Get Out & Explore! www.findf.in

Article Provided by Meredith Boas

On the evening of Monday, May 23, 2022, Fin, a new startup business in Cecil County, Maryland had a ribbon cutting to launch their first bike-share location in Chesapeake City at the start of the Ben Cardin bike trail.

What is Bike Sharing?

Bike Sharing is a new way for folks to be able to enjoy outdoor recreation on a bicycle without actually having to own or transport their own bicycle. Simply put, a person can rent a bike for a limited amount of time from the Fin rack. All they have to do is download the Fin app, then use their smartphone to scan the QR code on the bike they’d like to use, they’ll receive the code to unlock the bike on the rack, and they’ll have use of that bike for an amount of time. When they’re finished, the person will then return and re-lock up the bike. It’s easy!

The Founder

Meet local entrepreneur Kelly Benson of the water-sports recreation company Benson Outdoors, and the North East, MD restaurant Port House Grill. Fin is his newest business to make what is now a solid trio of much-needed and we’re sure soon-to-be much-loved local businesses in our community.

What Kelly Says…

I have many passions in life – but the one passion that is consistent among everything that I do is simple – I love to make people happy.

Growing up I spent my summer days barefoot, running around in the woods behind my parents house. My second home was the Fair Hill Nature Center where my mom developed and taught outdoor education program and summer camps. I suppose it wasn’t by chance that I developed a love for the outdoors at a very young age.

When I turned twenty one I cofounded the Port House Grill with my father. It was in this time that I realized that my entrepreneurial spirit could let me to blaze my own path. With my father as mentor, he taught me the subtle complexities of both managing a team and a business, and how to weigh risk versus reward.

It was those first years of business where when interacting with my guests that I would be repeatedly asked “So this is a water town, how do you get out on it?”

When backpacking in January in the Patagonia region of Chile, I stayed overnight in a small lakeside town of what felt like no more than forty people, that was over six hours drive from the nearest populated area. I had rented a bedroom for the night in the sole storekeeper’s house. When I woke up, a small outfitter had a line of patrons eager to white water raft. It was this moment, in the middle of nowhere, that I realized I could solve the question that had been asked many times back home. And I could do three miles from the most traveled corridor on the East Coast. Bay Venture Outfitters was born that spring.

Born as an idea in the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic with its roots found in Bay Venture, Fin is our next adventure. We hope you enjoy the flexibility and diverse experiences that are found using the Fin network.

Read more articles from VOM Magazine here: https://www.veteransoutreachministries.org/vom-magazine/