by The Editors on January 23, 2008
Surfermagazine.com editor Zach Weisberg gets the chance to interview Richard Woolcott about Volcom’s recent purchase of Electric Visual and he only asks three questions. . . really Zach? And you’re calling that an exclusive? Here’s the answer to the first question:
Electric is a company that we have always felt would be a good fit for Volcom when the time was right. When Electric approached us that they were interested in looking for a strategic partner, we rolled up our sleeves and went to work. We believed we were the right company for them and fortunately everything worked out for both of us.
Click the link for the other two insightful, probing questions.
[Link: Surfermagazine.com]
by The Editors on January 22, 2008
A week ago surfer/physicist Garret Lisi’s “Theory of Everything” had the physics world rocking. Hollywood was knocking down his door and things were looking great. However, that has now changed apparently.
Garrett Lisi, an unemployed physicist with no university affiliation who spent his time surfing in Hawaii, had come up with the Holy Grail of science: a theory unifying quantum physics and Einstein’s theory of relativity. . . The media went wild. However, in the last few weeks several physics blogs have uncovered a problem with Lisi’s idea: it doesn’t work.
Just read the story. There is no way we can explain this anyway.
[Link: Telegraph.co.uk]
by The Editors on January 21, 2008
Companies who want to extend their eco-cred are hunting far and wide for people who can help them look green even when they aren’t. Enter Eric Ritz. His company Global Inheritance has helped Fuel TV with their Swerve Festival and more impressively, helped the X Games squeeze onto the eco-marketing bandwagon. ESPN’s Chris Stiepock calls him a “solution-based realist.”
In fact, what Ritz says sets him apart is that he and his “Generation Y audience don’t see big business as the enemy.” Convenient, huh? And so commercial.
[Link: LA Times]
by The Editors on January 18, 2008
Shaun Tomson and Jeremy Gosch’s new film Busting Down the Door will have it’s world premiere January 27, 2008 at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara as part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Combining awe-inspiring and often iconic surf footage from more than 17 surf films, such as Free Ride and Standing Room Only, with insightful and emotional interviews from the key players — be they Hawaiian, South African, or Australian — the film aims to do for the birth of modern surfing what the 2001 documentary film Dogtown and Z-Boys did for the origins of skateboarding several years ago.
While the whole, “do a film about yourself and future the legend” genre of surf movies is getting weirder by the year, this looks like it’s going to be an amazing addition to anyone’s surf film library. Click the link for all the background.
[Link: Santa Barbara Independent]
by The Editors on January 18, 2008
Gold Coast surfing icon Denis Callinan, 53, the “surfing solicitor” died January 16, 2008 from a heart condition, that his “best friend and Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) president Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew said came as a total shock.
This is a complete surprise,” Bartholomew said. . . “He lived a super-healthy lifestyle. . . Icon is the right word,” Bartholomew said. “Denis is a huge part of surfing on the Gold Coast. He’s personally touched the lives of people through his legal work, through his work with different surfing bodies and through charity organisations over the decades and generations. . . . He is really irreplaceable. There could never be another Denis Callinan.”
Our thoughts are with Callinan’s family and friends.
[Link: News.com.au]
by The Editors on January 18, 2008
Volcom is blaming a “weak retail environment” for causing it to lower it’s 2008 financial outlook.
The apparel company now says 10 percent earnings growth and 18 percent revenue growth “are achievable” in 2008. It previously forecast 20 percent growth for profit and sales. . . . Volcom now expects to report fourth-quarter earnings of 29 cents or 30 cents per-share on revenue of $67 million to $68 million. Volcom earlier estimated profit of 30 cents to 32 cents per share and sales of $70 million to $73 million.
[Link: CNNMoney.com]
by The Editors on January 16, 2008
Australian surfer Nic Muscroft doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would wish for anyone to get kicked off the ASP World Championship Tour, but if the ASP decides to sanction Chris Ward for beating up girls in Mammoth, then Muscroft could sneak on to the WCT Tour.
It just depends what happens with him, it could just stretch out for a while, depending on if there’s a court case or whatever,” he said. . . . “If something happens I could get his spot, but I’m not sure what will happen, it will depend if he’s still allowed to compete, I’m really not sure. I haven’t heard anything (official) yet.”
If he is guilty as charged he should of course be pulled off the tour according to ASP rules, but it will be interesting to see if they make that happen.
[Link: Geelong Advertisers]
by The Editors on January 16, 2008
It’s been rumored forever and denied forever, yet strangely today it was officially announced that Volcom, the big, powerful, publicly traded company has purchased tiny, core, eyewear company Electric Visual for $25.5 million in cash. Wooly is happy about it.
Culturally, Electric is a perfect fit for our company,” Woolcott continued. “We’ve known the Electric team for a long time, and we recognize they share the same passion and love for action sports as we do here at Volcom. Our companies are very much on the same wavelength, sharing similarities in product distribution, marketing efforts and a strong commitment to quality and innovation. Everyone here is stoked to welcome Electric into the Volcom family.”
Bruce Beach, who continually denied any such thing likes the idea as well (not surprisingly).
We believe this partnership will enable us to take the Electric brand to the next level,” said Bruce Beach, co-president and chief executive officer of Electric. “We are very excited about working closely with the Volcom team to grow our existing eyewear business and further expand into new product categories. Additionally, this partnership will enable us to grow our retail relationships and to continue to strengthen our operational capabilities.”
And we’re happy because it means we know at least four more millionaires. . . and they’re good people to know.
[Link: BusinessWire]
by The Editors on January 14, 2008
The massive, unruly swell (too ugly for the Eddie) that has been pounding the North Shore of Oahu this week offered up another reason to never turn your back on Mother Ocean. A family was knocked down and washed completely under the road at Rockpiles. Luckily, Michael Borst was driving by at the right time.
“I was driving down the road I seen the wave come up and it washed the two girls and then I heard them screaming, and I pulled over here to the other side of the drain. She washed right to me and I grabbed her and the guy was right behind me and she was scared. I’m still in shock over the whole thing,” rescuer Michael Borst said.
A camera crew from KITV was there and caught it all on video. Click the link to watch the tourist takedown.
[Link: KITV.com]
by The Editors on January 14, 2008
Kelly Slater will be joining George Lopez, Huey Lewis, Carson Daly, Jimmy Fallon, and 384 other amateurs golfers in this year’s Bob Hope Chrysler Classic which begins play on Wednesday January 16, 2008 at four courses in Palm Desert, California.
Pros, teamed with a different three-player amateur team each day, will play a different course each day. The fifth round Sunday, for the low 70 pros and ties only, will be played at Classic Club.
Good luck, Kelly.
[Link: MyDesert.com]
