06 Dec Steven “Fish” Fisher – Executive Bio
Fish has been around the water all of his life, whether being towed on water skis
or old surfboards behind his grandfather’s boat in the tidal rivers of Virginia or
ocean surfing in Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks at the tender age of 8, his
love and respect for the water has been ingrained early on.
Fish started his career in the watersports industry at Wave Riding Vehicles, a
major chain of surf shops and the premier board builder on the east coast, as a
summer gig back in 1984 while he studied to become a teacher, receiving a
Master’s in Education. The passion to teach was not as strong a draw as
specialty retail and he followed the path to become the men’s buyer and fashion
designer for WRV for over a decade. He left to become a buyer for NEXCOM
(US Navy Exchange Service Command) in 1997 and kept his roots close as he
transformed the offerings for the US Navy Servicemen and families to surf
brands instead of kooky fashion. Fish’s stint with the Navy was short and he later
became the Director of Consumer Products for Paramount Parks (the theme park
arm of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Properties (Viacom) overseeing all
aspects of retail buying, design and licensing for the varied brands, retail stores
and water parks for close to 10 years before landing at Surf Expo in 2007 where
he has served as Sr. Buyer Relations manager for the past 7 years. His breadth
of knowledge for action sports, retail merchandising, product development,
design and customer service have made him a key partner to the boardsport
industry above and beyond show time in Orlando.
Currently residing outside Atlanta, GA Fish is the father of two active water-
enthusiasts, daughter Morgan calls Wilmington, NC home and enjoys surfing and
boating, son Wesley is an avid surfer, snowboarder and waterman living in Villa
Rica, GA. His wife, Theresa, also grew up on the waters of Pensacola and
Virginia Beach and enjoys boating, surfing and snowsports. Fish is a passionate
waterman, surfing whenever he can (tough to do living in central Georgia), avid
snowboarder and trail runner; calling the local gym “home” when not on the road
promoting our sports. His enthusiasm is carried over into the invitation to sit on
the inaugural Wakeboarding Hall of Fame Board of Directors, “I’m stoked and so
grateful to be with this group of industry pioneers and passionate watermen. It is
truly an honor to be selected, to get the Hall of Fame off the ground and promote
the sport we love”.
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