Kerry Connolly Mahon loved anchoring the morning news for WBZ-TV in Boston. A natural morning person, even the 2:30 a.m. wakeups weren’t a challenge until her two children started school and she missed out on the bus stop drop offs and other everyday moments. She decided it was time for a change.
A high school athlete in lacrosse and field hockey, Connolly Mahon said she was passionate about fitness and had an entrepreneurial spirit. She loved taking spinning classes and saw a gap in the market for a cycling studio on the South Shore. When she shared her business concept with her colleagues, a floor director at the news station encouraged her to add rowing to the mix.
“Before you know it, I was bringing a little bag of crayons with me while I was doing the news,” Connolly Mahon said. “During the commercial breaks, I was designing the logo and trying to come up with a name.”
Opening a business on the South Shore
In 2014, she decided to take the plunge, opening Row & Ride, a boutique fitness studio combining rowing, cycling and strength training under one roof in Hanover.
From the start, Connolly Mahon set out to create an uplifting, beach vacation aesthetic, with palm trees and bright colors throughout the space. Classes take place in a single, large studio called the WaveCave, where mood lighting, up-tempo music and enthusiastic instructors set the vibe.
Row & Ride uses a membership format, encouraging people to make use of unlimited classes in a combination of 45-minute ride-only sessions, 50-minute rowing and weight-training combos and 60-minute full-body workouts that split the time between rowing and cycling.
To keep the momentum during the pandemic, Connolly Mahon relocated the studio’s equipment to a nearby warehouse with big garage doors that allowed fresh air to flow through the space. The team later added desks so members’ children could work on their online schoolwork while their parents worked out.
“That’s also when we decided the fitness journey is not really just exercise, it’s also about nutrition and mental health,” Connolly Mahon said. “It’s the whole package.”
While classes were still taking place in the warehouse, Connolly Mahon began construction on Boat House, Row & Ride’s plant-based nutrition bar. Today, it offers a selection of protein smoothies, energy drinks and healthy snack options.
Financing a second studio with Rockland Trust
Connolly Mahon began to seriously think about opening a second studio in 2025. One of her instructors lives in Plymouth and recommended it as the perfect spot for expansion. That spring, Connolly Mahon met with bankers to discuss financing.
Eve Elliott with Rockland Trust stood out, she said. Elliott shared her cell phone number and was available for after-hours calls and emails, brainstorming solutions whenever challenges cropped up during the expansion process.
“No two loans are the same,” said Elliott, a first vice president and business banking market manager. “Nor are any two businesses. Any business that opens or expands has needs that change and morph over the process. You have to be flexible as a lender.”
Rockland Trust provided financing for the buildout of the Plymouth location and now handles Row & Ride’s banking.
“It’s rare that you find somebody who truly cares about you and your growth, where you’re going and what they could do to support you,” Connolly Mahon said. “Eve was that from the second I met her, and we wouldn’t be here in Plymouth without her and Rockland Trust.”
Shifting into the next gear: Exploring additional revenue streams
Row & Ride debuted its Plymouth location in January, opening on Loring Boulevard in the heart of historic Cordage Park. Connolly Mahon is working to build an outdoor patio to expand Boat House dining, along with menu additions, including salads, specialty sandwiches and flatbreads. The updates are designed to support the company’s commitment to healthy eating and complement its neighbor, Untold Brewing.
In addition to growing the Plymouth location, Connolly Mahon is exploring additional revenue streams. She’s considering offering online coaching to bring the Row & Ride wellness experience to people outside the local area. She also is refining the business’s systems, with an eye toward someday franchising the concept.
“I like the idea of franchising because what we've built is so special and unique that it would be exciting to see others bring the same experience to life in their communities. Everyone should enjoy the magic of Row & Ride,” she said.
It’s a people-centered strategy designed to increase access to holistic wellness, she said.
“If you don’t have your health, and I don’t mean just physical health, but your mental health too, you really don’t have anything,” Connolly Mahon said. “Health is the foundation for everything in life.”
