RETAIL : New Chief of San Clemente’s Rip Curl Sees Wave Building for Beachwear Firm

The new president of Rip Curl, U.S.A., harbors some ambitious plans for the San Clemente-based maker of wet suits and beachwear.

Kelley Woolsey envisions Rip Curl’s wholesale sales climbing 50% within about a year. That would mean a jump to about $12 million by next fall, from the $8.4 million reached in fiscal 1989 ended Sept. 30, he said.

To help reach that goal, Woolsey said, Rip Curl is planning to expand its current product line of board shorts, walk shorts, knits, shirts and outer wear. Woolsey, 35, came to Rip Curl in November from O’Neill, the Santa Cruz manufacturer mostly known for its wet suits. He said he decided to make the switch because of “the potential to grow Rip Curl into a larger company.”

Woolsey was vice president of sales and marketing at O’Neill.