03.04.03
Press Release

Torrance, Calif. - March 3, 2003 - Globe is pleased to announce the addition of Brad Gerlach to the Globe surf team. Gerlach, one of surfing's most charismatic and outspoken riders, will promote the Globe brand of footwear and sandals.

Gerlach joins Mike "Snips" Parsons on Globe's big wave team. The two former archrivals joined forces several years back and have now become one of the sport's most formidable and legendary forces in tow-in surfing. Gerlach was one of the early pioneers of the Cortes Bank and continues to find new big wave spots in Australia, Europe and California as a member of the Billabong Odyssey tour. He also will be featured in Globe's upcoming Somewhere, Anywhere, Everywhere surf team video.

"Brad's a perfect ambassador for the team," says Brian Robbins, Sports Marketing Manager for Globe. "He's full of creative ideas and is continually progressing the sport. His laid-back personality and style on his board adds a whole other dimension to the team."

Gerlach, the son of legendary daredevil Jumpin' Joe Gerlach, started his surfing career as a competitive powerhouse, one of the true masters of style with his crowd-pleasing moves. Gerlach quit the professional tour in 1992 citing ideological differences with the ASP and went on to become a standout freesurfer, living his dream of touring the world in search of the perfect wave. But it wasn't until 1999 when Gerlach began the most notable segment of his surfing career - attacking the big waves of Todos Santos with consistent frequency. Since then, Gerlach has gone on to threaten the future of competitive surfing as we know it. In Fall 2002, Gerlach debuted The Game, a new competitive format that pits two regional surf "teams" against one another as surfers compete for points. This allows the crowd and TV audience to follow the action and cheer on their favorite team.

The Globe surf team also includes 2001 World Champion CJ Hobgood, 1999 World Champion Mark Occhilupo, Damien Hobgood, Taj Burrow, Pancho Sullivan, Nathan Webster, Luke Hitchings, Mike Parsons, Jason Shibata, Zane Harrison, Roy Powers, Tiago Pires, Luke Munro, Danny Nichols, Carlos Cabrero, Brian Pacheco, Greg Browning, Omar Etcheverry, Bron Huessenstamm, Hans Hagen, Peter Mendia and Ian Walsh.

Globe's business concepts originated in the early '90s from the desire to develop an authentic skateboard and surf footwear alternative for the action sports market. In 1995, Globe's rapid expansion prompted the opening of its Globe International headquarters in Southern California to serve the booming U.S. market and the launching of line extensions and additional brands, including: 1) Globe clothing and accessories, 2) Globe Trans Element, a casual footwear line, 3) Gallaz, the first action sports footwear brand specifically for females and 4) Gallaz clothing and accessories. Supported by a global team of world-class surfers and skateboarders, Globe and Gallaz offer quality products that integrate style, performance, durability and comfort. Globe, Gallaz and Globe Trans Element are distributed throughout the world. Additional information can be found at www.globeshoes.com and www.gallaz.com.