After 22 years, co-founder of Danuu Paddle Gear Danusia Niklewicz has decided to step down and enjoy retirement. Danusia, along with Nuuana Robinson, founded Danuu Paddle Gear 22 years ago in Huntington Beach, California to fill a need in the paddling industry. After noticing the wear and tear of the elements on their own watercraft, the two created a series of durable covers for kayak, canoe, and sup boards that are ideal for outdoor storage, travel and overall protection.
While Danusia is continuing with her passion for gemology (that’s right!), Nuuana is revamping Danuu’s sales and marketing team with two new team members, James Athanasiou (sales) and Lauren Grelle (marketing/advertising). With a focus on helping Danuu’s retail dealers drive traffic to their stores, James and Lauren plan to implement new strategies to get the word about Danuu’s products to the paddling community it was created to support.
“We want to focus on creating content for and with our customers,” Lauren said. “Because nothing is cooler than seeing our product on someone’s kayak or canoe out in the wild, and we think that will resonate with the paddling community.”
The addition of James and Lauren adds decades of experience in marketing, graphic design, and sales to the Danuu Paddle Gear team. “The paddling industry is back in full force from the pandemic. There’s a whole generation of new paddlers and business owners to reach now,” Nuuana said. “That’s where James comes in. He’s so excited to get out there and meet everyone!”