Press Release January 1, 2009
 Ron
Scarpa Watersports Signs Long-Term Agreement with Eagle Sports
We are
pleased to announce that Ron Scarpa and
Paul Macdonald, partners of Ron Scarpa's Watersports, have negotiated a
long-term agreement with Eagle Sports. The
agreement brings Ron Scarpa's Watersports back as the primary
Eagle Sports retailer in the Florida marketplace.
When we asked Ron why he decided to return to
Eagle, his comments were:
We (the entire RSWS management team)
didn't leave Eagle 3 years ago because of product quality issues. We
left mainly because of service and delivery
issues, combined with Eagle being in a state
of ownership transition. It was in our best interest at the time to be
with a company that could provide products for our pro-shop
throughout the year. However, over the past 3 years, the new owners of
Eagle Sports have proven to us, and the rest
of the market, that they have not only addressed all service issues, but
improved upon them tremendously. They have made significant improvements
in the business model , the design process, distribution, and have come
to the market with many new and exciting ideas. They have proven that
they are in the best position to support RSWS and our customers in the
future - and being US based can offer services other companies can't,
such as shorter turn times, private labeling, and full
customization. We are proud to re-establish our 20+ year history with
Eagle Sports and hope this new chapter will last as long, if not longer,
than our first.
 Paul
Macdonald has a huge part to play in the current and future success of
Ron Scarpa's Watersports. So we asked him what
this change means to him:
I have a lot of respect for Ron, and we
work well together to provide the best possible ski school experience to
all of our customers. I was apprehensive at first
about leaving Vortex because they have treated me well during the past 5
years, and I appreciate everything they have done for me. I feel that
Ron and I have represented them well over the years;
but as Ron has challenged me to take over the operations of the ski
school and pro shop, I see the importance of
this move. We must
partner with suppliers that can get us the products we need in a timely
fashion, and are willing to work with us to
keep us competitive, both on the water and in the marketplace. I'm
looking forward to working with Eagle Sports and all of their employees
as we develop the Ron Scarpa Watersports series of Eagle Wetsuits. For a
sneak preview at what they will look like, check out Team Canada at the
upcoming World Championships in New Zealand, where we
will be sporting the first series of Ron Scarpa suits designed for us by
Eagle.
We asked
Eagle Sports owner Chuck Gleason what this
agreement means to Eagle, his reply
is as follows:
When we purchased Eagle Sports
2-1/2 years ago, we understood why Ron decided to leave,
and we knew we would need to make some drastic
changes to win his business back. Over the
last two years, we've improved our service,
hired new personnel, moved the company to a
new location in Houston, TX, invested in new
equipment to allow us to make suits faster,
and set out to prove to the world that Eagle is still
the brand that represents the best the sport has to offer. We've
proven our versatility by releasing
more new designs than all
other manufacturers combined, all while shipping products to our
retailers on a timely basis. We're also exploring
new markets including slalom ski, wake vests,
triathlon, and surf.
Ron and I have always
kept an open channel of communication. I've
always looked at his business
as the one all his competitors aspire to duplicate.
He has a loyal customer base, and has a reputation world wide as
being a great ambassador to the sport and great coach.
And despite his competitor's efforts, Ron has always stayed two steps
ahead (whether that's on the water or off). Ron is
still one of the most influential figures in our sport. He has grown his
business through the strong, long-time partnership with Paul Macdonald
and his partner in life Elisa. Ron's return to Eagle is
validation that we're doing the right things,
not only for our business, but the sport in general.
I'm proud to have Ron, Paul, Elisa, Jenn and the entire RSWS
family back with the Eagle family.
VERY IMPORTANT SIDE
NOTE: Ron and Paul are not being sponsored by BarefootCentral.com.
This is solely an agreement between RSWS and
Eagle Sports to promote and sell Eagle products at Ron Scarpa's
Watersports.
We'll keep you up-to-date throughout the year as
these guys come together bringing you new products, instructional
concepts, articles, and videos.
To welcome Ron to
Team Eagle, we visited with Ron and asked him to do a little skiing for
us to prove he still has it.
Click Here to see our video
conversation with Ron
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