Well, rather than give you the flowery marketing spiel, here's the straight dope.

Wilderness Systems was founded by Andy Zimmerman, a dirtbag boater who made stuff for his friends and himself, and was on the cutting edge of development of new product. That was in the 80s. Andy knew that his entrepreneurial spirit was great for growing to a certain size, but to grow Wilderness Systems he would be a more structured environment and more staff (and more cash too). He sold the company in 1996, but stayed on as a consultant and Wilderness Systems grew unto the the company it is today.

We carry Wilderness Systems kayaks because they make great product. Some could argue that the Pungo, a 12-foot open cockpit kayak, was the first of its kind and created an entire category of paddler. We work with great people there: top notch designers, and a really great sales rep. It's a boat you can buy and know we'll stand behind it.