River Runners - Est. 1974
River Runners has a legacy
River Runners is a boutique whitewater rafting company. It's the sort of place where the person who set up your tent and welcomed you into camp may be the same person who cooks you breakfast and guides you down the river the next morning. It's personal, it's intimate, and it's local.
We were founded over 50 years ago by people who loved the river, loved to raft, and loved to share the experience with others. It's been an owner-operated family business since then. Ownership and management has always been passed down to a senior staff member, ensuring our tradition of fun, quality, and service continues.
We were established around 1974 by a school teacher named Jackie who lived in the Los Angeles area. She fell in love with rafting and regularly made the drive north in the summer to enjoy the South Fork of the American River. Eventually her friends were inspired to join her, and their friends starting clamoring for their chance to participate. More participants meant more vehicles, more equipment, and more guides. This was costing a lot of money and Jackie had to start charging. Year after year, it grew. By the time the late 70s came around, River Runners was advertising at CSUN (Cal State Northridge) for athletic and adventurous youngsters who wanted to work as river guides. This advertisement bore fruit.
In 1977, a couple of young men named Joe Tassinari and Robert Barbato were kicking around a fraternity and they saw the post: "Raft Guides Wanted." The terms were easy -- ride with a bus full of guests up to the Sacramento area for the weekend, raft down the river with everyone as an orientation, eat some free food, drink some free beer, and camp under the stars.
If they liked it, transportation and a job was waiting for them the following weekend. They signed up and they were hooked. They returned to school and recruited Danny Lulla and many other college buddies to join. This became another tradition. These guys and many others began riding a bus north every weekend to make money on river adventures. Eventually they moved to the Coloma Valley and made it their permanent home. Many of them married locals and raised kids here too.
A flood in the early 80s destroyed most of the company assets and Jackie was done. She sold the business to one of her ambitious guides. He incorporated it, became the owner/operator, and reinvested heavily in the business. By the mid-80s, River Runners was a thriving community composed of fun-loving river guides and their dedicated guests. It was hard to keep up with the demand for space and the requests for guides.
People like Bob Leo and Dan Little became legendary for their on-river expertise and their in-camp entertainment. Oftentimes,"Magic" Bob offered magic shows in camp while people waited for dinner, or Dan Little brought his fiddle and regalled the happy guests with "Old Timey" songs while accompanied by local musicians. California is full of people who fondly remember these times. Often they bring us photo books full of these memories. Other guides, like Mark Allen and Robert Allen were just plain quirky. Those were good times.
River Runners has a passion
Danny & Deanna Lulla, and Richard & Pam Levy bought into the business in the 1980s, and owned it completely by 1997. The traditions were still maintained, with the veteran guides teaching the newer generation how to run the river and entertain at the same time. These were hospitable family people. They wanted their guests to feel at home.
As the industry evolved, so did the expectations of the guests. Simple camp food wasn't enough anymore. Nor was sleeping together on a tarp under the stars. River Runners started offering its guests tents pitched by arrival and a complex menu. It refocused on the two-day trip and continued to court business from distant cities where people craved a big experience in nature.
In 2001, John Kosakowsky started working for River Runners. By 2005 he was working full time and managing not long after that. Many other great guides came from that era: Peter Mac, Joe M., Daniel Jenkins, Lucas Brook. Joe Tassinari continued to work at River Runners and make sure everyone knew how to have fun and do the work. Those too were good times.
In 2015, John Kosakowsky and Sarah Vardaro purchased River Runners from the Lullas. It needed a lot of work, and they were dedicated. Many new and legendary guides came to help: Kyle Brook, Dominic Tassinari, Andrew Jenkins, Chris Wilson, Scotty Scheu, Scott Rist, Emily and Wiatt Peters...and of course, there have been many others.
River Runners has commitment
The chain of guides and owners remains unbroken. Many guides return, and new faces and personalities are attracted every year to the project, but the same glue binds us: the desire to provide the best river trip possible. It is inspiring and engaging.
River Runners values each guest that comes into our camp and that value is passed onto you in every facet of your vacation. We are a community of whitewater rafting guides that pride ourselves on personalized service, we want to find out what makes you tick and give you the best whitewater rafting experience possible.
It is why so many of our guests return year after year. It's not just a whitewater river trip, it's a meaningful and exciting adventure with inspired, down-to-earth, and fun-loving people. Come join us!
