A Dania Beach paddleboard maker was one of 20 small businesses around the nation selected by Chase for $150,000 Mission Main Street Grants to help them thrive.
Titan Paddles designs and hand-crafts a strong, durable yet lightweight paddle for paddleboarding enthusiasts. The founders not only have a passion for paddleboarding, but also a passion for keeping jobs in the U.S. Most paddles are manufactured in Asia and the quality is not good, Carlos Menendez, one of the founders, said.
The paddles are used by Tom Jones, who has set two world records for stand-up paddleboarding, Menendez said. Jones told the Sun Sentinel in an interview that he now plans to paddle board from California to Hawaii using Titan paddles that he said are so strong they don't break during heavy use. The paddles have a three-year warranty, which Menendez said other manufacturers don't have.
Nearly 25,000 business owners from all 50 states submitted applications for this year’s Mission Main Street Grants program, and more than 1.6 million votes were cast for participating small businesses. A diverse team of small business experts selected the grant recipients from the group of eligible businesses that received at least 250 votes.
In addition to the $150,000, the 20 grant recipients received a trip to premier sponsor, Google’s headquarters in California for an exclusive small business marketing workshop this February. Google will also provide a Chromebook Laptop computer and a $2,000 coupon toward one market research study with Google Consumer Surveys.
[Our friend and partner, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, wrote a story about Titan Paddles here.](The%20money will help Titan ride a surge of interest in the sport of paddleboarding. The sport, derived from a Hawaiian tradition of paddling on a flat board, has been growing about 19 percent a year, Menendez said.)