Exclusive Interview: La Jolla Group Owner Reflects on 30 Years in Business and the Current State of the Industry

Rich Brown, the majority owner of La Jolla Group, has known a group of people for 50 years who are the owners of the company. He emphasized that they are not a corporation but longtime friends. Among them are Bill Zolg, who played high school football with Brown, Linda Rambis and Kurt Rambis, a former LA Laker star who attended college with Brown, and Doug Cosbie, a former NFL star who also went to college with Brown. In addition, his son-in-law and current Executive Chairman Daniel Neukomm and former La Jolla Group CEO John Warner, who was influential in the company’s early success, are part of the group. A photo by SES shows the group of longtime friends and business partners.

Rich Brown tells the story of how he and some college buddies acquired the O’Neill Clothing license 30 years ago, which led to the establishment of La Jolla Group. He discusses the challenges the company has faced over the years and how it managed to survive in the constantly evolving surf industry. Brown also shares his insights on where he believes the surf industry is heading, especially in light of the current state of the market.