LF and Obrien done?

wakeriderof87 · Posted: Feb 12, 2003 1:14 pm Post subject:

mellow, what part of tampa, i'm out in the brandon area and while my local shop is awesome, they don't have alot of selection

wakeriderof87 · Posted: Feb 12, 2003 1:17 pm Post subject:

that realy sucks i love my obrien board and was looking forward to trying out the vision or player

mellow24 · Outlaw Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 134 City: Tampa Bay Area

I have spoken with several key people today..and more likely than not funding will be found, but the longevity of either brand is not too sure right now. They are full stocked and ready to ship including our orders which are now just sitting but most likely they will get the money or sell out the entire company, either way this is s huge hit to the industry in every way from shops,riders, and employees. I am pretty sure things will work out in the end, there is way too much money involved to just be lost..

"mecedupinfl" We are located in Tarpon Springs out by Lake Tarpon, and the second location in Tampa is due to open....well we were set to open last week of Feb. first of March.We are still on schedule for the first of March. We will be selling LF,Gator,Hyperlite,Nice..as well as streetwear, (guys/girls), shoes, hats , backpacks, shades, etc... check us out. Definate hook ups let us know about Wakeboarder.Com for sure.!.
813.901.WAKE (9253)

notubers · Newbie Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 40 City: H TOWN

WHEN IN TARPON SPRINGS GO CHECK OUT BLISS BOARD SHOP Twisted Evil

mellow24 · Outlaw Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 134 City: Tampa Bay Area

just too add a bit more Gator Boards will be stepping it up a whole nother notch this year for sure and they are not going any where! as well as signing some new notable riders..sooo keep an eye on them and show some support, youll see them all over the Pro Tour this year as well.....

Bliss Sports

D.S.S.R. · Criminal Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 61 City: Austin, TX

HELL YEAH, If your in Tarpon the ONLY board shop is BLISS SPORTS Exclamation

WakeBoardingManiac · Addict Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 914 City: Montréal

Man, this thread got HUGE just so fast!

quigglymaster · Posted: Feb 12, 2003 8:25 pm Post subject:

it's b/c it's so important to wakeboarding. if LF and obrien go down that could mean that wakeboarding will never recover, it could also mean that it grows crazy b/c the lil companies get some good riders, but i don't know... i will be so pissed if this goes down

wallaced · Newbie Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 7

I decided this would be a better time than ever for me to join this discussion.

I have been reading these posts, and have obviously been feeling some emotion from the responses. To all of you that have been wishing us luck, and have been supportive... thank you very much. It's because of you, and others like you, that we continue to push forward. Jimmy, Tony, Gregg, Shane, Shawn, Emily, Scott, Melissa, Cody H, Cody R, Susan, Josh, Ray, Tino, Thomas, Froggy, Aaron, Jim, Myles, etc... we all love the sport of wakeboarding, and we all love Liquid Force. We are not going to let this die. There are too many good things that have come out of the minds that represent LF.

To those who's posts haven't been very positive, I hope you consider the following...Jimmy and Tony have been perhaps the most influential minds in our sport over the last 10 years. People argue over who did this first, and who did that first, but bottom line is Jimmy and Tony both have made a lot of changes to this sport. Just as Paul O'brien, Herb O'brien, Greg Nelson, Scott Byerly, Darrin Shapiro, Bill McCaffray, and others have done. Just as I wouldn't wish Hyperlite to go out of business, I'd hope you'd wish the same for us. We've all spent way too much time and put too much of our heart into this, to let it just die, and to let some of you say that it doesn't matter if we dissapear. I personally spent 3 months on an RV last summer to not only grow LF, but to grow our sport. Maybe I even tought some of you how to wakeboard. I'd like you to reconsider your thoughts. Yes... there are plenty of other companies that can pick up the slack, but do we really want that? Can't Gator and CWB, and Double Up, and Blindside do that without us being out of business? Maybe if they'd put the same amount of $$$, and time, and heart into the sport, as we have, they'd be at the top. Hyperlite didn't get to the top by waiting for companies to get into financial troubles. They got to the top by being smart, and coming out with good products. We've gotten close to the top by coming up with the most innovative product, and by spending money and time to promote the sport. Remember the Flite 69... Remember the Super Suction... Remember the Squirt... Remember the Trip... Remember the wood core...Remember the Cassette? I'm sure you do. How much have those products changed our industry! You will miss us if we're not around. Please respect that, and support us. If nothing else, respect the fact that Jimmy and Tony and myself are still in our office at 8:00PM, and we're not getting paid. We were all laid off yesterday, but we're still pushing forward. There were 130 people laid off yesterday by EOS, and we're fighting to give us all a chance to continue to make products for you to have fun on. I loved working with all 130 of the people that we worked with, and I want to continue to. I've had too much fun riding and working on the LF product, and Cassette product, to not fight for our future.

Please do not disrespect that, and please give us as much support as you can. We will need it. Our sport will need it.

