Chris Crolley Named to Charleston Magazine’s “50 Most Influential”

Kari Crolley | October 1, 2025

We’re proud to share that Chris Crolley has been named to Charleston Magazine’s 2025 50 Most Influential list.

When Darcy Shankland, editor-in-chief of the magazine, emailed asking for a photo of Chris, our first reaction was equal parts disbelief and excitement. We’ve always known the work Chris is doing for the Charleston community—as a businessman, conservationist, and rabble-rouser—but we didn’t realize others were seeing the same impact he’s having on “hatchlings, fledglings, and young earthlings” the way we do within our own team.

And then today, opening the magazine and discovering that Stephanie Hunt wrote the profile was the icing on the cake. She’s known Chris for years and truly gets him. 

Here’s the beautiful piece she wrote about Chris. You can see the entire list here.

41. The Natural: Chris Crolley

Influence can happen quietly. It might come in the hush of the cypress forest, as Chris Crolley points out a bird call. It might come paddling the serene black water swamps of the Francis Marion, where the veteran guide revels in explaining intricate ecosystems and catching glimpses of the elusive Prothonotary warbler. Starting Coastal Expeditions in 1992 with a handful of kayaks, Crolley’s business now extends from Beaufort to Cape Romain, offering kayak tours, boat trips, and anything else he can think of “to make the outdoors feel close, accessible, and unforgettable,” he says. “No child left dry” is the rallying cry of the company’s foundation, a nonprofit that took 10,500 area students on environmental outings in 2024 alone and helps fund sea turtle monitoring in Cape Romain, one of the most vital nesting grounds on the Eastern seaboard. Crolley is beyond passionate about the power of nature to transform us—fitting, as he himself is a force of nature.