By Dylan Beach and Firewire Surfboards
Listen to ‘The Wire’ here
The team at Firewire Surfboards have decided to do new things in 2017. Whether exploring new construction methods to create Timbertek surfboards or experimenting with shape to create the Vanguard, their goal has always been to improve the surfing experience year over year for all surfers – everywhere – while also improving the ecofriendlienss of surfboard production.
Saying that, beginning 2017, the team are improving more than just surfboards. At the start of the year they released ‘The Wire’– a podcast developed by Firewire Surfboards that explores different aspects of surf, sustainability, innovation, the industry and products.
Episode #1 will introduce you to someone who you’ve likely never met before. His name is Jess Ponting, and he’s a fascinating example of how one can align their interests as a surfer with their career and work.
Jess is the Director of The Center for Surf Research at San Diego State University, and as the first person on earth to ever earn a Ph.D. in Sustainable Surf Tourism Management, he is also the co-founder of Stoke Certified; the world’s first sustainability certification program for surf and ski tourism operators.
What all this means is that he spends much of his time teaching and promoting sustainability in many exotic surfing destinations you’ve heard of. Places like Papua Nu Guinnea, Indonesia, Fiji and more.
He is also very loved by his students at SDSU. A former student who now manages the Scorpion Bay Hotel in Mexico says that; “Jess’ energy at SDSU has opened doors for many students in sustainable tourism management, and helped many of us succeed in ways we hadn’t imagined possible.”
In episode #2 you’ll drop in on a conversation with someone you likely already know well – Mark Price, the CEO of Firewire. What makes Mark unique is that he knows the size of the pond he wants to swim in. He’s had opportunities to chase success outside of the surf industry, but he has never left the beach, and his resume reads like a laundry list of surf brands that have inhabited surfers closets for years – Gotcha, Rip Curl, Reef and more.
This conversation covers much, like:
– The book that had the biggest impact on Mark’s life
– His strategy for living happily as a pessimist
– Why you should listen to The Smith’s (his second favorite band)
– How financial success can result from acting socially and environmentally responsibly and much more than that.
Whether you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or just someone who loves surfing, you’ll find this episode useful as a toolkit for navigating buzzwords like “sustainability’ and “environmentally friendly’.
Listen to ‘The Wire’ here
