Tom Ruiz, one of the most high-profile sales leaders in the surf industry who helped build industry brands such as Volcom and Salty Crew, is leaving his current job as GM of Seager. His last day is Thursday.
Seager is the Western surf brand started by Mattson Smith and Elliott Shaw that started as a DTC company and then grew into the wholesale channel, which greatly expanded with Ruiz at the helm because of his close relationships with a wide range of retailers.
“I want to thank the guys for the opportunity,” Ruiz told SESO. “It was a lot of hard work, but also fun working with Mattson, Elliott, and the whole team at Seager. I am extremely proud of the achievements and progress we have made together.”
Ruiz cited some of the milestones during his tenure including establishing a company calendar, building and hiring a U.S. rep force, increasing the wholesale business by 300%, securing 10 large new accounts set to deliver in 2026, opening Seager’s first retail store, and navigating tariff challenges and mitigating their impact.
He also hired six new managers over the past four months to lead marketing, sales, merchandising, product development and operations.
“I believe Seager is well-positioned for continued success and momentum,” Ruiz said.
Smith and Shaw, co-founders and co-CEOs of Seager, said they have no plans to hire a new GM and feel confident in Seager’s existing leadership team and the foundation Seager has built.
“Tom has played an important role during a meaningful chapter of Seager’s growth,” Smith and Shaw said. “Over the past three years, he helped us strengthen our wholesale network, deepen relationships with the best sales reps across the country, make key hires, and bring additional operational maturity to the business. His experience scaling brands in this industry was valuable as we evolved from an emerging label into a more established and disciplined organization.”
“We are grateful for his contributions and wish him nothing but success in his next chapter,” Smith and Shaw said.
Smells Blood in the Water and Sees Lots of White Space in Surf
Ruiz is already speaking with a few people about new opportunities.
“One’s an existing brand that is up and running and surf-focused, and the other is a new surf brand that hasn’t hit the market yet,” he said. “Both brands live in the surf market, are authentic, and are driven by surfers and the love of surfing.”
He’s also a partner in 1910, the growing snow apparel brand founded by snowboarder and artist Jamie Lynn, Schoph and Scottie Daniels, and will support them as needed.
Ruiz wants one thing clear – he is not retiring. He sees too much opportunity with the current state of the surf market.
“I firmly believe that surf is alive and thriving and that we will see surf come full circle in the next year,” he said.
“With the heritage brands leaving shelf space in the surf market and watching golf brands and leisure brands filling shelves in surf shops, I’m also seeing new angles on the surf business with brands like Florence and Steko,” Ruiz said. “It’s great to see both brands growing and taking back shelf space in surf shops.”
He added: “There is so much going on in our industry — I can’t just sit it out when I smell blood in the water.”
