Firewire and Bert Burger Part Ways

Industry Talk
1

By Press Release

Posted 03.13.2007

 				Firewire announced today that Bert Burger is no longer with the company.

Through his passion and expertise, Bert has been an important member of the team that created the Firewire brand and FUTURE SHAPES TECHNOLOGY, the award winning combination of parabolic balsa rails, dual density EPS core and epoxy resins.

Bert’s passion will now be directed toward his original surfboard brand, Sunova.

When asked to comment, David Cross, Firewire’s Global CEO said, “Bert is an amazing talent and returning to his roots will provide an opportunity for him to pursue a new direction without the constraints that a business of our structure requires.” He went on to add, “We have fully integrated FUTURE SHAPES TECHNOLOGY into our production processes and we are confident that Firewire will continue to build innovative, high performance surfboards.”

From here:

http://www.twsbiz.com/

Hopefully this means he will be free to post here more often and without the constraints of a PR person looking over his shoulder all the time. If nothing else, his work with Firewire has legitimized to the masses what he has been doing with Sunova for all these years. He’ll probably just have a 2 year wait now for his boards as opposed to 1 year. Good on ya Bert, hope all is well.

2
Quote:

By Press Release

Posted 03.13.2007

without the constraints that a business of our structure requires.” Yep…the good ole surf business stays true to form. In plain english…Bert had enough of big corporate types telling him what to do. He went on to add, “We have fully integrated FUTURE SHAPES TECHNOLOGY into our production processes and we are confident that Firewire will continue to build innovative, high performance surfboards.” Translation: We got what we needed from Bert and plan on using it to fully hype our product…so we have no further need of his assistance.

3

I can’t say whether I’m amazed or expected it. Bert always stuck me as too innovative and idealistic to be making firewires. I think that there would be just too many compromises he would have to make in order to create that many boards. In my opinion, a composite is just another board if its not customized to the way somebody surfs.

4

Hey Bert,

Sorry to hear about the breakup.

I wish you much luck and future success.

Cheers

5

sad…

in that I called it over a year ago if you check the archives as I’ve seen it happen over and over again in all the “great idea” companies I’ve worked with, once “big money” gets involved everything changes… It’s the ideas they want so they can fill their pocketbooks with what the ideas provide.

The genius’s end up on the sidelines and out of the picture sooner or later to work on what fills their passion. Bert’s been compensated for sure (i hope) and can probably retire although a no compete clause is part of the exit package I’m sure…

Only the best wishes for you Bert from rainy Ewa Beach it was a good ride while it lasted…

Much Aloha

B.

but wouldn’t it be neat…

IF

Bert, Miki, Greg, Delbert, Surflight, CMP and a host of others joined forces to create the “real” non-commercial “revolution”

IF

A “Bag-heads Anonymous” was founded so that the basic principles of Bert’s concept could available globally versus just from a robotic factory in San Diego and Australia…

IF

Every APS3000 cutting location also provided basic vacuum bagging services including post curing ovens and raw materials for skins that the backyarder could have easy access to along with their cutting services…

IF

A global APS3000 network combined with this “Baghead Anonymous” network to promote the concept of easily available and re-producible sandwich technology so that hobbiests thorough the world without a significant investment in infrastructure could experiment and discover on their own without pouring more capital into a couple of early adopter companies just trying to capitalize on being a little ahead of the curve…

IF

Backyard board builders finally pony-upped and decided to quit polluting their residential neighborhoods with carcigenous dust and chemicals…

IF

The underground and the thought of keeping it simple could win again…

IF

Basic composite surfboard sandwich construction facilities became just another pottery barn event…

Yes now wouldn’t it be nice…

Needless to say the same could be made for hollow wood board building as well…

hint guys…

this is how to truly undermine the exxons of the surf industry

convert it to distributed processing and take away the elitism…

the problem would be getting a bunch of geniuses to sit in the same room with out fighting with each other…

and that’s another story altogethor…

6
Quote:
Quote:

By Press Release

Posted 03.13.2007

without the constraints that a business of our structure requires.” Yep…the good ole surf business stays true to form. In plain english…Bert had enough of big corporate types telling him what to do. He went on to add, “We have fully integrated FUTURE SHAPES TECHNOLOGY into our production processes and we are confident that Firewire will continue to build innovative, high performance surfboards.” Translation: We got what we needed from Bert and plan on using it to fully hype our product…so we have no further need of his assistance.

Now that’s an accurate translation.

Coque.

7

I miss the days when Bert would post that he didn’t work on any composites, he just went sandboarding with his kids.

I bet he does too.

But look at Kendall’s input on the current hollow carbon thread. Surf guys also get knowledge out of the big companies - not just the other way around. Hopefully, Bert made some money, got some business experience & some mass-production ideas, and can walk away with all that.

8

best of luck to Bert back at SUNOVA. Hope you find what you are looking for.

