Back to the boardroom

Burleigh company BASE has landed a lucrative deal with surf industry giant Rip Curl. John Cross gives us the background on the business milestone.

When did BASE get off the ground?

BASE stands for Boards and Surf Equipment and represents a conglomerate of surfboard shaper brands and businesses. The group represents five internationally recognised surfboard brands and commenced in business together in June 2003.

Why Surfboards?

Surfboards and surfing is what we know and represents our lifestyle and passion. As a group, we have combined more than 100 years of making surfboards - for the world's top surfers through to the recreational surfer.

What were some early challenges?

The challenges of merging a number of established businesses and brands and starting a new business, BASE, were extensive. One of the most significant challenges was the sorting of fact from fiction around the market position of the individual surfboard brands.

In this critical time it is also important to produce a high-quality product and deliver it to the market within acceptable times. This creates challenges to manufacturing at a large scale and across management of required outcomes. Predictability of scales, profitability and cash flow is difficult on merger and like most merger businesses, the level of capitalisation required is constantly changing.

How important is it to have top-ranking surfers on your boards?

Top-ranking surfers play two important roles in our business. Firstly and most importantly, they connect our brands to the market through market recognition. Secondly, they drive us to provide cutting-edge design and the best quality. They have no tolerance for a poorly shaped and finished board.

Where do you source inspiration for board design?

The inspiration for board design comes from surfing, surfing and surfing. Our shapers are engineers, technicians, designers and live surfing. This has been their life passion since they were in their teens.

What are some of BASE's proudest achievements?

We came together to keep the Australian surfboard industry alive from the threat of Chinese imported surfboards. We are now a leader in our industry at an international level and export half of our surfboards around the globe.

We now have a reputation for the best-quality high performance surfboards in the world. In the international WCT and WQS so far this season, our shapers have shaped winning boards. We have also halved the accepted supply time to our customers through large, in-time manufacturing and full vertical integration.

Can you detail some exciting deals or contracts you've signed of late?

We have opened another two retail stores in Australia in the past six months. We have also signed a three-year deal to supply surfboards internationally to one of the big three surf companies. We now supply to two out of three of the largest international surf companies.

What does the future hold for the company?

The future is exciting as the industry is growing and more and more people are surfing. Although we have the top international shaper brands, we are still a small part of a large, fragmented market. We believe we are the first to market with an organised vertical integration model which opens up enormous opportunities for growth in a number of directions
within the industry.

How well-respected are Gold Coast businesses in the international market?

The Gold Coast is the headquarters of Billabong Australia and a number of surf industry players. It has produced numerous world-famous surfers and runs the first world circuit event each year. It is world famous for its waves at Kirra Point and Snapper Rocks, or Superbank as it is now called.

It is a destination for world surfers and international surf industry participants.

What's the best part of running a small business?

The best part of running a small business is the ability to meet changes in your industry quickly and efficiently. Large organisations find it difficult to make quick and adequate responses. We can change course quickly whenever the ship needs to. Apart from that, it is fun.

Can you share some advice for budding entrepreneurs?

- You can never do enough homework before you start your venture;

- Don't take your eye off the key indicators in your business/industry.

- Never forget that people are your most important resource and asset;

- Before you venture into any business, make sure you are properly capitalised or have a finance plan; outcomes

- Work in your field of passion.

Dreamworld

THEME park Dreamworld, at Coomera, is proactive when it comes to environmental sustainability, working to ensure the best practices in water, energy and noise conservation. The park recycles materials and uses biodegradable products wherever possible.

The park's chief executive officer, Stephen Gregg, says Dreamworld recycled 15,000 litres of oil, five tonnes of paper, 50 tonnes of metal products, 50 tonnes of steel and three tonnes of plastic material last year.

"We have helped our local environment by planting more than 50,000 trees in the past nine years. Two of these plantations have been established on Gold Coast City Council land, co-operatively managed with our project partners, Gold Coast Water."

In association with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Dreamworld is also involved in a local rescue, treatment and rehabilitation program to help native wildlife.

Other environmental initiatives at Dreamworld include facilitating and funding new research and sharing knowledge and conducting environmental education through its Wildlife for Kids program.