Santa Cruz Works Titans of Tech 2022 Awards
Every year, Santa Cruz Works honors Titans of Tech, persons in our community who have contributed to the growth of technology and entrepreneurship in Santa Cruz County. Ventana created special awards for each of the 2022 Titans this year. Tickets to the March 2 in-person and online event are available here!
The Titans of Tech for 2022 are:
- Alex Gershenson / Supply Shift
- Alexander Wolf / Dean of UCSC Baskin School of Engineering
- Becca Fenwick / UCSC
- Chris Miller / Launch Brigade
- Hilary Bryant / Cruz Foam, Community Foundation
- James Hackett & Chris Frost / Equal Access Santa Cruz
- Michael Sikand / Our Future
- Nicole Beck / 2nd Nature
- Philippe Kahn / Full Power
- Roya Pakzad / Taraaz
The surfboard fins in these awards are made of Alaska yellow cedar used in the reconstruction of the Western Flyer boat, considered by many to be the most famous fishing boat in the world. John Steinbeck, Ed "Doc" Ricketts and crew chartered this 77-foot sardine boat into the Sea of Cortez in Baja California, Mexico in 1940. The following year, Steinbeck published his book, The Log from the Sea of Cortez about the adventure. The boat is being rebuilt as a state-of-the-art research vessel. It will be docked soon in Monterey, California and will be used for educating children and others on ocean conservation and marine life. Learn more about this amazing boat and Ventana's use of its wood.
The two redwood boards to which each fin is mounted are over 100 years old and were reclaimed from the original planks of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
The name plates are made of flame maple offcuts from Santa Cruz Guitar Company production. The dowels connecting the redwood are also from Santa Cruz Guitar Company.
These awards were crafted by Ventana's master artisan, Martijn Stiphout.
All Ventana Fins are ECOBOARD Project Gold Level Certified by SustainableSurf.org!
