Kayak Pro – Industry professional of the year 2015
Writer: Tom Collings - Kayak Pro was recognised for the outstanding work they have done commercially and in the paddlesports industry by winning the inaugural Industry Professional Award at the World Paddle Awards near Barcelona on Saturday.
Their invention of the Dragon Trike and Road Kayak has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for the sporting community, enabling paddling enthusiasts the freedom to paddle whenever and wherever they like on the open road.
Owner and brainchild Grayson Bourne, a five-time Olympian, was on hand to receive the golden paddle from Richard Fox and was humbled to receive the award.
“This is a great award for us. We are very proud and humbled by the award,” Grayson said.
Grayson, who is a 67-time British National Champion came up with the idea to start Kayak Pro post his paddling career when he moved from the UK to America.
“For me when I moved to New York it was so cold I couldn’t paddle so I needed to upgrade ergometers, and so that is what we designed first and from there the business just flourished because the result that we got from creating our own ergometers and all of the products that came from this.”
Having now established themselves as the world leader in the innovative conceptual design and production of sport specific equipment and kayaking products, Kayak Pro has a number of exciting projects in the pipeline.
“We have other products that are not related to paddlesports but we also have new designs in terms of new resistance mechanisms which are applicable not only to paddlesports but the whole rehabilitation industry as well so we have some really big stuff that is coming along,” Grayson said.
Kayak Pro have also recently sent their machines to be used at the Rio Olympic Games and is excited about the role Kayak Pro can play in shaping the future of paddlesports.
But for all of their success, Grayson was quick to acknowledge the support of his dedicated team of engineers, designers and like-minded sporting professionals.
“It is never just a one man machine or operation, there are many different people, there are many moving parts to the organisation and for all of those that contribute and bring something to the table at Kayak Pro I really appreciate that,” Bourne said.
He also gave special thanks to Kayak Pro’s loyal customer base which has helped drive the brand forward and to all of those that voted for them to win this award.
“Without our customers spending their hard earned Euros, Dollars and Pounds we’d make no money and we couldn’t continue so I thank those who spend their hard earned money each every day buying our products,”
“I would like to thank all members of the academy that voted for Kayak Pro, I really appreciate it and for the thousands of people from the public voted for us as well, I have no idea where those votes came from but I just thank you all for voting for us, I really appreciate it.”
For all winners click here.