by The Editors on May 8, 2012
Twenty-year Billabong veteran Derek O’Neill has been removed from his position as the CEO of the surf wear giant and the board has moved Target MD Launa Inman in as managing director and chief executive, according to a story in the Australian.
Billabong chairman Ted Kunkel, as as recently as February refuted rumours that the board planned to dump Mr O’Neill, thanked the outgoing CEO for his service but said that the board had decided the company needed “new leadership and skill sets for the next stage of its development”. . . Mr O’Neill, a lifelong surf fanatic who opened Billabong’s European business at the age of 26, will leave the company today.
Inman, a former chief executive at Target Australia, will start work on May 14, 2012 with a fixed salary of AUS$1.3 million a year with up to “$1.3m in short-term bonuses, plus long-term incentive payments of up to 47 per cent of her salary.” In related news, Paul Naude, the president of Billabong USA North America has been promoted to president of the Americas.
We guess the biggest question is, does Ms. Inman surf?
[Link: The Australian]
by The Editors on May 8, 2012
Wondering where Penny Skateboards came from? So were we. That’s why it was great of founder Ben Mackay to kick it all down for us on Vimeo.
From his humble beginnings to the challenges of breaking into the industry, Ben tells in his own words how early lessons in life had inspired him to chase his dream in helping to bring the “fun” back into skateboarding.
Seriously, that’s one of our favorite skateboarding stories. Click play and hear it again.
by The Editors on May 7, 2012
It was a little less than a year ago that former Hurley Senior Vice President of Global Events and Brand Entertainment Paul Gomez (on the left with Tim Gavin) announced that he was stepping into the CEO position at Podium Distribution.
If the words we’re hearing on the street are correct, Gomez has now reportedly “stepped down.” More details as they become available.
by The Editors on May 3, 2012
James Smith, the executive director of The Kona School has a pretty cool idea. Since it seems few school districts have time for anything other than improving test scores, let alone help kids learn the skills they’ll need to work in the world, Smith has come up with a better idea. Build a school at a skatepark. Plans for the first one are underway at Jacksonville, Florida’s Kona Skatepark.
By incorporating the most innovative instructional strategies with progressive technology, a focus on healthy living, and green campus construction, the mission of Kona School is to inspire in each student a desire to learn creatively, think independently, and act responsibly.
Can’t imagine that parents could ask for much more than that. Check it out.
[Link: The Kona School]
by The Editors on May 3, 2012
Remember those Youtube special content channels that launched in January 2012 with $100 million from Google? Tony Hawk’s Ride Channel, Network_A, Alli Sports? Etc. . .
Well, now, according to a story on Yahoo News, Google is promising to spend $200 million more to market those channels in hopes of getting a little more traffic that they can sell to other advertisers.
Robert Kyncl, YouTube’s global head of content, pledged that YouTube will spend more than $200 million to market the channels across Google and its advertising network. After years of relying largely on user-created videos, YouTube has increasingly focused on partnering with premium content providers to lure audiences for longer viewings and attract advertisers with higher quality videos.
If Google is only going to promote the channels on “Google and it’s advertising network” it would appear that what Kyncl use of the word “spend” is a little disingenuous as running ads on its own network technically doesn’t cost Google anything. But it makes a great headline.
[Link: Yahoo News]
by The Editors on May 2, 2012
Holden Outerwear (and now all-season wear) has announced they are leaving Portland, Oregon and doing what many ambitious people have done before them–they are moving to Los Angeles to pursue fame and fortune.
Scheduled to open in early July 2012, the move represents a significant commitment to the brand’s long-term strategy of extending Holden from Summit to Sea with a four-season offering. . . “Having spent the past ten years in Portland making the best snow products, this move is an exciting way to extend the Holden experience outside of our focus on the winter lifestyle and into year-round goods. LA is going to be about new energy, new products and new friendships.” says Holden co-founder Mikey LeBlanc.
