Merchant, Gordon

Australian surf-world executive; founder of Billabong, the Queensland-based beachwear and wetsuit giant. Merchant was born (1943) in Sydney, grew up in the beachfront suburb of Maroubra, began surfing as a teenager in the late '50s, and was a well-traveled surfboard shaper by the late '60s. While living in Queensland in 1970, he made a new board for himself and fine-tuned the rails into what wou...