JB ONeil leaving CWB/Connelly?
 

Met this guy a couple of years ago and CWC in the Philippines. He’s such a down to earth guy. I’ve been stoked to see him putting in the time and risking his life to put up great stuff on a regular basis. I just noticed that he’s no longer on the Connelly website. Anyone heard anything?

Seems like CWB has lost two of their heavier hitters. They must be struggling.

He did some pretty wild things last year, I couldn't imagine him leaving without another deal. I am sure something will come out sooner than later.

It looks like he joined Hyperlite.

https://www.facebook.com/HyperliteWa...6258290053982/

Congrats to JB on the Move to Hyperlite!

CWB lost two big influential players. JB and Tyler Higham.

I don't know if CWB is struggling. I've been involved with the CWB team since 2004 and they have alway run more lean financially than their competitors. They do run on less budget. They seem to hedge their bets on a couple of top riders every 3-4 years and stick with them. Their last big investments were JT and TI.

he moved from cwb to hyperlite? and he still rides that good? you mean it really doesn't matter what mfgr board you use? next you gonna tell me there is no tooth fairy?

Shaun Murray can ride a 2X4 (or a bucket) so it's obvious boards don't matter.

Everybody knows that all you need to do to ride like the pros is go buy a G23 or Xstar or Supra. :D

Congrats JB!

More like Gs and Bu's :)) jk

Im betting on more of a move to focus on Surf/Skim products, so shift in budget..us old wakeboarding dinosaurs are becoming extinct and the new surf revolution is taking over lust like wakeboarding killed skiing and Cable parks shifted from boat sales and now surfing is the new kid on the block..

Kudos to JB he deserves sponsorship he rips with style and amplitude both cable and boats..

Aren't CWB, Hyperlite, Liquid Force and O'Brien all owned by the same parent company (Kent)? Wouldn't moving from CWB to Hyperlite be more like transferring departments in a company than riding for a "New" company?

BTW, JB absolutely rules. Been watching this kid come up for years and his edit this year was all time.

LW, we are different companies while we all share a parent company and work together we run separate from one another. I'm stoked to be working with JB, dat boy good!

If anyone would have insight into how Kent overseas it's businesses it would be Greg Nelson. Pretty rad to have him pipe in this thread. Not sure how many people currently on Wakeworld understand how much we owe to Greg! The OG of OG's!

Quick History lesson-
http://unionwakeboarder.com/look-back-greg-nelson/

Totally Cool to have Greg Nelson comment, I remember watching you in videos like "Spray". These videos helped define wakeboarding, thanks for all you have done for the sport and the industry.

I didn't start wakeboarding till around 2004, but I can only imagine how cool it was to be riding pro when the industry was just starting out and evolving. You guys must have felt like rockstars.

Funny you should say that LW, and I did but only in our space, it was a great time. I think the films and mags gave Wakeboarding life and it was great to be a part of it. Appreciate the nod Andy and still want nothing but the best for our sport. I feel supporting JB is a benefit to the sport and of course to Hyperlite. #iRideHyperlite -HAHA

Looks like JB's departure made way for Steel Lafferty. Bummed to lose JB, but Steel is a beast! Pumped to see him on a CWB.

Just a little feedback. Correct me if i am wrong.

If you go to this website. http://www.liquidforce.com/wakeboards.html
And click mens.

You get a list of 19 wakeboards. And there is no way to filter to boat, or cable..is there? So you supposed to read about every board and keep it straight? And don't tell me to call or go to dealer. Dealers are too far away...And your people that answer the phone don't know all the boards.

Then you go to http://www.hyperlite.com/en/products/wakeboards and it is a little better. You have signature cable, legion, and byerly sections. 17 boards. Be reminded that "legion" will mean nothing to a noob, who i guess you expect to figure out by the prices are not pro rider boards...And it is not readily appearant why byerly would be separate. Unless again you read about every board.

So my point is you got too many boards and your websites generally suck, and I have emailed your company liquid force for help to which are boat boards, and no one even responded.

Over the years you have headed toward becoming become conglomerates, with worse and worse service, somehow believing that more choices makes you better. And I for one in this day and age prefer more personalized service, and don't need the quantity of choices you offer. Especially in an industry where you are paying big dollars for something that "in general" you can't return after you use.

I hope you can figure out how to reinvent yourself in a meaningful way rather then just rebranding. The new connolly stuff if you look closely look the same as the cwb bindings i bought like 4 or 5 years ago. Yeah, you expect your customer not to know that. The bases are the same, the fittings to attach to board are the same, the texture of the materials are same...So not impressed...

Yep...

^ buy slingshots and humanoids instead of these china foam pop outs

Simple...

You should know, slingshot moved their board manufacturing to China also now. Staring with the 2018 line. Was very seriously bummed to hear this, I was so proud to be riding a made in the USA product, and at the time still paying less than Ronix and LF. $369 for a pro level board was not bad. Now their base boards are about $400and they probably cut their cost way down moving overseas. Guess it would be time to invest in SLingshot if one could.

Without a doubt I would like to see products made in the u.s. But in this particular case what set me off is the hypocrisy of the ersatz re branding.

I was purposefully inflammatory - albeit honest - to see if vp marketing guy had the balls to even respond.


