Dominic DiMaggio new Brand Manager North America

NSP welcomes Dominic DiMaggio as Brand Manager of North America. To Dominic, who lives in Socal, taking on the expansion and promotion of a brand he is already intimately familiar with is a logical choice. Working from the distribution office in Carlsbad, Dominic is focused on advancing NSP’s vision on surf, SUP, race and foiling.

“We are really happy to have Dominic join the NSP team. He brings a wealth of knowledge from product design, supply chain through to customer service. Dominic surfs, SUPs and foils and is well-respected in the industry, both on and off the water. NSP and all our North-American customers will benefit greatly from having Dom on the team.”
Trent Pedersen, CEO NSP

To provide a bit of history and background, we sat down with Dominic to ask a few questions about his experience in watersports, love of surf, and how he sees his new role developing.

People say you never forget your first wave; can you tell us about that experience?

“I started surfing at the age of 11 and was blessed to have grown up in an area of San Diego that was a short walk to a spot considered one of the best stretches of reefs. Playa Azure was where Steve Lis developed the fish. Surfing is the one aspect of watersports that I am most drawn to. There is a special connection that I have with the ocean.  It gives me the opportunity to leave whatever I have going on in my life on the beach. It’s just me and the ocean.”

Who were your mentors growing up in the water sport arena?

“My Mentor is Bird Huffman owner of Bird’s Surf Shed.  I worked with him when he was a partner in South Coast.

He showed me what a core shop is all about and how to really take care of your customers. He is one of the most gracious people I know. He has so much knowledge and history of the surf industry. Plus, his surfboard collection is absolutely amazing!”

Editor:
“Bird” Huffman is somewhat of a San Diego surf legend, owner of an incredible surfboard collection and occassional broadcaster of surf reports for local radio and Surfline.

There’s a nice article on him here.

What part of the industry (besides being on the water) is your favorite?

“I previously held the position with Boardworks as the production and product development manager for a number of years.  I really enjoy conceptualizing a product seeing it through production and then out into the water. I began working at my local shop South Coast Surf Shop when I was eighteen. I had been going there since I was a little kid and worked off and on there for about 8 years. It’s like a second family.”

How have you seen the industry progress, where do you see it going and how do you see NSP growing in the industry?

“After Clark Foam closed it blew the door open for new and existing brands to develop new and better technologies along with ways to manufacture a more ecofriendly product.  The industry is still growing with new shapes and technologies for all levels. I feel that providing more education of our product line and technologies, along with the new surf shapes for 2021, that will debut at Surf Expo, will provide NSP more opportunities for growth.”

What will be your first order of business after the Surf Expo?

“After Surf Expo I will be traveling the country to visit some of our current customers while looking for new accounts where we can grow and expand the NSP brand.”

Many people in North America believe NSP is a brand licensed under the Surftech umbrella and not a completely separate entity that is only distributed by Surf Technicians, what message and how will you help to distinguish NSP from Surftech?

“I feel that educating and providing more knowledge about the long history and story of NSP will help to inform our North American partners and consumers. NSP has its own research and development, marketing, and management teams in place that allows us to have a friendly competition with Surftech and other brands in not only surf, but race, sup and foiling.”

Where do you see NSP making the greatest impact in North America, what region and discipline?

“I see NSP making an impact in the surf market with core shops to surf schools & rental outfits. NSP is selling from Hawaii to Australia and is a globally distributed brand creating more performance shapes that are user friendly and fun for everyone at a great value. I see the most growth in the area of Surf currently and in 2020, we will be focusing on foiling more than the previous year. We have a full range of foiling products and I feel with marketing and education we can increase the number of products that we have sold in 2019.”

What is your message to the surf enthusiasts in North America and why they should consider NSP as not only for beginner surfers looking to purchase their first board, but for intermediate to advanced surfers?

“NSP has some best valued and durable boards with performance in mind for all levels of surfing. We are launching a Shapers Union at the Surf Expo in 2020 with some world renowned shapers who are tasked with creating a line of performance boards ranging from big wave guns to grom boards. We’re super excited about this new line-up and feel this will attract a whole new group of surfers reaching for NSP.”

You have a 20+ team of riders and ambassadors to work with, how will you utilize them to share the NSP message?

“I look forward to working with each of our riders to help them build their own brand of travel stories, replenish their rental fleets and provide content for their schools, while working together to spread the NSP brand message along with awareness of  all products in and out of the water.”

Check out some of the NSP teamriders and ambassadors below; we regularly post their content online so keep an eye out and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @nspsurfnsup 

Juliette Duhaime
Racer and occasional trash collector. Juliette joined NSP in 2019, representing us at the New York races and Argentina in South American events. Follow her on Facebook and IG: @juliette_duhaime

Brandon van Elslander
Don”t let his Dutch name fool you – Brandon is as American as they come and races both competitively and recreationally in Canada. Follow him on Facebook and IG: @brandonvanelslander

Erin O’Malley
Runs Sunset Stand Up Paddle from Laguna beach, where both novices and experienced paddlers go for relaxing tours in the area. Follow them on Facebook and IG: @sunsetsup

Wiliam Pollock
is traveling all over the American continent for the next two years in his trusted van. There’s an NSP Quest on board, and to see him paddle around Manatees or even surf the thing out in Jersey, follow him on Facebook and IG: @willstraveladventures

Geovani Perez
Based in Sayulita, Mexico, Geovani Perez rides heavy slabs on his Elements Hybrid or competes in local longboard competitions with his 9′ Elements Longboard. Extra kudos for riding a Beach Buggy to- and from his favorite spots. Follow Geovani on Facebook and IG: @sayulitasurfco

Kiley Woods
rides and lives near Ponce Inlet, Florida. Kiley rides a 9′ Elements Longboard and hosts our NSP booth at the upcoming Surf Expo in January 2020. Follow her on IG: @kileywoods

To meet Dominic and see the latest from NSP, come check out the Surf Expo in Orlando, 8th of January 2020: