MAPLETON and HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Mapleton native Don Sandusky, the son of Terry and Susanne Sandusky and a University of Maine alumnus, is in the national spotlight once again.
The co-owner and manager of Hamboards — land surfboards designed to emulate the thrill of wave surfing — Sandusky appeared last night on ABC’s “Beyond the Tank,” in a follow-up to an initial appearance on “Shark Tank” in October 2013 with his cousin, Peter Hamborg, and Hamborg’s son Gus.
The Hamborgs, Southern California entrepreneurs and a renowned surf family, specialize in creating handcrafted longboard skateboards, street stand-up paddleboards and land paddles — Hamboards. Hamborg manages the manufacturing end, while Sandusky takes care of the business angle.
The “Beyond the Tank” segment included “shark” investor Robert Herjavec meeting with Hamboards in Huntington Beach to discuss different areas of the company to see what they can grow and improve. The program went behind the scenes, where Hamborg talked about what it really takes to handcraft the world’s best longboards.
“Being on ‘Shark Tank’ has been incredible for general brand awareness, but the company’s unique products and the Hamborgs’ authentic Southern California beach vibe have brought most of the unexpected opportunities,” said Sandusky.
“Hamboards has significant product placements in several current television shows and in a new feature film starring Bruce Willis,” Sandusky added. “Subaru purchased co-branded Hamboards to help it sell its popular Outback model and it’s being used in school programs as well.”
Established in 1997 by Hamborg, the father of five surfers, Hamboards set out to “crack the code” with its first inspired creations born in a small garage. Now, the company has evolved into an iconic brand with worldwide sales.
In their attempt to bring the true feel of surfing to land, Hamboards creators developed a worldwide cult following with thousands of fans around the world posting their own videos. This is what landed Peter, Gus and their East Coast cousin Sandusky on “Shark Tank” in 2013, at which time Herjavec made a deal to pay $300,000 for 30 percent of the company.
Since then, Hamboards have secured a competitive mass production supply chain, developed new distribution relationships in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and experienced significant annual revenue growth.
Further information is available at the company’s website, www.hamboards.com.
