Almond Surfboards shapes up to be an internationally known company

It’s clear upon walking in that Almond Surfboards is an atypical surf shop.

“We are not really attempting to chase fashion trends or be a huge brand,” says Dave Allee as he motions to the distinctively designed surfboards leaning against the walls of his Newport Beach retail store. “We only do a handful of things because we want to do those handful of things really well.”

Allee’s company specializes in unique surfboard craftsmanship and designer clothing. He came up with the idea for Almond while studying business at Chapman University.

“So the first surfboard I ever built was more just a project I did with my dad,” says Allee. “It was never meant to be a business, but I was super-curious about it, and I always have bonded with my dad over projects and building.

“So we were just researching and trying to gather materials and literally spent 12 months on that board, from start to finish, just trying to sponge up as much information as possible that would be helpful and relevant.”

That first board couldn’t actually be used in the water, but it still hangs on a wall of his parents’ home as a testament to the origins of Almond.

The special care and exhaustive research that Allee put into his first hand-shaped board exemplifies how important the creative process is to him. But as Allee began to build more boards, he realized that he didn’t particularly enjoy the overly repetitive nature of the construction, but he liked the business side of things.

Luckily, in 2008, he met Griffin Neumann-Kyle, a classically trained shaper who had been apprenticing for Bruce Jones, a pioneering shaper. Neumann-Kyle enjoyed shaping boards but disliked the business aspects. Perfect.

The two started working together, and by January 2009 they signed the lease on their first retail store, on Old Newport Boulevard. When they outgrew that spot, they moved to a more-coveted location on Coast Highway.

It’s not difficult to see why Almond has been so successful. Its founders are guided by the desire to foster relationships with customers and fully commit to the creative process.

To connect with the customers, Allee regularly blogs on Almond’s website about recent business-related activities and the general ideals of the company.

In a post about the company’s philosophy, Allee states, “My small piece of advice: value relationships and conversation, and don’t be too busy for the people who make you thrive.”

Recently, Allee and his crew created a pamphlet that details the process the shapers go through to create the many surfboards that Almond sells.

“A lot of people who come in here to order a surfboard don’t really know what steps happen next,” says Allee. “So it’s our job to educate them about the surfboard building process. I think it is important for them to understand so they can appreciate the product and the time and energy and craftsmanship that went into it.”

The blog and the pamphlet are just physical manifestations of what Allee feels is essential to being a good entrepreneur: communication with the customer.

To him, business is not so much about cold, hard profit margins. It’s more about relationships and creation.

This vision has guided Almond into international markets. The boards are regularly shipped to France, Australia and other countries.

“We ship to all these places, and that’s something that I am excited about,” says Allee. “It’s cool to know that the boards we are building here are getting surfed by people all over the world that we will never meet in surf spots that we will never get to visit. But we get to be a part of their little adventure.”