(2015 ☆ ARCHIVED) Confluence Outdoor - USA

CONFLUENCE OUTDOOR (USA) - Nominee for the 2015 Industry Professional award.

Website: www.confluenceoutdoor.com

Confluence Outdoor is the result of the blending of nine unique watersports brands: Wilderness Systems, Perception, Dagger, Wave Sport kayaks, Mad River Canoe, Adventure Technology paddles, Bomber Gear and Harmony accessories, and Boardworks. With a full representation of canoes, kayaks, surf and stand up paddle boards, and paddling apparel and accessories, all ranging from touring and recreational to high-performance whitewater products, the Confluence brands are well suited to fully outfit paddling enthusiasts throughout all phases of their paddling life.

1. Adventure Technology. Manufacturer of kayak paddles.
2. Bomber Gear. Manufacturer of kayaking accessories - including apparel and sprayskirts. Founded in 1992 by Rick Franken in Durango, Colorado. The company relocated to Confluence's former Easley, South Carolina facility when it was acquired by Confluence Watersports in 2010.
3. Dagger Kayaks. Manufacturer of recreational, touring, and whitewater kayaks - including the Alchemy, Axiom, Axis, Katana, Jitsu, Mamba, Mambo, Nomad, Torrent, and Zydeco models. Founded in 1988 based on the success of whitewater and touring kayaks designed by Joe Pulliam.
4. Harmony Gear. Manufacturer of canoe and kayak accessories - including apparel, fishing accessories, life jackets, paddles, and sprayskirts.
5. Mad River Canoe. Manufacturer of recreational, sporting, touring, and whitewater canoes - including the Adventure, Caption, Destiny, Expedition, Explorer, Freedom, Heritage, Journey, Legend, Malecite, Outrage, Reflection, Synergy, Serenade, models. Mad River Canoe was founded in 1971 by Jim Henry and Kay Henry in Vermont. The company's Malecite model was created in the Henry's woodshed, becoming their first model and remaining the company's signature model today.
6. Perception Kayaks. Manufacturer of fishing, recreational, and touring kayaks - including the Carolina, Essence, Expression, Impulse, Prodigy, Tribe, Tribute, and Triumph models. Perception Kayaks was founded by Bill Masters in the early 1970s. The company develops rotational molding of plastic kayaks, reducing the expense and maintenance of kayaks.
7. Wave Sport Kayaks. Manufacturer of recreational and whitewater kayaks - including the Diesel, Ethos, Fuse, Habitat, Mobius, Project, and Recon models. Founded in 1986 by Chan Zwanzig who started by importing the popular Lazer from the United Kingdom. The company began manufacturing the Lazer themselves by 1988 and began creating its own models in the 1990s.
8. Wilderness Systems. Manufacturer of fishing, recreational, and touring kayaks - including the Aspire, Commander, Focus, Pamlico, Pungo, Ride, Tarpon, Tempet, Tsunami, and Zephyr models. Andy Zimmerman and John Sheppard founded Wilderness Systems in 1986 in North Carolina.
9. Boardworks. A premier surf and stand up paddle board company based in Carlsbad, California. Boardworks’ product line includes paddle boards, surf boards, paddles, and accessories under the Boardworks brand name as well as Infinity, Badfish, Morrelli & Melvin, Hynson, Strive, and Hansen.

Except for Boardworks the company operates in a single 300,000-square-foot facility in Greenville, South Carolina, which opened in 2011 and as of 2014 employs over 425 people.

Being nominated for the Industry Professional award appreciates Confluence Outdoor' economy of scale, potential and capability to reach a significant global audience and develop & 'democratise' recreational paddleports.

This is a 2015 archived nominee. Voting has closed.