MEMBERconnection
Rowing
down
the river
COSTCO MEMBER Kipp McDowell was
raised in the idyllic town of Conway, South
Carolina. As someone who loves Conway’s
small-town atmosphere, rich American history and culture, and closeness to Myrtle
Beach, the lifelong Conway resident realized in 2008 that what the town needed
was something to draw people to the natural beauty of the Waccamaw River.
“It was almost like God tapped me on
the shoulder and said, ‘That’s
what you’re supposed to
do,’ ” McDowell recalls.
A month later the
Conway Kayak Company
(
www.conwaykayak.com),
which offers tours and rentals, was born.
McDowell, a technology
company partner, says, “I
used to ski on the river, fish
on the river.… I’ve been so
busy selling computer sys-
tems I got away from that.”
Opening the company
was also a way to bring his
family closer together. His
wife, two teenage sons,
brother, nephew and other assorted family
members help run the successful business.
ANNA MCDOWELL
“People feel different and talk about
different things when kayaking,” explains
McDowell. “It is a restful place for the brain
and the body. One of my favorite tours was
a family whose daughter was going off to
college and they wanted to spend the day
together without distractions. What better
way to spend quality time? No cellphones,
no TV … just the water, the sun and plenty
of time for conversation.”—Steve Fisher
Costco member Aaron Chang
uses earth-friendly materials to
display photos he’s taken over
the last 30-plus years.
Art with
a heart
SINCE HE WAS VERY YOUNG,
Aaron Chang, a Costco member
in San Diego, California, has loved
surfing and photography. “At 17,
my first photography job was
shooting photos of tourists at luaus in Waikiki,”
Chang says. “I then made a surf movie in
Hawaii before starting a 25-year tenure as
senior photographer for Surfing magazine.”
During his career, Chang captured amazing images of unspoiled nature in many places
all over the world, including Tahiti, New
Zealand, South Africa and Costa Rica. But
he’s also seen heartbreaking scenes of blatant
environmental abuse.
In his latest endeavor, Chang, 53, hopes to
teach as well as inspire. In February, he opened
the Aaron Chang Gallery ( www.aaronchang
ERIKA CHANG
gallery.com) in San Diego.
The gallery showcases
images he’s taken over his
entire career. All of the
large-format photos in
the gallery are printed on recycled aluminum. The inks used for printing on metal
and wood are earth friendly and water soluble, and he partners with Kerei, a green
natural building materials company, to construct frames and mounting options. By
using green materials Chang hopes to model
environmental responsibility and support
companies committed to providing earth-friendly materials.
“If we all do what we can to change for
the better, the collective effect can make a difference,” Chang says.—Will Fifield
ANDREY VESELOV
Falling in with friends
ANNA MCDOWELL
Most people prefer to deplane after landing. San Diego Costco member Jeffrey
“Duffy” Fainer did it in mid-flight (above)
with 399 of his cohorts, as part of the 2006
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
IF YOU HAVE a note, photo or story to share (it should be about Costco or
Costco members in some way), you can send it to “The Member Connection,”
The Costco Connection, P.O. Box 34088, Seattle, WA 98124-1088, or e-mail to
connection@costco.com with “The Member Connection” in the subject line.
Submissions cannot be acknowledged or returned.
Guinness Book of World Records win for
the largest Fédération Aéronautique
Internationale–approved free–fall formation (parachuting). Fainer explains. “The
judgesare given adiagra
of the formation before w m e
leave the ground, and we have to create it in free
fall.” For more on Fainer, andtowatchvideoofon e
of his team efforts, go to
www.voicebyduffy.com.
