Meet RootsRated
Come out to meet the entrepreneur behind one of the best outdoor websites, Fynn Glover of RootsRated at our Pint Night! For just a $5 admission fee, you’ll receive two Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. beers and a complimentary glass. All profits will go to The Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Join us on October 10th from 6pm to 8pm for this special opportunity.
Pint Night at Appalachian Outfitters - Photo Credit: Appalachian Outfitters
Experience Every Adventurer’s Dream Site
RootsRated is a website that provides information about outdoor recreation in a specific geographic location, including hiking trails, paddling routes, bike rides, rock climbing destinations, and other activities across the nation. Local “grassroots” experts write the articles for the benefit of both travelers and native residents. RootsRated seeks to provide “the most authentic local knowledge of a city’s outdoor identity.”
In an interview with Appalachian Outfitters, Fynn Glover (the founder of RootsRated) expounded on his inspiration, the lessons he learned while building his company, and his excitement about exploring the Cleveland area for the first time.
RootsRated website - Photo Credit: http://rootsrated.com/
Inspiring Travels
Glover originally got the idea for RootsRated while on a cross-country road trip. During his visits to various states, he wished he could ask locals about the best outdoor activities specific to their areas. Seeing an opportunity for people to share insights, he began RootsRated. He says his entrepreneurial journey has been full of “ups and downs”; what began as “a dream on the back of a napkin” took nine months of additional planning before he could incorporate his dream, and it took another year before he could hire anyone. Now that the company is established, Rootsrated has “more opportunity to learn from users and customers.” Their feedback pushes Rootsrated to always better the experience and the product.
Learning Along The Way
Glover and his team have been learning from the start. “Outdoor communities often have intrinsic similarities, but also very unique differences.” Local experts are essential to providing reliable information. This authenticity requires that RootsRated build and maintain “strong working relationships with the people who have been at the center of their outdoor communities for years.” The experience of locally-owned retailers, activity groups, conservationists, and other local adventurers has been indispensable to RootsRated and its users.
The City Guides of RootsRated - Photo Credit: http://rootsrated.com/
Making The Outdoors Approachable
Glover’s goal is to change active communities by making it easier for adventurers to experience the outdoors. The RootsRated database is already immense, but Glover and his team continue focusing on specific cities where local writers and adventurers host activities and write about outdoor lifestyles: “Our hope is that by marrying wayfinding with storytelling, we can break down informational and emotional barriers to the outdoor lifestyle.” He is encouraged by seeing RootsRated already making differences in the outdoor community – every month “we’re helping thousands of people discover recreation in their own backyards and also when they’re traveling.”
Stories from the outdoor life - Photo Credit: http://rootsrated.com/
Adding Cleveland To RootsRated
Even though Glover has never been to Cleveland before, he is excited about Cuyahoga Valley National Park: “I can’t wait to experience it.” To continue the authenticity of each city listed on RootsRated, the outdoor experts of Cleveland are associated with Appalachian Outfitters. Their leader is Mike Leffler, a local in the Cleveland area.
Experiences in Cleveland, OH - Photo Credit: http://rootsrated.com/
Join Us
Don’t miss your chance to meet the people behind RootsRated at our Pint Night on October 10. We look forward to seeing you there! Follow our Facebook page for more details on the event or to let us know you’re coming!