9

Sorry to hear about your split. I hope it was on your terms. With that said I am sure you are itching to get back to surfing magic waves on magic boards.

Your flock has memorized the archives and is waiting patiently for the new testament. please enlighten us

Grasshopper

imitation is my sincerest form of flattery

6’5" x 23 x 2

10

I really miss Bert’s imput here…no doubt. I did predict this happening way back on the Firewire sets the record straight thread. I think it could be seen a mile away from anyone thats spent time in this industry. I hope Bert made gobs of money and learned many things that will help him personally in the future. I for one will enjoy him being back in the ranks of innovator and information specialist. For himself.

11

…I hope the ideas, conviction, roots, etc all that surfing is related, wins

…so, if BB quit with all of these and money, and show the surfing/surfboard world that still is possible, is fantastic.

I mean fuck the corporations in the face

a true winner

12

No offense but your “wouldnt it be neat” comments are full of contradictions.

I dont understand what all the fuss is about…its just surfing…and surfboards… grown-up’s toys…

Toys that adults use to play in the waves.

Keep it simple dude…wish Bert some luck and move on.

13

Kind of terrible that most of us look at that press release and get the same ‘translation’ that Solo made- that’s a nice track record the corporate world has got going to make people think that way.

I hope it’s no real hassle for Bert though- he always seemed one of the true advocates of progression and is passionate and intelligent about his design ideas- he always struck me as the vacuum bag/epoxy world’s answer to Dave Parmenter. He was passionate enough to get some serious online screaming matches going yet still shared his ideas with all the backyarders (OT- How redundent does that whole epoxy vs. PU bunfight seem now?) . He also had the basic decency to apologize to anyone he may have upset when he bowed out of the online forum world. Intelligence and decency don’t seem to help much in the corporate world, so lets hope he shows up back here. Me, I’m going surfing now.

14

well i kinda feel that bert can go back to making superior performance surfboards now

i just built a foam skined one

i gotta say the balsa ones seem to have a lot more pop and life

and are easily a good pound or two lighter then a firewire

sure firewires are cosmetically good and all the same

but at the end of the day

personally i think the balsa is a more suitable material for a high performance surfboard

if a little less duarable and higher maintainence


15
Quote:

If nothing else, his work with Firewire has legitimized to the masses what he has been doing with Sunova for all these years

I think that you’re right on the money there…

When I read “Berts thread” for the first time, I interpreted it as him trying to get the tech out there, bring it closer to the mainstream.

Partially a business move, partially a genuine love of the art, and a desire to see more people stoked on it.

A win-win situation there!

The business side of it payed off when Firewire was formed…

Now I feel Berts business sense has payed off again!

He’s back where it seems he is happiest, with worldwide recognition now!

What’ya know, his name is almost well known in mainstream circles…

The question is, did he give away more than he got?

From my little foray into compsand construction over the last little while, i’d say NO WAY!

Bert knows better than anyone that he could give away his latest greatest secrets to Firewire, and still have UNLIMITED possiblities within the sandwich construction world to play with.

He gave them his latest catch (maybe), but now he’s left with the whole ocean to play with, and he’s sailing the fastest boat.

Good on-ya Bert, maybe you didn’t plan it that way, but I feel you’re definitely on-your-game enough to have left options for yourself.

Kit

16

besides working in a mass production factory environment with the powers looking down from there glass walled airconditioned offices

please

17

“Kind of terrible that most of us look at that press release and get the same ‘translation’ that Solo made- that’s a nice track record the corporate world has got going to make people think that way.”

Unfortunately, it’s almost unavoidable to make this judgment. For publicly and even some privately held companies, the only thing that matters is the bottom line for your investors/stockholders. For the most part, the investors/stockholders could give a damn less who the ‘consultant’ is that will give the company the ‘secrets’ it needs. The only thing that matters is how much this consultant is going to cost…period. Investors and stockholders (for the most part, in my opinion) usually don’t care what they are invested in, as long as it pays dividends, or grows quickly.

This lack of interpersonal contact is what generates the apathy. This is also why some family owned companies are so good. The investors give a damn about the business, not just about the quarterly earnings reports…

Again, all my opinion.

JSS

18

Bert told me that when Firewire first came around . . . well it was very indirectly. . . Well the translation given above sums it up . . . Firewire is trying to automate the process … last I heard Bert’s process required a human eye / hand to watch it . . . Firewire’s latest mention was getting robots and mecha to pump out boards to dominate the industry . . .

19

Shiite happens. It’s tough but bearable…reality theater. When I hear of such things I always consider that the idea man likely taught the corps all they know, but not all he knows.

20

"When I hear of such things I always consider that the idea man likely taught the corps all they know, but not all he knows. "

I think you nailed it there, and as Oneula says, I’m pretty sure Bert learned a lot in the process, and attracted the type of attention he needed to. I wouldn’t be surprised if 2 years from now some young hotshot is riding a real Balsa Sunova at the top of the tour. And Bert will be operating on his terms from his hometown.