Lincoln Canoe & Kayak, 50-year-old flagship paddling brand, has been acquired by a group of outdoor and paddlesports industry veterans led by Marc Bourgoin, a 20-year paddlesports professional with experience at
all levels of the industry. Terms were not disclosed.

Bourgoin has served as a guide, as a business owner, and most
recently as a sales representative for Northeast Outdoor Sports, which
exclusive supports Johnson Outdoors.

The group also includes Ponch Membreno, a 15-year outdoor retail
specialist whose experience includes design and management of retail
operations for Patagonia (Freeport; New York City) and Horny Toad
(Freeport); as well as Ron Bourgoin, who brings two decades of
logistics and operations expertise to the team.

The new owners will take control of Lincoln’s manufacturing facility and retail showroom in Freeport, effective immediately.

“As a group, we want to resurrect the historically powerful Lincoln
brand with new personality, new energy and new ideas,” said Bourgoin.
“And personally, what’s driving me is a desire to get back to the core
of paddling. I want to raise my family as part of the outdoor culture,
not part of corporate America.”

With their 100% made-in-Maine manufacturing facility, Lincoln is certain to appeal to consumers seeking locally made product. It’s also expected to appeal to national retailers at a time when large brands are increasingly reliant on consolidation and offshore manufacturing – and small, high-quality regional brands are rising in prominence.

“A lot of people are looking at the paddlesports industry and wondering ‘where do we go from here?’” said Bourgoin.  “The quality of the product, the community around the brand, the experience of paddling – all those things are being lost at the expense of higher profit margins.   We’re going to change that.”