(#4) Nev Hyman: NOMOR, Solving Our Plastic Waste Problem, Building a Surfboard Empire, Setting 4 Guinness Book of World Records, Keeping Your Radar On & The Power of Silver Linings.
Nev Hyman is a serial entrepreneur and legendary pioneer in the world of surfboard manufacturing. He went on to build a global surfboard empire under the NEV Futureshapes brand while setting 4 Guinness Book of World Records.
Nev more recently won Pitch@Palace, becoming the worldwide Entrepreneur of the Year thanks to his recent endeavor NevHouse & NOMOR, where he’s helping to solve the world’s plastic waste problem at its source, by converting waste into safe, affordable eco-friendly building materials to be used for constructing homes, schools, medical clinics and more in both developed and developing nations around the world.
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You can watch the interview on YouTube here.
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OUTLINE:
00:00 Start
03:34 Mission
10:53 5-Minute Life Narrative
16:37 Surfing as Medicine
23:22 An Entrepreneur is Born
27:07 Migrating East (Perth to Queensland)
38:13 Surfboard Factories
43:15 The Power of Keeping Your Radar On
53:47 Japanese Market Expansion
1:01:34 Building The NEV Futureshapes Empire & The Power of Brand
1:15:06 The Shift to Plastics Recycling Technology & Turning Waste Into Building Materials
1:22:20 The Start of Firewire Surfboard
1:30:57 The Landfills of Indonesia
1:33:52 Collaborating with the Brilliant Architect Ken McBride
1:38:36 Run In with a Nigerian Scammer Network
1:47:37 Sacking 2 CEOs & a Backdoor Takeover
1:55:29 Pitch@Palace & Winning Global Entrepreneur of the Year
2:07:11 The Dark Side of the Press & The Birth of NOMOR
2:18:54 The Birth of Nev Customs (Surfboard Computer Shaping Technology)
2:27:28 NOMOR, CRPP, and the Plastics Recycling Solution
3:02:56 Commercializing the Plastics Recycling Technology
3:10:47 The Surf Lakes Story
3:14:53 Hiring Horror Stories
3:19:42 Creating The World's Biggest Surfboard & Setting 4 Guinness Book of World Records
3:29:25 5-Year Crystal Ball
3:34:55 Career Advice
3:39:23 Final Thoughts
Honorable Mentions:
More info on Nev Hyman:
Neville Hyman is an accomplished entrepreneur and founder of world-class surfboard brands. He is the Founder and Chairman of NevHouse / NOMOR (2013 – Present) and the owner of Burleigh Boardmakers / Nev Customs (2022 - Present). Nev founded Firewire Surfboards (2006 – 2015) and Nev Future Shapes (1978 – 2006) and was also a pioneer in the development of CAD/CAM (APS3000, AKU Shaper, Shape3D) computer-aided surfboard design and manufacturing. He established NEV Japan, an apparel, shoes, and accessories company, to complement his surfboard range.
Nev is also an accomplished public speaker and won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the prestigious Pitch@ Palace event at St James Palace London in Dec 2017. He is a competent director and advisor with global links through his various ventures. He has a sincere passion for humanity and the environment, stemming from his strong relationship with the ocean as a surfer and surfboard designer.
Connect with Nev Hyman on LinkedIn.
More info on NevHouse/NOMOR:
NevHouse is an architecturally designed, modular/flat pack structure that can withstand Category 5 hurricanes. It provides an innovative solution to post-disaster transitional housing through to "Safe House solutions" for severe weather-vulnerable communities.
NOMOR diverts 100% of solid waste from landfill, transforming it into construction products. NOMOR landfill/NOMOR ocean plastic focuses on dealing with environmental damage from the improper disposal of plastic.
Nev has over 45 years of experience in business development, starting with Odyssey Surfboards as a 14-year-old in Perth, Western Australia. He developed it into Nev Futureshapes, a globally competitive brand and business based on the Gold Coast, Australia.
In 2005, he disrupted the surfboard industry by introducing (alongside brilliant innovator Bert Berger) a unique surfboard manufacturing process that evolved into Firewire Surfboards. It is one of the most well-known surfboard manufacturers with offices in Australia and the US and supply chain operations in Thailand. Since 2015, 11 times World Surfing Champion, Kelly Slater, has owned a majority shareholding in Firewire.
Hyman is renowned as an innovator and big-picture thinker with brilliant marketing instincts. He has covered four decades marketing his various business interests and understands his weaknesses, so he surrounds himself with those bearing the talent to complement him. Nev is a classic team player.
For fun, Nev holds 4 Guinness Records for the largest surfboard ever built and for the most surfers riding on a wave on one surfboard (47 in Queensland and 60 in California, 2005). Then indirectly again in 2015 with 64 surfers on a 42ft board, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Surfing in California.
Visit NevHouse/NOMOR on the web.
