Julia's Canoes Inc. is a family-owned distributorship
of contemporary model fiberglass canoes
founded in 1997 by husband and wife team,
Samuel L. Mendes and Julia Moreno.
Mendes, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina
and Baltimore, Maryland, is a graduate of
Yale College and the London School of Economics.
While competing in Rowing in the Seoul Olympics
in 1988, he met Julia Moreno, a swimmer,
who is a graduate of Connecticut College
and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
Following Mendes's time at the London School
of Economics, Moreno and Mendes were married
and moved to Minneapolis where they were
employed by the Target Corporation, Mendes
in Property Development and Moreno as Deputy
CFO.
In 1997, eager for entrepreneurship and
a creative venture of their own, Mendes
and Moreno formed Julia's Canoes Inc., based
out of their home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Julia's Canoes Inc. distributes all-purpose
lightweight canoes that are ideal not only
for sports, but also hunting, fishing, family
recreation, and livery use on flat and white
water. Their durability, easy portage,
speed, cost and colorful surface make them
preferable over aluminum canoes for many
seasoned paddlers.
Unique to Julia's Canoes Inc. is Doug Highwater,
Mendes's former Olympic Games rowing teammate,
who joined the firm in 2000. Using
his background of engineering and graphic
design, he has devised a unique gelcoat
surface for the hull that augments speed
and durability.
Ideal partners are schools, camps, wilderness
outfitters, paddling associations, beach
clubs and search and rescue operators.
Retailers carrying these canoes are major
camping, fishing, hunting and sporting goods
stores, including discount chains, in the
US and Canada. Expansion into Costa
Rica is planned for early 2004.
Kid's Kanoes, a subsidiary of Julia's Canoes
Inc., was launched in January 2003 to camps
and discount stores along the East coast
of the US. Click here for more information:
www.KidsKanoes.com
