Boardworks named Andrew Valentine sales director and promoted Rick Gravesen to sales rep for Southern California.

The surf and standup paddleboard company said it brought on Valentine to drive the company’s aggressive growth plan, initiated immediately following its acquisition by Confluence Outdoor. As director, he will be responsible for global sales strategy and implementation across all retail channels and will directly lead the Boardworks independent rep network.

Valentine will report directly to Shelly Moore, vice president of sales for Confluence Outdoor.

Born in Zimbabwe, Valentine grew up competitively surfing in South Africa. He brings a deep-rooted passion for action sports and 14 years of industry experience to Boardworks. Most recently, he was the East Coast sales coordinator for Spy Optic. Previously, he served as regional sales manager for Dragon and held sales positions for Reef/Xcel Wetsuits and No Fear apparel.

Since 2013, Gravesen has served in a variety of dealer support roles from logistics to retailer demos and events. As the newly appointed sales rep for Southern California, Gravesen will report to Andrew. Like Andrew, he is an avid surfer with deep-rooted ties to California’s surf and SUP community.

“We are thrilled to have Andrew lead the sales organization to drive market share growth and retail expansion,” said Moore. “He brings solid expertise in defining long-term strategy, product and market knowledge, and proven leadership ability in building a high-performance sales organization. Rick’s promotion was a natural next step in enhancing his relationships with the Southern California dealer community and ensuring an ongoing, high-level of dealer support.”

Boardworks is actively searching for a new sales rep for Northern California.

Based in Carlsbad, CA, Boardworks designs and manufactures surfboards, standup paddle boards, paddles, and accessories. Along with the Boardworks branded products, Boardworks manufactures and distributes surfboards and SUP boards for some of the world’s premier brands including Infinity, Badfish Standup Paddle, Morrelli & Melvin, Hynson, Strive, and Hansen using our proprietary construction technologies.

Boardworks parent company Confluence Outdoor or Greenville, SC also owns the Wilderness Systems, Perception, Dagger, Mad River Canoe, Harmony and Adventure Technology paddle sport brands.