Board 17

Board #17

9'6" Hollow Fir / Cedar Longboard

June '07 -

The 9'6" is a commissioned board...

While I was on my way to Ireland to teach the "How To Class" I received this e-mail...

-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Jay Leopold"

Hi Paul,

I have a question for you. I'll try to keep it brief, which is a challenge for me. I'm with DPR Construction Inc., a young progressive large General Contractor that, like yourselves, is considered a maverick in an otherwise unprogressive industry. In fact, a recent business book entitled "Mavericks at Work" highlights 42 companies in different industries that are re-writing the rules as to how business ought to be done and we were fortunate enough to get featured as one of those companies. With that background (you can see more about us at www.dprinc.com ), here's the scoop.

I have responsibility for our San Diego office (we do about $200 million annually here), and I'm remodeling the lobby area for several reasons, one of which is to better express our very strong culture by making an unmistakable statement about our core values. We have four of them, and they are for real. Integrity, Uniqueness, Ever Forward, and Enjoyment. This strong cultural statement is going to be done with surfboards...one for each statement that embodies the essence of our core values. For instance, for integrity, there will be Greg Noll's "Duke" board, a hand shaped Koa board representative of that era of surfing. It smacks of integrity, as does Duke.

My homework has led me to Paul Jensen surfboards as a strong possibility for one of the other four boards, all of which will be prominently displayed in our lobby area in a pretty special way. From what I can tell, one of your boards could be perfect for our core value of Uniqueness (defined by us as follows: We must be different from and more progressive than all other construction companies; we stand for something). There's no questioning the innovative spirit of your boards. I'm actually intrigued because I was looking for something reflective of Tom Blake's innovative hollow wooden surfboards from the 30's and kind of gave up, and then I came across your company. Your boards look beautiful, and they as well as your company seem to be extremely innovative.

I'm interested in the 10'4" or 9'8" waterlogged (my Greg Noll Duke board is also a 10' 0"). I guess my ultimate question is that if this is the road I go, what are the chances of getting one? The catch is that we have an Open House on May 10. Is there a way to get one by then if I were to go this route? I'm pretty excited about what we're up to and how one of your boards might fit in to my plan here. I think it'd be very cool for you guys and very cool for us.

Sincerely,

Jay Leopold

My reply...

Hi Jay...

Thanks for that...

I gotta keep this short, I'm between flights at JFK NY...Today will have me in London, finally in Ireland where I'll be till May 13...Teaching a "How To" Class...

Unfortunately I can't get you a board in time...I am sorry, really...But your description of what your company is and the direction you are heading sounds like someone I'd like to display one of my boards...

I'll have time in Ireland to get back to you and we can move forward, if you can wait...

Paul

Jay writes...

Paul

Thanks for finding a way to get back to me in the midst of your travels.

Missed you in JFK by a day. So I totally understand, but I also don't want to give up. I'm in this for the long haul. What chance do I have of just getting my hands on a loaner for the May 10 event we're having? If I could figure that out, I could get thru that one evening with the story told and then just hold that space blank and wait until I get the real thing. Sorry to press....just looking creatively at ways to pull this off. Wish I'd found you earlier. My bad but what the heck...better late than never. Let me know if you think there's a way to temporarily display one of your boards for a day. Good luck on your travels.

Jay

I get back to Jay...

Jay...

The ONLY boards I have that are available are in Washington State...I CAN arrange for THAT to happen...I need to have a friend in Washington State ship it to you...It's not that big of a deal...

The board is my latest, the 8' quad fish...

Let me have as much notice as possible, so I can pull some strings from this side of the Atlantic...

Paul

Jay's response...

Paul

I'm in!

If we can borrow the quad fish until we can round up a permanent solution, that'd be fantastic.

I'm pumped and really appreciate you making an effort to work this out from the other side of the pond. I think
you will be glad you did this.

You're in good company. The other 3 boards are as follows:

Integrity: The Greg Noll Duke board
Ever Forward: a Gerry Lopez Patagonia board
Enjoyment: A Robert August Wingnut model board (a la Endless Summer)
Uniqueness: One of your boards

If you're in, so am I! Thanks again for being responsive Paul.

Jay

The next few days I made arrangements with "my people" to get the quad fish to San Diego well in time for their Open House...

From Jay...

Paul

Just wanted you to know that the board made it here safe and sound last week.

Looks perfect in it's display, which I checked out today. Going to hang it for the Open House on Wednesday when I have the plaques that go with it.

Thanks again for making it happen. We can talk about long term solutions when you get back from Ireland, which sounds like has been incredible.

Thanks again for coming through!

Jay

One more from Jay...

Paul,

Just wanted you to see how our core values corridor came out, and the company your board is in. We had a few hundred folks here last night for our annual Open House and this whole thing with the four boards was a huge hit. Thanks so much for working with me. We have a lot of surfers in our business circle and folks loved your board and the story it told. Below is what I wrote up and put on the acrylic sign in front of your board. Just for context, below are the other 3 core values and descriptions of why I chose the boards I did.

UNIQUENESS. We must be different from and more progressive than all other construction companies; we stand for something. - Adapting a technology originally developed by surfing pioneer Tom Blake in the 1930’s, Paul Jensen now makes these hollow wood boards as an alternative to the industry’s traditional surfboards. Using wood and carbon fiber, these surfboards are unique not only in their construction and appearance but in their performance.

EVER FORWARD. We believe in continual self-initiated change, improvement, learning and the advancement of standards for their own sake. - This board was shaped by legendary surfer Gerry Lopez for Patagonia, a company known for setting the standard in their industry, as did Gerry at Pipeline. Using alternative materials such as EPS (extruded polystyrene) foam, their innovations have resulted in surfboards that are lighter, stronger, more durable, and better for the environment.

INTEGRITY. We conduct all business with the highest standards of honesty and fairness; we can be trusted. - This board, a replica of a Duke Kahanamoku 1910 surfboard, was hand carved from Koa by legendary surfer and big wave pioneer Greg Noll and his son Jed. Duke, the consummate waterman of his era, is revered for his unsurpassed skill as well as his unassailable character. The Duke is synonymous with integrity.

ENJOYMENT. We believe work should be fun and intrinsically satisfying; if we are not enjoying ourselves, we are doing something wrong. - Robert August and “Wingnut” are best known for traveling the globe in their quest for the perfect wave in the “Endless Summer” movies. This surfboard, the “Wingnut” model shaped by Robert August, personifies their belief and ours that work can and should be fun and fulfilling .

Thanks again for accommodating my tight time line. When you’re back in the states and can talk, let’s sort out where to go from here. I definitely want one of your boards to take up permanent residence in this spot and would like to figure out options/timing etc..

Sincerely,

Jay

So, now that Jay had a placeholder, I went to work to create a special board...