About Marc McCord

Marc McCord first paddled a canoe in Boy Scouts in the late 1950's, then got serious about paddling in 1975, when he did his first downriver trip on Oklahoma's scenic Illinois River near Tahlequah. Beginning in 1990, he became enthralled with paddling as a way of life, exploring wild and undeveloped rivers all over the southwestern United States. In 1997, while serving as newsletter editor in Dallas Downriver Club, he took the first of three swiftwater rescue classes for added safety of himself and his fellow paddlers on whitewater rivers. That same year he undertook a basic First Aid course taught by the American Red Cross. Learning to cook outdoors in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, Marc excels in preparing and serving delicious meals fit for royalty on trips and events he leads.

Having led small private groups on canoe-camping trips for over a decade, he formed Canoeman River Guide Services in 2001, and began offering his experience to larger and more diverse groups that included companies, church and civic groups, scouting organizations and private groups of more than 60 paddlers, often assisted by other DDRC members with whom he has paddled for many years. Since 1996, Marc has been a web designer and has created several paddling-related web sites for outfitters as well as his own projects that include Southwest Paddler, Lone Star Paddler, Texas Water Safari...The REAL Story of the Birth of the World's Toughest Boat Race and his personal web site, Canoeman.com. Having worked as a regional manager for a major computer and loudspeaker manufacturer in the early 1990's, where he built, trained and managed a team of more than 96 field sales reps, Marc has experience building and training teams that work together for a common purpose.