ABOUT US
FOUNDED IN SOUTH FLORIDA - EST 2013
OUR MISSION
To deliver exceptional products and services that enhance the lives of our customers while maintaining the highest standards of quality and integrity.
OUR VISION
To become a leading force in our industry, recognized for innovation, sustainability, and customer satisfaction across all markets we serve.
OUR STORY
Founded with a passion for excellence, we've grown from a small startup to a trusted name in the industry, always staying true to our core values.
Brandon Kennedy
Surfboard Trading Co. was founded by Brandon Kennedy in 2013 with a simple belief: quality surfboards shouldn’t be out of reach for everyday surfers. What started as an idea to offer better boards at fairer prices has grown into a team of 25 people and a brand reaching surfers and surf shops across the country and beyond. More than a decade later, Brandon remains hands-on in nearly every part of the business—from new board designs and product development to working with customers, retailers, artists, and manufacturing partners. His approach has stayed the same since day one:build products we’re proud of, treat people right, and never lose sight of why we started.
How It Started
Surfboard Trading Co. started in 2013 with a simple idea: make great surfboards more accessible. What began small—built around a genuine love for surfing, surfboards, and the culture that surrounds them—slowly grew board by board and customer by customer. We weren't backed by investors or built by a large company. We were a small, family-run business learning as we went, focused on designing boards we were proud of and giving people more for their money. Over the years, Surfboard Trading Co. has grown from those humble beginnings into a brand carried by surf shops across the country and beyond, while staying true to the same idea we started with: build great-looking, well-made surfboards at a price that gets more people on the water. More than a decade later, we're still independently owned, still hands-on, and still excited every time one of our boards finds a new home.
The Problem
Surfboard Trading Co. started in 2013 because I saw a problem:new surfboards were selling for $1,200 or more, and that just felt out of reach for a lot of people.I believed you shouldn't have to choose between a quality surfboard and a fair price. There was room for something different—well-built, great-looking boards made with quality materials, without the inflated price tag. What started as an effort to fill that gap grew one board and one customer at a time into Surfboard Trading Co. More than a decade later, that same idea still guides us:build quality surfboards, price them fairly, and make surfing more accessible.
What We Do
Today, Surfboard Trading Co. has grown into a team of 25 people who all play a part in bringing our boards from an idea to the water. From designing and developing new shapes to production, sales, marketing, and getting boards into surf shops and the hands of surfers, our team has grown alongside the brand. Even at 25 people, we still operate with the hands-on mentality of the small business we started as. We care about the details, we know our customers, and we stand behind what we make.We’ve grown a lot since 2013, but we haven’t lost sight of why we started.
What’s Next
We’re just getting started. The next chapter of Surfboard Trading Co. is about pushing beyond what a surfboard company is expected to be. We’re expanding our private label program, partnering with artists, photographers, and other creatives to build boards that blur the line between something you ride and something you hang on the wall, and continuing to explore new materials, designs, and ideas that keep surfboards exciting.
But growth also gives us the opportunity to do more for others. Giving back has always been something we prefer to do behind the scenes—supporting people and organizations in our own community, as well as surf communities in parts of the world where resources and opportunities are far more limited than what we have here in the United States. We don’t do it for recognition. We do it because surfing has given us a lot, and we believe part of growing Surfboard Trading Co. is finding meaningful ways to give some of that back.