John Vance Is Surftech’s New CEO

by The Editors on May 9, 2016

68a58057-ae4e-4b62-9f53-a21b0732477fToday (May 9, 2016) marks John Vance’s first official day in his new role as CEO of Surftech.

“John has all the leadership elements we were looking for and we know his amazing retail relationships will benefit all. He has a long successful history and deep understanding of the industry and the challenges it faces today and is uniquely qualified to help guide Surftech, NSP and BARK brands to the highest levels in design, innovation, technology and customer satisfaction.” Trent Pedersen, Chairman of Surftech’s Board of Directors.

The industry titan was most recently at Freewaters and has done time at Sanuk and Quiksilver. For the official word from Surftech, please follow the jump.

Industry Veteran John Vance To Join Surftech As New CEO
Surftech announced today that industry veteran John Vance will be joining the company as CEO starting May 9th. “It’s a time of change in the surf hardgoods business. It’s a highly competitive market place and we are deeply committed to investing in Surftech. We conducted a broad search to identify a veteran leader in the surf/paddle sports industry that would be the perfect fit for the company” Trent Pedersen, Chairman of Surftech’s Board of Directors “Our corporate objectives continue to be focused on growth and being the most retail friendly company in the industry. John has all the leadership elements we were looking for and we know his amazing retail relationships will benefit all. He has a long successful history and deep understanding of the industry and the challenges it faces today and is uniquely qualified to help guide Surftech, NSP and BARK brands to the highest levels in design, innovation, technology and customer satisfaction.”

Vance has had a long and very successful career in the action sports holding key executive positions with Quiksilver, Sanuk and most recently Freewaters, bringing a wealth of experience to the team at Surftech.

Vance said, “Anyone who knows me, knows I love surfboards. This opportunity actually brings me full cycle; as my first business venture was building boards under my own label in Ventura County. Even as my career evolved I never lost my love for surfboards. I am extremely excited about the future of all forms of technically advanced watercraft, surf, SUP and everything in between. It’s an exciting time in the board building business with so many forward thinking ideas and technologies being employed in making better and more enjoyable products. I also believe that today’s advanced board technologies and designs play a significantly greater role in driving business into our retail partners’ stores than ever before. When I look at the overall market and the significance of Surftech’s history I clearly see Surftech uniquely positioned to provide the most technically advanced price/value products available today. I look forward to being a part of Surftech’s future.”

About Surftech
Surftech is a global community of surfers, shapers, designers, and craftsmen who are connected through surfing and the pursuit of perfection. For over 25 years we have been pioneering new technologies for surfers around the world. We take immense pride in every board we make, celebrate the millions of waves around the world that have been ridden and look forward to being a part of the lineup for years to come.

Surftech distributes NSP, Surftech, Bark Channel Islands, Robert August, among others

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

alan segal May 15, 2016 at 9:36 am

Since I retired I lost touch with Surftech, but they definitely had weak management at a time when they could have owned the Sup market brand wise. I got them into Amazon.com as the first direct, not third party, SUP supplier around 07, and they pulled the plug, because the paperwork was too complicated for them, and they felt dealing with Amazon.com was too much of a hassle. I suppose Vance wouldn’t have made the same mistake?

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