05/11/2018
HERE’S THE NEXT STEP!! If you can all take 15 minutes to write an eloquent, calm, and factual email to your council members stating why you are concerned about the May 15 meeting that will decide whether or not established businesses like Olympus Board Shop, DiveNSurf, NikauKai etc will be offered permits to operate, they can’t just brush us all aside. And please feel free to CC me at [email protected] if you wish.
This link will take you directly to the contact info for all the city council members BUT PLEASE read the info below first...
https://www.redondo.org/depts/council/contact_information.asp
Below is a letter that was written by a friend and patron of Olympus. This letter is absolutely magical!...but a short and simple letter that talks about your right to choose, not allowing a monopoly, providing facilities for the few mobile operators that would receive such permits, and especially NOT letting one individual whose only goal is to eliminate competition be the deciding factor! But I say again, let’s be sure and stay respectful to the council, stick to the facts, and above all let’s remind them that WE ARE REDONDO, WE ARE THE SOUTH BAY, WE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THIS CITY GREAT!! Paddle House is using the term “Let’s Make Redondo Great Again”... Anybody who calls the South Bay home would agree...REDONDO HAS NEVER STOPPED BEING GREAT!!!
Below is the following: •Letter that was written by our friend Kristi to Christian Horvat.
•Short speech I presented at last nights City Council meeting.
•Email addresses to the Redondo City Council and Mayor Bill Brand
•And if you haven’t signed the petition yet the link is:
https://chn.ge/2I2uVXh
Thank you all again for all the support!!!
Your humble and grateful friend...Jeremy
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Hi Christian,
This is your neighbor, Kristi Bieber over on Armour Lane. I'm the one that was a Scout leader and you hosted my Cub Scouts at the City Council Chambers so they could learn about local government a few years back.
I'm writing today to show my support for Olympus Board Shop. I understand at on May 15, there will be a vote of the City Council to determine whether or not SUP businesses like Olympus can continue to offer their SUP program to our community as they have been for years. Unfortunately, work will have me away from Redondo that day, or I'd be at the meeting in person. So please accept this letter in my absence.
Olympus is a gem of a business, with an owner and staff who truly represent the spirit of Redondo Beach. And there's a good reason why. Owner, Jeremy Godo Kiss is a childhood friend of mine. We grew up here in Redondo Beach. We attended Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Hermosa and Redondo Union High School together. I have never known someone with not only such a passion for board sports, but also a passion for our harbor and our community.
Five years ago, my son, who was 6 at the time, wanted to learn to SUP. So I called up Jeremy. He set us up for a lesson, and served as our instructor that afternoon. His passion for what he does is immediately evident when you get on your board. He started by telling us how to safely get on the board, stand up, why we needed life vests to stay in compliance with Harbor rules. Then we were off on our SUP adventure through the harbor. He paddled around with us, telling us about the marine life that lives in our Harbor, reminding us that we are visiting their home so we need to be respectful. As we were paddling around, it was clear that he had earned the respect of the other people who use the Harbor for recreational purposes, as they all knew him and said hello. At the end of our lesson, he asked if we were going to have a snack at Ruby's Diner. I thought it was great the way he encouraged us to stop into another local business. That's what a good business owner does. He followed up by emailing me pictures of our day on the water and told me I should bring my mom next time as SUP is a sport for everyone (she was his 7th grade teacher).
A few years later, I was serving as Den Leader for the same son's Cub Scout Pack. I wanted to do something special to kick off the summer with them, so we voted and decided on SUP lessons for the group. Of course, I would not consider any other SUP place - it had to be Olympus. I had other parents of the Cubs tell me "they knew a great guy to call for a group lesson." I can't say I was surprised when each suggested Jeremy at Olympus. I called up Jeremy again and he helped us work out a group rate. He was, unfortunately, not available to teach our group, but put us in great hands with Gino (though Jeremy and Michelle did meet up with us toward the end of our lesson). The kids had a blast, and I felt good about it as their Den Leader, because I knew they were learning how to safely navigate the Harbor and to respect the wildlife who live there.
And our group wasn't unique. He's also been known to bring in a group from the Boys and Girls Club in San Pedro and teach them to SUP. Part of their adventure included a Harbor clean up as they paddled - again a great example of how with Olympus, you not only get a fun SUP experience, but you are taught respect for the Harbor. As a local, who has been enjoying King Harbor her whole life, that is so important to me!
It would be a huge mistake to prevent Olympus to continue operations in their current manner. I understand there is opposition to this from a local brick and mortar shop owner. However, in looking at that shop's website, it is clear they cater to a different client base with their "country club" style including post SUP saunas and a lounge. That's great if that is what you want in your SUP experience, but that is not what all Redondo SUPers want. Me? The girl who grew up here and even when I moved away for school knew I'd always come back to this amazing city? I want a SUP experience like Jeremy and Olympus provide - fun, safe, casual, affordable. There is room in this city for both experiences.
I hope you will consider this information when you vote on May 15.
MY SPEECH FROM 5/8
Good evening mayor and council members. My name is Jeremy Godo Kiss and I am the owner of Olympus Standup Paddleboarding. I just want to introduce myself and give you some positive insight on my business prior to May 15th. We’ve had a brick and mortar store for 20 years in the South Bay. Since we introduced the sport of SUP to Redondo Beach we have worked with thousands of locals and visitors, hosted dozens of free harbor clean ups for the community, worked with Tarsan SUP on the Save our Sealions project, provided free SUP lessons at the last 4 King Harbor Yacht Club Sea Fairs, helped launch the Waterfront Education program, provided free SUP lessons and SUP yoga for vets, founded the worlds first completely plastic free SUP race and festival and hosted it for 5 years here in Redondo Beach (the Beyond the Shore Paddlefest), and even taught a blind man how to paddle. We’ve provided free SUP group activities for many different youth groups including Redondo High Schools ROTC and Mr J’s Academy for special needs children and worked with The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America and the Big Brothers and Sisters of LA. I understand your concerns about the permitting of mobile operations, but I have never been opposed to providing payment to the city and we are far more than just some bootleg outfitter. And Olympus isn’t the only well respected local brick and mortar business that stands to lose the right to continue to provide great service to the community. DiveNSurf has been serving the South Bay here in Redondo Beach for 50 years. NikauKai has also been devoted and pertinent to the healthy growth of standup paddling since 2010. We all have utilized the public access in the marina and we all stand to lose that right and the ability to continue to offer the community the choice they have made to work with us. The customers that come to us for their paddle needs choose to do so because we have earned their trust and respect for the past 20 years. Olympus is no threat to the other businesses in the marina or anywhere else. In fact we have developed great relationships with many of the businesses in the marina and brought many new customers their way and helped their businesses grow. We see them as partners with whom we choose to work together to better the community. Thank you for your time and consideration.
