they prolly changed there marketing strategy
bert has alway been about core surfers and high performance
maybe firewire wants to market boards to the outdoor city surfer types
the same ones that buy all the label crap clothing
most of there customers prolly never will even have heard of bert
Yes, I guess you are right there Silly, but I for one was interested in FW for the supposed high performance edge. There were Sunovas around here for a while, years back. One local shop stocked them in Newquay. Some of the local rippers who got them were tearing on them, but for some reason the supply stopped. So now I wonder who designs the FWs, because from what I’ve seen on the website they got pretty bog standard, as if they lost the uniqueness, especially the balsa. My mate at one of the local surf shops says they can’t get FW’s anyway. I wonder if Bert will take custom orders already?
Proving once again, who is the bigger man…
That’s the spirit Bert, move forward, look for the sun (Sunova) and the blue sky. I know you had a good and creative time in there and I can imagine how difficult it is for a “creationist” in an environment that needs results and a marketable product quickly.
It is very obvious that FireWire in recent months managed to get production flowing better than before and it would have been nice to see you roll in the success too. But it did not happen and one day it will show clearer.
In a company like FireWire, heads will always roll for many different reasons from politics to money but in your case I am a bit flubbergasted. I can not imagine that you are not needed any more or that you can ever be replaced. A development of this kind grows from many little steps over a long time and you are the only one who can make the full connection. There may be many others who are good in their field but to keep it all together it will always need that “creationist”, that totally involved guy who has tried so many different ways the people around him do not even know about and never realized. You are the puppet master, all strings end in your hands.
So, in all you plan and all you do, try to make it a separation from the company as clean as possible.
I can imagine you may receive a phone call some time down the line when they may question their decission or the forces behind change. Then you will be needed again for help and consultation. Has happened before in many similar cases. Just be prepared as you will be in a much better position.
Good luck.
After watching this thread for some time, I think Solo’s on the money…
AND as a fellow Wozzie, I think it’s time to put my 3.1 cents into the equation…
From the lack of true banter from Bert and the subjective input from a couple of sales reps who recently joined up I feel he’s being well and truly shafted to the max…
I get a very strong feel for what is written here on the site by ,many people and the things that HAVEN’T been said speak the loudest…
He cannot make any public comment about Firewire or the technique/s involved … he can’t talk to any Firewire employees … he can’t enter into a business relationship or employment with any competitor of Firewire … and he can’t deal with any suppliers or contractors of Firewire…
He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place…It take pure unadulterated balls to lift off from and comfortable haven half way across the world to follow a dream…not just his dream, but one his family could enjoy…
Bert has worked so hard to do what he does, trial and error, just like all of us…
He’s given advise to thousands, shown us what to do and learnt from others, just like us…
RANT ALERT…
Does anyone realise what it REALLY takes to leave Western Australia (read middle of nowhere) move 3000 miles to the east coast, travel ANOTHER 6000 miles across the Pacific on a regular basis, look after your wife and family, make sure the bills are paid, make sure the kids are OK and help them adjust to their NEW life away from the Garden of Eden they had grown up with?
No…
Firewire have sucked Bert up and can spit him out anytime they want…bloody bullies if you ask me…
No heart, no respect, and no concience…just money…
Meangreen and Monkeyshines, your posts are useless, see through and add nothing to the equation…
Be careful of what you both say, you may be breaching contract…or does it only work one way…
I’ll help you Bert if you need it…and that’s no joke…
I kinda wonder about the brains behind that press release, I mean, Berts Big brother comments pretty much confirm the suspicion that they’d be shafting him badly. So, why did anyone from Firewire put such a transparent statement out in the media? Does’nt make sense hey? I’m no expert at marketing, but I figure the company loses a lot of core credibility with this, so why advertise that they dumped Bert? Gotta be something to do with that MP guy, because he seemed to have it in for Bert with that disclaimer a while back where Firewire practically disowned him. You think MP learned anything from peoples response to that? I would have shut the hell up about Bert. Pretty Dumb.
It was planned from the begining. M.P. is nothing but a salesman. This is how big corpo surf industry executives, all surf institutions, and surf magazines operate. Lie…cheat…steal. about sums it up. Bert is better off without them and they will soon be gone will the rest of the gimiks when their money man decides enough is enough. Why do you think only a few out of thousands have made it off surfboards.
hi,manuphil98,
i was interested in your comments about sunova boards being sold in newquay ,is that newquay ,cornwall, i have a sunova board myself but its the only one i have ever seen in england ,what year did you see them for sale and what shop was it that was selling them , i am interested because my board was made in 1999 and was part of a shipment to the uk so there must be lots more around but its just strange that i have never seen any, pete
Ah Solosurfer, the “killers” sign off, no longer baffles me, after you told me what it meant. And I think that, on my own, I finally understand your avatar. The RED character is most of us. The vampire is surf industry big business. Correct?
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE
For my money, Firewire’s restrictions on Bert won’t be worth the paper they’re printed on after they go out of business.
He cannot make any public comment about Firewire or the technique/s involved ... he can't talk to any Firewire employees .. he can't enter into a business relationship or employment with any competitor of Firewire .. and he can't deal with any suppliers or contractors of Firewire....He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place…
IF this is all true… which seems to be the case… then Bert is getting compensated for his cooperation. If he was getting TOTALLY burned, he’d probably be ranting about it like some of the posts here.
