3 cool action sports companies in San Marcos
Apr 11, 2019 - Bernadine Locsin
With year round sunshine and arguably some of the world’s best beaches, San Diego is basically a breeding ground for action sports enthusiasts. Its proximity to the mountains even allows you to surf in the morning and snowboard in the afternoon. Why would anyone want to do that? Because, when you live in San Diego, you can.
As the hometown of world renowned athletes, like Tony Hawk and Shawn White, it’s no surprise that San Diego is also home to many action sports companies constantly innovating the gear you need to go further and faster. They’re not just located along the coast either. Here are 3 action sports companies located in the Innovate78 city of San Marcos.
1. Christenson Surf Boards
Chris Christenson is one of the world’s premier surfboard shapers, and he runs Christenson Surfboards out of his shop in San Marcos. All surfboards are hand-shaped on site, many of which are custom orders. Chris has been making these coveted surfboards for decades and has also applied his craft to snowboard design.
2. Ocean Reef
You might have seen Ocean Reef make headlines after donating the diving masks used to save a youth soccer team trapped in a flooded cave in Thailand last year. So why would a global ocean-based company work out of this inland city in North County?
Ocean Reef Operations Manager Lynne Dunn Snow says, “We assemble our diving masks here in San Marcos and sell them all over the world, so from a logistics standpoint, we like that the city is near major freeways. And beyond that, we feel that the city values us. We’ve developed technology that has significantly advanced the scuba diving and snorkeling industries, and the City has recognized us with innovation honors for that. That’s one of the many ways we feel valued here.”
Photo from by Hayne Palmour IV | San Diego Union Tribune.
3. Eminent Cycles
Eminent Cycles is comprised of mountain bikers and professional engineers who are passionate about riding. They design and assemble everything in San Marcos and is already making its mark on the industry. Sales and Marketing Manager Paul Cusick says. “We were attracted to the fact that San Marcos has a built-in cycling community and an amazing system of trails where we can test ride all our bikes. We can even offer customers test rides right out our back door on the local trails.”
Photo from Eminent Cycles Instagram.
Action sports continue to be a huge part of the San Marcos community and will no doubt attract more companies to grow and scale from there. San Marcos Economic Development Manager Tess Sangster says, “San Marcos embraces innovation and many of our action sports companies are charting new territory. We are proud to be one of San Diego County’s Live Well communities, which means placing an importance on active lifestyles. These companies support that priority.”
Learn more on about these cool San Marcos-based companies on the City of San Marcos website here.