KANUK BOARD CO
Kelowna, Thompson-Okanagan
KANUK BOARD CO
Kelowna, Thompson-Okanagan
Kanuk Board Co is a family run business that was started in 2017 by the Anderson family, who turned their passion for Wakesurfing into a worldwide Wakesurf brand that people know and love in over 48 countries and growing! Kanuk Board Co builds "ultra performance" wake surf and wake skim boards based in Kelowna, BC. Traditional surfboard construction techniques and methodologies are deployed alongside rider-tested and rider-proven proprietary designs that offer a higher level of performance and progression for riders of all ages and abilities. Focused on developing surfboard technology that allows for aggressive trick progression and increased stoke levels, Kanuk has built a reputation of being the best in the industry world-wide. Nowhere is this more evident than in the company of the Kanuk Competition Team that features numerous World Champion athletes and some of the best wakesurfers in the world both male and female. Erik Anderson is the head of the family and also the CEO of Kanuk Board Co. He is joined by his wife of 26 years, Bridget, who runs the Operations of the company and their two kids, Lily and Mats. The company was actually founded around the two Anderson kids - both of whom showed great potential in their teenage years, winning many competitions and awards, including the World Wakesurf Championship and WWA Masters Championship for Lily and numerous top international podium finishes for Mats as well as being named Alberta's Top Developing Athlete in 2018, Growing up on Wood Lake here in the Okanagan, Lily is one of the world's top female professional wakesurf athletes today, having won competitions over the past two years in Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai and the USA. Lily heads up the sales and marketing efforts at Kanuk when she isn't on the water continuing to develop her trick arsenal. Mats attends the University of Victoria majoring in English and Graphic Design and he is responsible for many of the graphic creations on the thousands of boards Kanuk takes to market each year. Kanuk expanded its operations in the Jim Bailey district of Kelowna in 2021 and the team continues to build some of the world's best wakesurf boards from their home in the Okanagan. Kanuk Board Co is a proud Canadian company and the Anderson family is sure to let their customers around the world know that their boards are made from our great Canadian work ethic, innovation and high quality craftsmanship.
Nominations
Read below to find out why they deserve your vote in each category.
People's Choice
Why do you think you should win the Premier’s People’s Choice Award?
Kanuk Board Co was founded in 2017 to support Canadian competitive wakesurf athletes who were looking for an enhanced experience from their wakesurf board. Initially focused on providing Canadian athletes with the world's best wakesurf board technology, Kanuk (which, as you know, is a slang word for 'Canadian') quickly gained an international audience with wakesurfers from all around the world. Fast-forward to 2024 and Kanuk now has customers in 48 countries (and growing!) while also sponsoring the best wakesurf athletes in the world. Kanuk is a family run business, based in Kelowna. The Anderson family of four passionate surf enthusiasts all contribute to the daily management and growth of the business. Erik (the Dad) and Bridget (the Mom) run the sales and operations while their son, Mats, designs some of the best graphics in the industry and their daughter, Lily, remains one of the most talented Professional Wakesurf Athletes on the planet. This family of four have all competed internationally and, in 2023 alone, they visited 13 different countries to promote the sport of wakesurfing. The podium results for Lily in the Pro Division have been quite spectacular. In 2023, Lily won the World Championship Masters Competition in the USA and also took home the gold medal in Japan, Hong Kong and Dubai. In May 2024, Lily won the Japan Wakesurf Championship for the 4th consecutive year and she just returned from London, UK where she won the WWA European Championship. Kanuk employes six Canadians and supports over a dozen athletes from all over the world: Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Dubai, various countries in Europe, Canada and the USA. Kanuk also hires numerous contractors from within BC and across Canada, the USA, Asia and Europe. Kanuk has built a reputation as "the" premium ultra-performance wakesurf board on the market and has validated Canada's reputation for innovation and high-quality craftsmanship. Kanuk is a major force in the competitive wakesurfing industry and is helping grow the sport all over the world. Kanuk boasts thousands of happy customers and has developed an impressive dealer network of more than 65 dealers in 48 countries world-wide. The family and team at Kanuk would be highly honoured to win the Premier's People's Choice Award.
E-Commerce Experience Award
How have you optimized your e-commerce store to create a strong user experience for your community, (through content, education, reviews etc.) and what results have you achieved?
Kanuk has invested many thousands of dollars to develop an industry-leading e-commerce website and social media presence on multiple platforms: Google, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and country-specific internet sites like Redbook and WeChat in Asia. Kanuk has increased web-based sales from 1% in 2020 to more than 15% in 2023. Our target is to grow direct-to-consumer sales to 25% of revenue by 2025 while still supporting our vast dealer network of more than 65 dealers in 48 countries world-wide.
Why do you deserve to win the E-Commerce Experience Award?
Innovation in digital marketing has been key to Kanuk's success since 2017. Founded by an ownership group steeped in the traditions of skateboarding, snowboarding and Ocean surfing, Kanuk has spent thousands of dollars on research and development that has enabled the company to bring the most visually appealing board designs to the market and advertise our product lineup creatively using digital media and e-commerce. Inspired by the tagline #kanukyourself ... Kanuk has branded itself as an edgy, performance-driven company that is always a few steps ahead of the competition. We don't build bland wakesurf boards but rather offer unique, craft-inspired works of art that just so happen to serve as the best ultra-performance wakesurf boards on the planet. It is not easy to stay in front of design trends and digital advertising, but the passion the Kanuk team brings to the business is evident from the high degree of customer satisfaction and stoke levels our customers bestows upon us every year.