I hope to see all of you this summer, as I'm promoting the new LF line, and happier than ever to be free from our past life.

Thanks for the support!

Don Wallace
LF Sales and Marketing since '97

fropappy · Soul Rider Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 434 City: Benton, AR

Don, I wish you guys the best of luck. I can remember emailing you a couple years ago about a LF sticker for my truck. You emailed me back for my address and sent me 2 instead of 1. I had already bought a couple LF boards, so you didn't charge me a thing. When I called LF in California about replacement parts for my 3 year old bindings, I was treated with respect and had replacement parts in about a week. When I called to tell them the parts fit my bindings but weren't the broken pieces, they told me to keep them and sent me the correct parts imediately. That's customer service. People make mistakes. They made it right. I'm still riding LF. Hopefully I will be able to continue doing so. Razz

D.S.S.R. · Criminal Joined: 11 Feb 2003 Posts: 61 City: Austin, TX

I am sooo happy that someone like Don finally said something. Liquid was the 1st board I ever rode and was never unhappy while using LF products. LF & Don have always supported our events (Waketoberfest, ect...) here in Austin & I pray they don't go away forever. Don I agree with everything you said except "Can't Gator and CWB, and Double Up, and Blindside do that without us being out of business? Maybe if they'd put the same amount of $$$, and time, and heart into the sport, as we have, they'd be at the top." I don't think GB, DU, CWB, or any of the others hope you go away just to free up some good riders. I can't speak for the other companies but Gator is putting all of his $$$, time, heart, & soul into becoming the best company we can be. Everyone needs to stop being little gossip beotches and making assumtions & let the real peeps like Don, Jimmy, & Tony do there thing. I remember watching G. Nelson stressing before last season when it looked like DU was going down & that really sucked. All of this rumor B.S. isn't helping these guys.

GOOD LUCK LF, DON, TONY, JIMMY, & the 130 unemployed people in our industry. I can't wait to check out the new line Don.

quigglymaster · Posted: Feb 12, 2003 9:09 pm Post subject:

extremely well said DSSR. i applaud u

mellow24 · Outlaw Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 134 City: Tampa Bay Area

I am glad to see some actuall heart finally put into this site..I know we are all here because we love our lifestyle and what we do..just as well I hope everyone can see what direction our world we live in is headed for the immediate time being.

Don thankyou for the input and I hope only the best for you and everyone involved I am sure this will all work out, and may prove to be better in the end. You have my support and any help needed 110%, We do well with LF and plan to do allot this coming season. With LF being one of our Top lines. The whole reason for our second location is to raise the sport to a new level on the west side of Florida, with two locations, and several events in the area.

I am stoked to see how many came out on this one and had some positive input, it all comes back in the end! Support the sport we all love, from local board shops, pro riders, and people like Don getting it done in the midst of un certainty! Wink

RUSSIAN · Posted: Feb 12, 2003 11:28 pm Post subject:

It's about time we had some real input on this situation. Don, thank you for being brave enough to come on here and express how this is affecting you and your friends. I personally believe that it would be a great loss to lose such a great company, I believe that Liquid Force is the only company that has put any real pressure on hl in the past couple of years and it would be real sad to see that dissapear so quickly.
Good luck to all of the Luiqid Force family

wallaced · Newbie Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 7

Thanks guys. I'll keep you guys updated as things develop.

We hope to have some good news soon.

Thanks again!

Don W.

B-rad · Posted: Feb 13, 2003 3:19 pm Post subject:

Don is the man! Always one to go onto the Lf chat and help out with questions about anything. It seems that he and the whole LF crew were always trying to be innovative and change things up some. I recently changed from a trip 138 to a 137 Harris, but I will ride ultra suctions untill they are no longer avalible. I think if any of the major players in this industry fell out it was cause a rift that we would all fell. I can't imagine giving everything you have into something and then having the bottom fall out from things that are beyond your control. I feel for you all

Liquid_Force · Posted: Feb 13, 2003 3:34 pm Post subject:

We all will pray for the best for Don and the crew...GOOD LUCK...

Dont give up Very Happy

supraboarder03 · Newbie Joined: 13 Feb 2003 Posts: 29 City: omaha

I was shocked when my local shop called me monday and told me my sponsorship with LF is "up in the air". I have ridden hyperlite for the past 4 years and ridden countless models. I was really looking forard to riding my UC Subjekt. At this point I'll let my Parks, Drifter, and Byerly sit and rot because I'm sitting out until my subjekt shows up!
After reading the posts, it seems to me that LF has a strong following that will continue following so long as the leaders don't diverge. What's the chance of these same individuals buying LF and making LF public with the release of IPO's. This may seem overzealous, but, I for one would like to finally buy some stock that, requardless of profit would be proud to own. Wouldn't we all be proud to own a little bit of the company we love?!

Thanks to everyone at LF for your continued work at making things happen, and can't wait for my LF order to come in.