When you leave quietly and politely - like Bert in this case - it means you have come to an agreement of some kind. If Bert holds stock, or has a royalty deal in place, then we hope Firewire makes money and pays him handsomely. With “mailbox money” coming from Firewire, Bert can focus on whatever he wants without the stress of having that be his only source of income.
Founders get pushed out of their companies all the time. You come up with an idea, get others to help you make the most out of it, then you get told the business would be better off without you. Sometimes it’s true. Sometimes it’s an ego conflict. Either way in this case it’s just speculation without the facts. If Bert tells us it’s OK… that’s the only word we need to hear.
So Bert… a short answer will clear all this up:
“It’s OK” - means we shouldn’t have any more ranting about this.
“Can’t say” - means we feel for you.
From the lack of true banter from Bert and the subjective input from a couple of sales reps who recently joined up I feel he’s being well and truly shafted to the max…
I get a very strong feel for what is written here on the site by ,many people and the things that HAVEN’T been said speak the loudest…
He’s stuck between a rock and a hard place…It take pure unadulterated balls to lift off from and comfortable haven half way across the world to follow a dream…not just his dream, but one his family could enjoy…
He’s given advise to thousands, shown us what to do and learnt from others, just like us…
RANT ALERT…
Does anyone realise what it REALLY takes to leave Western Australia (read middle of nowhere) move 3000 miles to the east coast, travel ANOTHER 6000 miles across the Pacific on a regular basis, look after your wife and family, make sure the bills are paid, make sure the kids are OK and help them adjust to their NEW life away from the Garden of Eden they had grown up with?
No…
Firewire have sucked Bert up and can spit him out anytime they want…bloody bullies if you ask me…
No heart, no respect, and no concience…just money…
I’ll help you Bert if you need it…and that’s no joke…
Ah yes, Bravo Grant Hicks!
It’s so nice to have the freedom to speak your mind.
As ruthless as the cooperate world is, I have a gut feeling that Bert (The Lone Ranger) must have had a view of what he was getting into, and must have gotten something in return. The goo that Mark Price was spewing is now more transparent as a mouth piece for the groveling market share.
In six months, it will be something completely different, I’d guess
…to be continued
Kendell,
My money is on “Can’t say”
He cannot make any public comment about Firewire or the technique/s involved … he can’t talk to any Firewire employees … he can’t enter into a business relationship or employment with any competitor of Firewire … and he can’t deal with any suppliers or contractors of Firewire…
That would make it impossible for him to work in the surfboards industry. Those kinds of contracts are illegal by international law as you do have the right to be able to work in the trade you are trained in. There are countless examples of those kind of contracts(many have them) being overruled by the courts.
regards,
Håvard
Meangreen, Monkeyshines, your silence is truly deafening…
Obviously, there is still SOME contractual agreement standing between Bert and Firewire.
That’s their business, really. Bert has already indicated he is setting up his brand again, so we know it is not the case that he cannot use the IP he invented or cannot work for a competitor (as he is one himself).
Hopefully, within a year or so, we’ll see Sunova’s in surf shops everywhere, go Bert!
Yeah, in a year or so, Sunova will be dominating the composite board market, most of the Swaylocks Compsand crew will be working under contract or license for Bert, all over the world. The top ten in the WCT will be riding assorted balsa boards and the everyone will bemoan the domination of one company and their technology! From Grubby Clark to Bert Burger in a few years!! ROFL!! Just kidding, all the best of luck for Bert and thanks for sharing, hope to see more and hope to see Sunovas in a shop near me.
Relax.
Not only do I not work for Firewire I don’t even work in the surf industry. I bought a Firewire. I put my hard earned money on the table and bought one. I walk the walk. I know how a good short board should ride. The board works very well. I figured people who can’t get there hands on one would like an opinion. There are many boards I would like to learn more about and I’ll most likely never get to ride them. So I like to check them out here on Sway’s and other sites. I think what I was doing is called contributing.
I am excited about Bert’s branch of the surfboard design tree. I am tired of surfboards falling apart prematurely. I believe, as do many of the people who read Sway’s, believe there is a better surfboard to be made.
Surf how you like, and ride what you like, but I’m not sitting around wasting time on this planet riding shitty surfboards.
Relax.
Surf how you like, and ride what you like, but I’m not sitting around wasting time on this planet riding shitty surfboards.
Now I can relate to this and agree…but it can have more than one meaning.
No worries MS,
I might have been a little out of line but I can’t stand by seeing what is evolving at the moment…
So you’re happy with the FW, that’s good, but what about the failure rates that have been stated here, X per 1000 boards…
I’m sure Sunovas never had that type of failure rate, do you think shortcuts are being made in FWs for the sake of production rates…
If they are then it’s not really Berts tech anymore, is it?
No one knows what Bert’s relationship with Firewire is, and no one knows what ‘Bert’s tech’ is either, so it beats me how all these strong opinions develop.
Perhaps the mystery is good for publicity. . . everyone makes up their private Bert fantasy (or nightmare) and away it goes, but what’s behind it is just another vacuum bagged eps/balsa board, similar to what a lot of people are making… . . … the legendary status of the Bert board is based almost entirely on what can’t be seen, and that’s BS`in my book.
BS rating 8/10
Cheers !
