Snowboard Maker Burton Moving Analog Unit Here
By JENNIFER BELLANTONIO
Another action sports company plans to ride into Orange County’s surfwear scene.
Burlington, Vt.-based Burton Snowboards, a maker of snowboards and apparel, plans to pluck its Analog Streetwear clothing division from Burton’s headquarters and move it to OC by the end of June.
The company recently signed a lease for 15,000 square feet in Irvine.
Burton’s headquarters will stay in Vermont “indefinitely,” said Laurent Potdevin, the company’s president.
“That said, California is an important market for our snowboard business, as well, and Burton will be able to utilize the resources for our new SoCal hub in a number of ways,” he said.
Burton, which started in 1977 and has estimated yearly sales of $150 million, plans to open an OC showroom and shift design for other brands here, too. Those include Gravis shoes and bags, R.E.D. helmets and Anon Optics.
A key draw: “There are so many talented designers, key vendors and retailers in (OC)”, Potdevin said.
Burton isn’t alone in its move.
In the past few years, a number of action sports brands have opened offices in OC, including most recently Perry Ellis International Inc.’s Redsand Inc. The surfwear maker moved its Encinitas headquarters to the Irvine Spectrum.
Last year, Fox Racing Inc., which is based in Morgan Hill near San Jose, opened an office in Irvine for design and marketing.
Burton’s Potdevin said seven to 10 people are set to move to OC from Vermont.
“We will likely add more staff, but specific numbers are still being determined,” he said.
