MAHALO
In the past week we have had two containers arrive here in Hawaii from Outrigger Zone. All the Kaiwa'a Ares and Geminis in these two shipments were sold out and our April shipment coming next month is sold out as well. In fact we have been fortunate enough to have each shipment sell out prior to arriving in Hawaii since November 2016.
While unloading the second container this week here on Maui, my wife, Kealani and I, stopped to reflect on how fortunate and thankful we are for the success of our products and the support we have been receiving from the paddling community both here in Hawaii and around the world. We have paddlers from all over calling, emailing, and posting social pictures and videos showing and telling us how much they enjoy and or love their Ares and Gemini.
We THANK all of you for believing in our designs and loving our product. One of the biggest things we value is allowing our products to speak for themselves. For the people that know me, I'm not a pusher/salesman and I can't bring myself to be that person, it's not who I am. I'm a FRIEND, FATHER, and a HUSBAND and in that there is no place for a salesman. We enjoy selling canoes, don't get me wrong, but we enjoy allowing you to be the judge of what works for you and what doesn't. No fancy words or biased social media posts coming from us, but we are happy to answer any questions you may have about our product or paddling in general.
In December of 2016 I made the long and tough decision to shut down my manufacturing operations on Maui and commit to working closer with Outrigger Zone. This decision wasn't easy as I have always had control over my production and business and would be taking a leap not knowing what the future had in store.
I have watched Outrigger Zones manufacturing evolve over the years to the amazing products they are putting out today. They have worked hard to deliver lighter, faster and stronger canoes and I felt confident stepping out of the shop and allowing OZONE to do majority of my manufacturing. I was also happy to give a young canoe builder, Nate Loyola of Kilakila Watersports, the opportunity to start his own business by licensing our Kaiwa'a designs to be built here in Hawaii as well.
I'm thankful I took this step for several reasons including my health and family. I can now spend more time with my family and pursue more opportunities with future designs. I do miss manufacturing and building a canoe from start to finish but the day in and day out of having my head in a mold isn't missed. I personally have built canoes from 1995 - 2016 and am enjoying this new chapter in my life.
So as I sit here thinking of this past week I want to take the time again to say THANK YOU! Thank you to our long time Kaiwa'a supporters who have bought Kaiwa'a designs over the years, thank you to the new paddlers for giving our Kaiwa'a designs a try. Thank you to everyone who continues to share their stoke and experiences with us about our products. We love hearing from you and enjoying sharing your experiences with everyone.
Thank you from the Bartlett's
Kealani, Lea, Kaiakea and myself
