Hoover Dam, and then they get to go, then we take them kayaking. So they get to see, hey, this is. The benefit of the Hoover Dam. So we now we have this flat water on this section of the Colorado River. That is something that, as far as I know, we are the only ones who are offering that.

And then we have started offering walking Hoover Dam tours where they can go to the power plant. The power plant ticket is included and then our guides do that as well. And it's great for our guys 'cause I love to be able to offer guides more work in the winter and also be able to give them a little bit more diversity in what they do and they enjoy that.

Howard: Excellent, excellent. As a reminder for our listeners, where are the best places to go to learn more about Evolution Expeditions and get out on that river?

Kristin: you can go to our website, evolution expeditions.com. Expeditions is plural. You can find us all over Google, TripAdvisor. You'll see all of our reviews there.

Google to do TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Howard: Excellent. we'll provide all the back links to the website and social sites. On our show notes. Kristin Herr, it's a pleasure to meet you and your husband, Sean, and also there's a little guy around here. I'm sure he is gonna run the business eventually.

Kristin: I tell him he is got a job as soon as he turns 12. That's our son Landis, and yes, he knows, he has, I hate to say it, he has the business phone number memorized, not my personal cell phone, because he hears me saying it all the time.

Howard: I love that. I love that. listen, thank you so much for being a part of the Community task, a production of Boulder City Chamber of Commerce.

We really appreciate your membership in the Chamber and those businesses like this that make Boulder City, a must visit location to discover, explore, and just on wise, so for spending time with us today.

Kristin: Thank you Howard. Really appreciate it and appreciate the opportunity as well.

Howard: All right folks. We have just been chatting with Kristin Herr she and her husband, own Evolution Expeditions, a wonderful organization. Look, if you ever wanted to go kayaking or if you're experienced kayakers and you come to Las Vegas, you need to come visit these guys and just get out there on the Colorado River.

I think I'm gonna start with that little three hour tour. I, because that's my style. At this point, but look, you're, wherever you're at, they're gonna take good care of you and really, don't forget to leave them the reviews on wherever the reviews happen. As for this episode, you can find this, episode of community, cast on our YouTube channel.

We'll also have it posted on our website, best in podcast.net. Until next time, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there. Have a fantastic day, and we look forward to having you join us on a feature episode of the Immunity Cast Project, production of the Boulder City Chamber of Commerce.

Take care.