In Billabong’s financial report today they announced the following: net profit of AUS$176.4 million, up from AUS$167.3 million a year ago.
Mr O’Neill said Billabong’s second half was a “highlight” as sales revenue in North America grew by 18.6 per cent, earnings in Europe rose by 20.8 per cent and Australasia recorded 19.8 per cent growth, in constant currency terms. . . . The Billabong CEO remained confident about fiscal 2009 and said good growth was evident in early forward orders in the US and Europe amid more moderate Australasian growth.
But the really big news was that Billabong announced that they were paying $99.9 million dollars for DaKine Hawaii.
Mr O’Neill said: “DaKine has built a strong sales base in North America and a growing sales base in several international territories, making it a powerful addition to the group.” . . . DaKine is expected to contribute approximately 4 per cent of group sales in fiscal 2009 and be earnings per share positive in year one.
Billabong really is dakine now, gobble, gobble, gobble. Kind of makes us wish we had something to sell them.
Radiator, and Australian wetsuit company, was trying to come up with some way to show that their wetsuits are like wearing nothing at all.
Anyone who enjoys the water has dreamed of something which would be better than a wetsuit. Something which would be super warm and comfortable and yet still so light that it would be totally unrestrictive – well it’s here and it’s called RADIATOR
So. . . well. . . their agency (because who else?) apparently came up with these.
Between 1995 and 2000, Mr. Berg was Chairman of AccentHealth. He led its financing and strategic development from its pilot phase to a network now providing segmented, patient education-oriented TV programming to over 10,000 medical waiting rooms. AccentHealth programming reaches 11.7 million consumers every month. . . . Mr. Berg has over 20 years’ experience as a professional investor, having founded Matador Capital Management in 1993, and before that working for 9 years at Raymond James Financial as an institutional securities analyst. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Florida and certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst.
For someone so involed in action sports online, we hardly knew Mr. Berg.
Though Branson’s orientation was no secret amongst those in the know, this was the first time a former or current pro-surfer has gone on the record admitting they were gay and in the wider surfing community it was still met with shock and awe that “Branno” would be the one.
We missed it the first time, and it’s a good read.
Shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton, 18, has designed jewelry for Claire’s, perfume for her own line, and now she’s designed a new flip-flop for Ocean Minded called “the Meilani,” which is Hawai’ian for “heavenly flower” according to a story in the Long Beach Press-Telegram.
Hamilton said her shoe is made for “people who are really happy and like to (be) a positive influence on everyone and enjoy life and a healthy lifestyle.” . . . She said she is encouraged by the green-living movement and wants her flip-flops to serve as a subtle reminder to respect the environment and keep the oceans clean.
The flips are made of sustainable materials and come in six colors. Cool.
Every time we think that it might be cool to try kitesurfing, subtle little reminders like this video of 26-year-old Kevin Kearney trying to ride Tropical Storm Fay in Fort Lauderdale, Florida set us straight.
Emergency workers rushed to the scene where Kevin laid on the ground after slamming into the side of a building – and he is now listed in critical condition.
In the VIP room Wes Miller was playing smooth classic hits on his ukelele, Jesse Billhauer was rolling, Jim Kempton was signing copies of his book Surfing: The Manual: Advanced, while Randy Rarick and Spencer Croul were talking story. Everyone else was checking out the old boards and grabbing a bite.
The San Diego law firm of Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps has “formed an “action sports” practice to provide legal services to surfers, skaters, snowboarders and others who are starting their own companies.
Attorneys in the San Diego firm’s new practice area — many of whom participate in the sports themselves — will work in collaboration with other practice groups, such as business, intellectual property, tax and estate planning, product liability, real estate and labor and employment.
There’s not a lot of obvious attitude here. . . . She does, however, have a depth, as her lyrics suggest, and she mused recently about her drifting friends and her hope for the future. “I’m kind of ready for the whole marriage and kids thing,” she said. Or at least, “something bigger than what it is now,” she added.
Glenn Crisp, a 33-year-old physical therapist from Corpus Christy, Texas kept surfing after getting hit by a stingray. Now he’s got Vibrio vulnificus, the flesh eating virus.
As of Thursday afternoon, doctors had removed decaying flesh from his inner and outer thigh, his inner and outer calf and from the top of his left foot, in their attempt to relieve swelling and to stop the spread of the infection.
In 2007 26 people got the virus and seven of them died. Crisp, who is on anti-biotics is still in the hospital and doctors don’t know how long he will remain there.
In Billabong’s financial report today they announced the following: net profit of AUS$176.4 million, up from AUS$167.3 million a year ago.
