Terry Simms, Founder and President, is an elite surf coach, owner of the “Terry Simms Surf” adventure travel guide company, and a former professional surfer. Over the past four decades, Simms has had hands-on involvement with surf product design and development for legendary labels such as Gordon & Smith, Harbour, Rusty, Pearson Arrow, Third World Exotic, Hotline Wetsuits, and Linden Surfboards. Known for his fearless style and attitude both in and out of the ocean, Terry Simms has starred in countless movies and print features, plus graced multiple covers including those of Longboard Magazine and The Surfer’s Journal.
John Pomianowski, Founder and Director of Design, is a highly regarded New York fine artist who exhibits his land- and seascapes, as well as still life works, in the forms of oil and watercolor paintings. Pomianowski is the owner of a longstanding, Montauk-based painting and wood finishing business, where he has also been designing graphics, stained glass, and textiles for the past 25 years. A seasoned traveler with a strong appreciation for Indonesian island culture and traditional textile arts, John Pomianowski’s main focus is sourcing and transforming the beautiful Ikat patterns into KADU’s distinctive board short lines.
Simms and Pomianowski have spent their lives on the beach and in the ocean, observing as well as taking part in the evolution of the counterculture surf movement since the 1960s. Each founder has a unique perspective, varied skill set, eye for fashion, and vision for the KADU brand.
