Eugene gets paddle sports shop

After more than 25 years of manufacturing, Eugene businessman Ken Rodgers is opening a retail shop for his paddle sports company, Whitewater Designs.

Rodgers says that the economy is actually conducive to his type of company, as more people are choosing adventure sports over expensive destination vacations.

Rodgers’ company, Whitewater Designs Inc., is in the process of creating a new 1,500-square-foot retail space to complement the manufacturing side of the business. Rodgers declined to say how much money he is spending on the project, but said his longtime bank, Eugene-based Pacific Continental Bank, is helping him finance it.

The new store will sell rafts, kayaks, canoes, stand-up surfboards, paddles, life jackets, helmets and dry bags in addition to the plethora of paddle boat accessories — nylon straps, stainless steel D-rings, boat repair kits, boat covers, and oar tethers, among others — which Whitewater Designs manufactures on-site and sells to more than 200 retailers nationwide and in Canada.

Read more at The Register-Guard.

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