By David MacDonald R ed Paddle Co first hit the water in 2008 in the UK as “a bit of an idea,” Andrew said with still-suspended dis- belief and a chuckle from his Vancouver office. “The sport was new when our co-founder John Hibbard brought the idea of an inflatable SUP to a fledgling market and a lot of people thought it was a silly idea. No one dreamed that a board that required an air pump and can be carried in a suitcase-size travel bag would be able to withstand lakes and rivers – let alone the ocean.” “I think that we are looking at the paddle boarding world differently than anyone else out here.” Thanks in part to their Tech Air manufacturing processes and MSL board construction – an industry- leading process that is overseen at the company’s private facility – Red Paddle Co is the SUP brand to beat. The benefits of the “MSL Fusion process,” Andrew explained, are numerous. “We’re the only company in the world making inflatable SUPs this way. Our process gives you a lighter but stable SUP, greater stiffness at lower pressures which means less pumping and more paddling, enhanced durability, and a But they can.
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2018 122
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