“We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve.”
– Bill Gates

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”
– Ken Blanchard

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”
– Winston Churchill

“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”
– Elbert Hubbard

“If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time – a tremendous whack.”
– Winston Churchill

They’re not manufacturing in China.

They’re manufacturing at GST in dubai where they may about half of the snowboards on the market.

And even though they’re not USA made, they’re not made out of, or from, the same cookie cutter crap the Kent brands are.

Then you have humanoids which are seriously awesome, rider owned, USA made products

And ronix’s break way too easy because they use foam that’s too thin and not enough glass so they can pitch the boards as super light. You’re not gonna notice a lb under your feet, trust me. They’re the same construction as the conglomerate otherwise, just more fragile.

Sorry to report the Humanoid bindings are made in China. Says so right on the box. I think the boards, however are made in U.S.

From their website:
High fives & fist bumps. You won’t find cheap wood and dead plastic inside our boards. Instead, we built a factory right here in the USA and invested in high quality & lively materials. You’ll get groundbreaking performance and durability delivered right to your door. Pros love them. Beginners love them. Join us and get USA’s most durable, performance driven brand at the best price.

https://www.kentwatersports.com/brands

Back to topic on hand, anyone listen to the Golden Mic podcast JB episode that just came out? I think it's worth a listen on your next commute etc. http://noiseofthenorth.com/goldenmic-ep89/

All bindings from anyone are made in Taiwan/China.

Yes their boards are made in FL

Are you seriously calling out Greg Nelson? Go read a book...or at least read the article Andy posted.
http://unionwakeboarder.com/look-back-greg-nelson/

Super pumped for JB. He has been killing it for a while. Hopefully Hyperlite gives him the support he needs to stay on his path of destruction.

What's Up WW,
Bummed my comment took this thread in a different direction, I should have kept it to showing how stoked I was to be working with JB.

Scott, if you have other topics you want to discuss I'm happy to chime in, let's just do it - Start a new Thread!

Always need feedback!
-Greg Nelson

damn right, i am calling him out. why wouldn't i... i am an equal opportunity pita.

i already gave you greg a perfect opportunity to respond and you swung missed with your insipid deflection.

your asking me to start a new thread. why didn't you post your response if you have one in your own new thread...lame...non answer...

bring it!!

in all honesty, i am guessing you are a perfectly nice vp marketing that actually has been given nothing new to market and sell by a group of lame ass companies...sorry, but since you probably make more money per year then me i don't really give a darn about you...

^^ you sound like a crybaby kook.

So for you probable income is defining whether you care about someone or not. Sweet...! Glad I make less than you, so you must love me then! :)

But, where the hell is this thread going anyway?! JB rocks!

Scott, you need to take your "Political correctness at the door" attitude back to the non-wake discussion homeboys. This is wakeboarding. We appreciate good discussion and good vibes. Hijacking a thread with your poorly informed rants makes you seem like a jerk. If you have a question, start another thread. If you already know everything, start your own wake brand and show us how much more you know than: Wake Tech, Double up, Mutiny, Company, Full-tilt, Rusty, Sound, Millennium, Blindside, Labal, Free Motion, Neptune, Stinger. Like it or not, Kent has managed to keep its brands alive while others, many of them great companies, have passed away.

Greg, your input and insight is always appreciated here. I can't wait to see the gnarly stuff you and JB do together.

Thanks for the above, good stuff.

But rather then giving me work direction like he is my manager, I am curious to see if Greg can create his own thread (or have an admin asst create one for him) and actually respond to the concerns I posted.

I have found that no one above director level takes personal risk in companies. At VP level and above the risk is too high, the salaries and the family supported keep individuals from being honest.

My question is, What can Greg do for you regarding the Liquid Force and Connelly brands? He works for Hyperlite not any of the other mentioned brands. As stated above, and my personal experience in the industry, While these brands are under Kent Sporting they are all operated at an individual level. I'm sure Greg would be one of the first guys to reach out and help regarding any problem at Hyperlite. As far as the web design goes for each website. Most companies outsource this once a year to a web design company or individual. So to make the fixes you are worried about would take time and money. I'm sure these companies will take notice and apply these changes in any update and next years re-launch if they feel there is a big enough demand

Anyyywaysssss. Hyperlite team was already stacked. Good for JB, seems like he works pretty hard for it and is very deserving

JB's youtube channel is legit. Definitely worth a follow if you're a water sports enthusiast.

I appreciate Greg Nelson keeping it classy and trying to prevent a thread about JB going a different direction.

I wish all the best to all the pros like JB and people at the wake companies for continuing to push the sport and make great product.

Since Greg is on here. Thanks Greg, for your work on the water and off the water.

I am certainly enjoying it. What a great sport. There's nothing I'd rather do.

yo scott, you gotta chill out man! It's a wakeboard. This isn't a rocket ship headed to Mars.

Bummed to hear mfg. headed overseas

JB rips, he switched sponsors great, hyperlite’s team is “stacked” but whatever, this isn’t a team sport.

This doesn’t make me any less likely to buy cwb or more likely to buy hyperlite. Good now that’s out of the way and we already derailed this thread...


Hold on... you do realize that Kent is the reason, or was at least partially responsible for pushing several of those companies have moved out of wake or gone out of business, right?
They sued company wake into oblivion...

Just quietly - Double up still exist and make some excellent products. Been riding their bindings since 2010 (upgrading every couple of seasons). :)