SIC Win Brand Of The Year + Gear Of The Year Awards At SUP Connect Awards

At this year’s annual SUP Connect Awards SIC, originating from Maui, walked away with Brand Of The Year and Gear Of The Year awardss. SIC, were praised for their work with retailers, brand management, operations, shaping and much more. Alongside their excellent work, SIC athletes Seychelle and Jade Howson received runner up awards in SUP Woman Of The Year and SUP Grom Of the Year Awards. 

Press Release: The 2018 Supconnect Award winners were officially announced and SIC is honored to win the Supconnect Brand of the Year award and the Race Board of the Year award for the RS Series. The annual Supconnect awards acknowledges brands, athletes, and gear that have made exceptional contributions to the sport and selects winners based off of a combination of criteria including consumer and retailer feedback.

“In several years running the Supconnect Awards, I’ve never heard retailers raving so enthusiastically about a brand like they did for SIC Maui,” said Supconnect Publisher, Andre Niemeyer. “Some of the most reputable names in SUP retail expressed their deep appreciation for SIC’s efforts to control oversupply, develop youth products, and bolster community outreach through demo fleets and other programs. Feedback was quite in-depth, touching also on back office support, brand management, dealer relations, board design and more. And to be honest, the level of concern for oversupply and youth were far greater than Supconnect had even anticipated. Congratulations to SIC Maui for setting the bar for excellence on so many fronts!”

The Supconnect Brand of the Year Award is one of the SUP industry’s most prestigious honors and recognizes a brand that has “helped raise the bar in their field, serving as blueprints of excellence for others to follow.” SIC received the Supconnect Brand of the Year award in 2015 and is very proud to back on top with this recognition in 2018.

“We say that ‘it takes a village’ to make this all work,” said Anthony Scaturro, SIC Global Brand Manager. “We have a great company behind the brand and great staff but we also rely on so many others to help pass along the brand message and aloha. From our sales agents, retailers, Ambassadors and team to our retailers and customers who advocate for the brand, our amazing marketing team and creative teams that help to share content of the team, product and spirit of SIC, these are the people and the drivers behind SIC’s notoriety and success and without this ecosystem this would not be possible so – Thank you!”

“This market token of appreciation should really go out to the driving forces behind our SIC brand,” said SIC Master Shaper, Mark Raaphorst. “I might be the one holding the planer and angle grinder, but it is not without the feedback from our tireless paddle crew that we can remain on top of our game. They are doing the daily paddle grind. Mike Eisert and his kid’s youth program, our global team riders, Anthony Scaturro our brand manager, our marketing and distribution team. Mahalo to all.”

The Supconnect Gear of the Year Awards are comprised of 10 categories and are chosen based on reader votes, retailer feedback, and the Supconnect advisory board. Going head-to-head with the Starboard All Star and Infinity Blackfish, the SIC Maui RS was selected as the 2018 Race Board of the Year.

“The buzz around the SIC Maui RS is clearly on display around industry circles, but after processing feedback from the public, dealers, and industry members, the RS was the undisputed winner for Supconnect Race Board of the Year 2018,” said Niemeyer.

“This is an amazing honor and one that should be shared with many,” said Scaturro. “The process of making a great board like the RS of course is a product of Master Shaper Mark Raaphorst and these designs are influenced heavily by the SIC Team who all provide their input, test in the off season and put these designs to task on the race course.”

In addition to the Brand of the Year and Gear of the Year awards, SIC Global Athletes Seychelle and Jade Howson received runner-up titles for the SUP Woman of the Year and SUP Grom of the Year awards respectively.

The 9th annual Supconnect Awards were announced online on August 16, 2018. Find the Brand of the Year winner announcement HERE and the Race Board of the Year winner announcement HERE.