Surfer Profile - Louis Ros
Story/Photos by Dharma Mum – Gayla Schaefer
What is a dream job for a good ole' surfer boy?
Apart from aspiring to the glory and fame spangled stardom of the likes of Slater, a few jobs spring to mind…
How about owning a surf shop or maybe a tiki bar on the beach? Being a surf instructor would certainly be fun.
Another great career path coveted by many who long for free board shorts, sunglasses and the latest surf accoutrements would be representing surf companies like HIC, Dragon Optical and Body Glove.
Our first-ever Average Joe surf profile is of a guy who has just that job and loves every minute of it.
Louis Ros has been a rep for surf companies for the past 25 years but this Melbourne Beach resident has been surfing for close to 40.
Born in Cuba, Ros jokes that he "paddled his board over" when he was three-years-old.
"I started surfing in Pensacola Beach when I was 12," he recalls. "My younger brother George and I just rented a board one day and I was hooked from there. It took two of us to carry them because that was back in day of 10 foot boards that weighed 100 pounds… and dinosaurs ruled the Earth. "
These days, Ros sports one of his several boards to the beaches around Sebastian Inlet.
"Anything but a longboard!" he laughs.
The son of a non-surfing engineer and a homemaker, Ros says that while the waves in Pensacola Beach were not as consistent as they are here, they were still pretty fun.
About 20 years ago, Louis moved to our side of the beach.
"I started traveling the state with my sales rep job and every time I came through Melbourne, it seemed like good waves and I had some friends here so I decided it was a good place to end up living."
Some of this surfer's favorite memories involve a trip to Tavarua in 1991 with some good friends.
"There were just incredible waves," he recalls. "I went with a bunch of Hawaiian friends of mine: just great people to be with on an island for a week."
Married for 15 years to his wife, Sherry, a personal trainer and fitness instructor at Our Club in Indialantic, Ros is the proud papa of 10-year-old Logan, who surfs with his dad.
"My wife doesn't surf," he laughs. "She is afraid of sharks."
Ros says his job is definitely a great one.
"You travel to all the surf shops in the state of Florida, give them your best sales pitch and basically sell and service all the accounts in the state," he explains. "My biggest accounts are definitely Ron Jon's and Maui Nick's in Daytona. It's a great job."
Ros got his start in the business soon after finishing his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of West Florida.
"I had a good friend tell me there was a job opening and I started calling the company relentlessly," he says. "I guess they figured if I wasn't afraid to call them two to three times a day for days in a row that I wouldn't be afraid to call on stores, so they gave me a chance."
Ros started at a company called Instinct Sportswear "fronted by a famous surfer named Shaun Tomson" and 25 years later he is still going strong in the industry.
His advice for budding surf sales reps? Know your stuff!
"I worked at surf shops before I became a rep so it probably doesn't hurt to get a little surf retail background," he says.
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