From Little Acorns: The Birth of High Point Paddle Adventures

USA, FLORIDA

Many dreams are formed upon the deck of a paddleboard. It is a place that allows the mind to escape and the soul to soar. Perhaps we paint images of turquoise tropical paradises, or we see adventure and the road stretched out before us. But for some, such as ASI Instructor, Alexis ‘Lexi’ Lautzker of High Point Paddle, Florida, the dream is about building something truly special under the ASI banner.

And sometimes dreams can become reality.

ASI caught up with Lexi to talk big adventures and blossoming business.

FROM SMALL ACORNS

It is immediately clear upon speaking to Lexi that she is a woman in love with life and enthused with a spark to share with others how profound the connection between paddle boarding and nature can be.

She started High Point Paddle from the smallest of acorns. Without a permanent base for her business, Lexi would load boards onto her truck each morning and drive.

‘I was a completely mobile operation,’ she said, ‘I didn’t even have a trailer to utilize!’

This was 2014. High Point Paddle’s dawn. Paddling on the waters of John D. MacArthur Beach State Park, Lexi was all about building a business that offered a friendly, personal touch.

She tells us, ‘The area was quite saturated with companies taking paddle board sessions. I decided I didn’t want to be greedy and I kept my numbers small as I didn’t have a set location. And what happened was I got to truly know the people, I knew their names and I’d send them pictures after lessons and tours. I started to get really good reviews and built from there.’

And build she did. Desperate to have a specific spot and launch at the park, Lexi went to work. Over the span of six and a half years she donated her time, services and energy as a volunteer alongside her day to day life. During this period, she submitted four separate proposals for High Point Paddle to operate tours and rentals from their own designated area of the State park.

Six and a half years chasing a place to call 'home'.

Then came the breakthrough.

‘This year we finally came to an agreement and we activated the South Paddle Launch on April 1, 2021!’ said a thrilled Lexi, ‘The state actually re-wrote the operations manual for our contract so each Park can have its own concessionaire. It took years of patience, but we are so excited to have an incredible physical location. It is the perfect place to paddle!’

ECO ETHOS

Perhaps one of the biggest selling points for Lexi and High Point Paddle comes from their green credentials and how that ethos marries beautifully with that of the State Park.

‘It’s the most important,’ added Lexi, ‘We are a no trace company and leave only footsteps behind. That’s the basis of the state park. Their model is to preserve the natural resources and educate future generations.

‘We have no running water and collect the rainwater for rinsing equipment. And we do our very best to limit plastic use and particularly the plastic bottles of water that you see everywhere. We’re currently looking into eco-friendly alternatives to that. We take our little steps in what we can do as it’s of the utmost importance to us.’

THE FUTURE

Despite having already achieved what many might consider a ‘dream realised’ point in life, Lexi’s own journey is far from over.

She said, ‘To have the backing of the state park is validity. We have all the backing of the park rangers and if there are ever any problems, we just have so much support. It’s totally evolved from me being a one woman show. Now I have three employees and a location and I have to pinch myself!

‘I’d love to be an ASI Instructor training school,’ she continued, ‘That’s my ultimate goal. Become an accredited school first and then eventually be a school to train the instructors.’

If history is anything to go by, the future for Lexi and High Point Paddle as a part of the ASI family looks to be bright. Dazzlingly so.