Of course, they say their “commitment to snow sports and its Northwest heritage will remain intact.” But we all know what LA does to people. . . For the official word, follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on May 1, 2012
Marchone Eyewear, Inc. (manufacturers nearly every fashion eyewear brand you can think of: Calvin Klein, Diane Von Furstenberg, Fendi, Jil Sander, etc. . . . ) today announced that they have purchased Dragon Alliance for an undisclosed amount.
Will Howard, founder and CEO of Dragon, started the brand in 1993 from his garage in Capo Beach and has seen it grow into an internationally recognized brand. “We are very excited about becoming part of the Marchon family,” said Howard. “With their support and shared vision for Dragon, we will become an even stronger company, while remaining true to our heritage.”
Seems to be the only way to make it in the eyewear business these days. . . For the official word follow the jump. [click to continue…]
by The Editors on May 1, 2012
Collective Brands, the owner of zombie brands Airwalk, Vision Streetwear, Lamar, and (sadly) Sims, has been purchased for $2 billion by a “consortium comprised of Wolverine Worldwide, Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital” according to a story on Sports One Source.
Upon closing, Wolverine Worldwide will acquire Collective Brands’ Performance + Lifestyle Group (PLG), which will continue to operate out of Lexington, MA. PLG had revenue of more than $1 billion in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2012. . . Payless will be acquired by Blum Capital and Golden Gate and will continue to be headquartered in Topeka, KS and CLI in Englewood, CO. Payless and CLI had combined revenue of approximately $2.4 billion in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2012, operating over 4,300 Payless retail stores globally at year end.
Guess this means Airwalk, Vision Streetwear, and Sims, get to stay in the Payless family only now they’ll be owned by Blum and Golden Gate Capital. As one of our more astute commenters pointed out to us, this sounds like a great opportunity for Jamie Salter to jump back in and grab a couple more brands . . . again.
[Link: Sports One Source]
by The Editors on April 30, 2012
Bob Smith, an orthodontist who just couldn’t stand goggles that fogged and went on to revolutionize the action eyewear industry with his double lens Smith goggles, died of complications from heart surgery on April 18, 2012 at his home in La Quinta, California, according to an obituary in the Washington Post. He was 78.
Using dental tools, foam and glue, Dr. Smith began building his first prototypes on his kitchen table. He traded his new goggles for lift tickets to ski mountains in Idaho or sold them to ski patrollers, who provided him with feedback to tweak his designs. . . As demand for his goggles spread, Dr. Smith formed his own company in Ketchum, Idaho. By the late 1970s, the company was selling 200,000 goggles a year. The firm also tinkered with goggles that included electrically heated lenses and small fans to cool the face.
Brands like Spy, Dragon, and Oakley would not exist without Dr. Smith’s game-changing product design and we will forever be grateful for the way Smith goggles allowed us to love riding on snowy days. Thanks, Bob. Our thoughts are with Smith’s family, friends, and everyone who has ever worn a pair of his goggles on a socked in white out day.
[Link: Washington Post]
by The Editors on April 27, 2012
Quiksilver today (April 27, 2012) announced that they have found the man to take the CFO job after Joe Scirocco leaves the company. His name is Richard Shields and he was formerly CFO of Oakley.
Robert B. McKnight, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of Quiksilver Inc., commented, “We’re really pleased to welcome Rich into the Quiksilver family. His extensive corporate financial experience and proven track record in international operations, retail and manufacturing make him an ideal fit for our growing global business. Rich is an accomplished executive who we expect will make an immediate contribution to our pursuit of substantially improved financial performance, especially through our long-term growth initiatives and globalization efforts.”
Shields, who has previously worked for Day Software, Frame-N-Lens Optical and Taco Bell, will officially start at the company on May 11, 2012. Follow the jump for the official word. [click to continue…]
Twenty-year Billabong veteran Derek O’Neill has been removed from his position as the CEO of the surf wear giant and the board has moved Target MD Launa Inman in as managing director and chief executive, according to a story in the Australian.
