Burton Snowboards
[4] His co-founder, Dimitrije Milovich, was an East Coast surfer and the founder of snowboard company Winterstick.
Jake Burton campaigned for local ski resorts to open their lifts to snowboard riders.
[5] In 2008, several complaints arose when Burton produced snowboards that had illustrations of self-mutilation and Playboy bunnies.
[citation needed] For many years, Burton and his wife—Donna Gaston Carpenter, whom he had married in 1983[5]—hosted the Fall Bash, to promote goodwill among company employees and friends.
[5] In December 2015, Burton named Donna Carpenter as CEO (Mike Rees having left to be closer to family) and John Lacy as president.
[19] In 2016, in light of the company's 40th anniversary, Burton's Chief Creative Officer, Greg Dacyshyn, stated he wished to keep both the sport and lifestyle aspect of the brand going for many years.
[20] Jake Burton Carpenter died at his home on November 20, 2019, due to a recurrence of testicular cancer.
[21] The first Burton snowboard was the BB1, a narrow board consisting of single-strap bindings with a rope and handle attached to the nose.
Burton is now the second-largest snowboard manufacturer in the US;[24] and its products are marketed worldwide in over 4,348 stores, 1,536 of which are in the United States.
These sub-brands include Anon Optics (snowboard goggles and eyewear), RED (helmets and body armor), Analog (outerwear),[26] and Gravis (footwear, now defunct).
Burton's sponsored professional snowboard team includes: Zeb Powell, Mark McMorris, Taylor Gold,[31] Shaun White, Jeremy Jones, Kazuhiro Kokubo, Terje Haakonsen, Ellery Hollingsworth, Kelly Clark, Hannah Teter, and Kevin Pearce.
Burton has come under criticism over its choices regarding team members, such as the removal of David Carrier Porcheron[32] and other riders in 2008.
Because of the 2008 graphics controversy and concern over its effect on youth, a local beneficiary severed its ties with Burton.
Craig Smith, the boss of the company's China subsidiary, told the BBC Burton didn't want to "divorce" itself from the region by refusing to do business there, despite allegations of human rights abuse, including genocide of the Uyghurs.
