Posted on 12/08/2005 9:48:16 PM PST by Don@VB
Closure of Calif. surfboard foam company wipes out industry
GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press (this contains excerpts)
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. - For more than 40 years, everyone from casual weekend waveriders to top competitive surfers has shared one thing: Customized boards that began as nondescript foam blocks mass-produced by one Southern California company. Clark Foam, an icon in California surf culture, enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the blocks that have been shaped and hand-painted by everyone from backyard do-it-yourselfers to design shops that churn out thousands of handcrafted boards each year. That's why the company's sudden closure this week has the laid-back and thriving cottage industry fearing a wipeout. In a letter to customers Monday explaining his closure, company founder Gordon "Grubby" Clark said he has increasingly been in trouble with state and local government because of his nonstandard production machinery - most of which he designed himself - and his use of toxic and polluting chemicals such as toulene di isocynate, or TDI. He said he spent $500,000 in fire code fixes, another $400,000 defending himself against an employee's lawsuit and faced buying a multimillion "scrubber" to comply with emissions law. He also battled with the Environmental Protection Agency over pollution issues at his Laguna Niguel-based company. Boards which cost between $300 and $800 have soared by as much as $200 at some smaller shops. Manufacturers are scrambling to secure the last supplies of the polyurethane foam blanks, customers are hoarding custom-made boards and thousands of specialty board shapers, air brushers and workers who coat boards with fiberglass face unemployment almost overnight.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
This guy has been making surfboards/blanks since the late 1950s. It sounds like he is retiring, and closing the business rather than selling it or relocating it.
The owner is 74 yrs. old, and likely just worn out with it all.
I expect somebody will buy him out, which may have been his best option. It would be worth more still up and running, but he might not be "sophisticated" enough to know how to sell it that way. (Or maybe just not willing to admit he is at the end of a long career).
A near monopoly like Clark Foam is a nice business opportunity, and I wager some spreadsheets will be doing overtime.
Aside from foam blanks, the total Surfing industry is much bigger. Stores, apparel, finished boards, magazines, films, accessories, etc.
That is my take, from here in Surf City (Huntington Beach).
You mean out of America?
Certainly, through Christmas, almost no shop is offering custom boards. In a twist of fortune, longtime competitor Walker Foam in Wilmington is now in the driver's seat. Owner Harold Walker, who opened his shop in Los Angeles County about the same time as Clark, has just opened a new factory in China.
You notice it doesn't say he opened a new factory in Nevada, Arizona, or Tennessee?
You can have your "Surf City" title. Santa Cruz still has better waves. :-)
It was a lot bigger on our local news (Hawaii) than most mainland job issues/plant closings are.
I am sick and tired of looking out into the water and seeing surfers. Replace them with oil rigs!
A victory for the Red Diaper-Doping Babies
I wonder how many of the surfer crowd are also eco-weanies who parrot the 'green' line.
Be careful of what you ask for.
"Local and federal officials said Clark was in compliance with all laws and rejected the claim they were to blame for his demise."
Hmmmmm
Just heard about the bad news last night, via visiting friends from California.
I can't believe the environazi's have hit a big one on an entire industry, let alone culture.
I wonder if Surfrider Foundation has anything to say about it?
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