LC Women In Business 2016-2017

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Known locally as “Woods Woman” and “Kayak Lady,” Kathie Livingston not
only loves what she does but shares that love with others.
“As a child, I lived outdoors. I was always on my horse, hiking in the
woods, camping outside. My mother and sisters would literally pay me to
wash my hair,” the owner of Nature Adventures Outfitters laughed.
Livingston studied Resource Planning and Ecology at the University of Michigan
before moving to South Carolina in 1988. She worked as
director of the Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Commission
and as a naturalist for the National Audubon Society at Beidler Forest.
Eleven years later, she opened Nature Adventures Outfitters, which is dedicated to helping
others experience the great outdoors: kayak, canoe and paddle board rentals and instruction,
camping equipment rentals, paddlefit classes, hiking tours, overnight expeditions and more.
“I want to get people unplugged and connect them to nature. It is so important to
relate to our natural world and see the bigger picture of how our relationship to the
environment is interrelated to our very existence,” she said. “Every decision we make
affects so many dynamics for not only us but for future generations.”
While running the business requires her to spend more time indoors than she
would prefer, Livingston credits her excellent staff of biologists, naturalists and
operations managers for sharing with 24,000 clients annually the same knowledge and
respect for the Lowcountry that she has had for 28 years.
“I have been blessed in being able to do what I love to do, and to work doing it,”
she said. “Watching people connect to nature, see a dolphin or a thousand-year-old
bald cypress tree always brings a smile and amazement to their face. That I can help
people experience things like that is the best part.”
Photo courtesy of Kathie Livingston.
Kathie
Livingston
Nature Adventures Outfitters
Shrimp Boat Lane
Mount Pleasant
843-568-3222
Meredith Nelson has a varied and extensive history in the fitness industry.
Starting in the 1980s and carrying 30 extra pounds, she gradually
developed a love of all things active – especially running, weightlifting,
yoga and cycling. She also gets her thrills putting others through a
grueling indoor cycling class, weight-training workout or boot camp. Ask her about
weight loss and she’ll talk for hours – after all, she’s been there and lives it every day.
Nelson opened PrimeTime Fitness on Sullivan’s Island in 2000. With a masters in
Rehabilitation Counseling, her original goal was to incorporate fitness into the lives of
those with disabilities. She continues to provide a haven for
anyone, regardless of age or ability, to pursue their fitness
goals. After 15 years of offering the residents of Sullivan’s Island a place to go for all their
fitness needs, PrimeTime Fitness relocated to Mount Pleasant in December 2015.
PrimeTime Fitness is unique in that it offers big-gym fitness with boutique
individualization. Group fitness classes, personal training, indoor cycling, boot camps,
yoga and more fill up the schedule, but the trainers know each person by name. Some
members prefer to do their own thing, without the guidance of a trainer, and that is
encouraged at PrimeTime as well, with members having access to the facility between
5 a.m. and 10 p.m. Anyone can feel comfortable walking in the front door – from the
seasoned athlete to the novice exerciser.
“Building on success is critical for retention, so we celebrate even the smallest
accomplishments along with our clients and members,” Nelson said. “We also listen to
the ideas, suggestions and even criticisms of our members in our efforts to provide the
experience they are looking for.”
Meredith
Nelson
PrimeTime Fitness
1558 Ben Sawyer Blvd.
Mount Pleasant
843-883-0101
Photo courtesy of Meredith Nelson.
By Anne TOOLe
By AMy MerCer