Bob Hollis appoints Mike Hollis as CEO of Oceanic, AERIS, LavaCore & Oceanpro.

After more than 40 years of leadership in the SCUBA industry Bob Hollis has decided to step down as CEO of Oceanic, AERIS, LavaCore & Oceanpro but remain Chairman of the Board of AUP, the globe spanning empire he built from the ground up. Bob Hollis will cease oversight of the day-to-day operations and devote his time exclusively to product development and research moving forward. “It’s time for me to stop worrying about inventory and concentrate on doing what I love - creating great products. I know I don’t need to worry about the business because Mike has been unofficially doing it for years already”, said Bob about his decision.

President and Chief Operating Officer, Dan Emke stated “We respect Bob’s decision. He has been and continues to be an inspiration for me and everyone that knows him. He built AUP from a little light housing company in his dive shop into a multinational entity with five unique and strong brands. AUP stands alone among the competition and will remain there by following the course Bob has charted from the beginning - Innovation. We look forward to the leadership and experience that Mike brings to the table as he assumes the post of CEO. This is not a changing of the guard. It’s an acknowledgment of the next obvious step for this successful family run business. He’s a proven hands on leader with the ability to take AUP forward while maintaining effective oversight of the day-to-day details. I look forward to continuing our close working relationship.”

Mike Hollis stated “Given the team and the resources I have to work with here at AUP I feel fortunate to have this opportunity. My top priority is to continue AUP’s proud tradition of industry leadership and innovation. This is the legacy my father has left us all with here at AUP. I want to thank him for all that he has done and will continue to do for the industry and growth of this magnificent company. Looking forward, AUP’s brands are set to launch new products in 2013 and beyond that will further set us apart from the competition through the relentless pursuit of innovation and reliability we build into every product we make. As the dive industry recovers from the latest economic down turn so too will we grow stronger and expand our reach by maintaining our relationship with the dealers who keep this industry alive.”

Mike Hollis has been intimately involved in AUP from the beginning. As a young man he started out building strobes for his father’s fledgling underwater photography equipment company - Oceanic. He went on to become a certified commercial diver doing stints in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico. He then headed back to the bay area to start Pelagic Pressure Systems, a manufacturer of underwater instrumentation for the dive industry. Since then Mike has been the driving force behind some of AUP’s most acclaimed products. Mike’s proudest personal contributions to the dive industry have been his work on the OC1, Datamask HUD (Heads up display mask) as well as the Veo line of gauges. Over the years his team’s products have won numerous awards in the diving industry and have helped AUP remain among the top players in the SCUBA industry.

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AUP’s worldwide headquarters is in San Leandro, California in a 120,000 square foot building that houses one of the most innovative and technologically advanced life-support equipment manufacturing facilities in the world. AUP’s team of engineers, product designers, and manufacturing experts are dedicated to the philosophy of excellence. One distinguishing attribute that separates AUP from other manufacturers is the commitment to vertical integration. The vast majority of AUP products are designed, developed, manufactured, and tested in its own facilities. NO other dive company can make that statement.

The Elite series is the perfect multi-sport thermal garment for protection against wind chill and surface splash. The nique blend of Polytherm, Merino and Neoprene in the Elite Series eliminates constriction and allows for extreme movement and flexibility while protectiong your inner core.

The Extreme series also incorporates Merino, Polytherm and Neoprene into specific panels, creating an Extreme water sports garment.

“Last November I was diagnosed with Stage IV liver cancer due to an undetected colon cancer that spread to my liver and was on its way to my lungs. Here I am after extensive chemo still alive, but deal with some issues from time to time. I want to dive so badly, so Christmas Eve my youngest son and I went to Ginnie Springs to get wet. Due to my port access I am limited to 30 feet but even that is something I wanted to do a few more times till Mr. C has his way with me. As you can imagine I was concerned with ruining the day for my son by suffering from the cold so I had mad my mind up to get a hood when we arrived at Ginnie Springs. The guy at the dive shop there suggested Lavacore. The rest of me got cold BUT not my head. I was stunned. The Chemo does a number on the body and to be honest I will purchase the suit and I may wear it every day! I am still amazed. I work every day I am not in the hospital for therapy and have an employer that understands the exhaustion but I will fight every day and now, THANKS to Lavacore I know I can dive again and enjoy the dives too. Thank you Lavacore for giving me the water again!”

-John

The buzz around the new Lavacore line is heating up and the positive reviews are flowing in. Maui Dreams dive shop sold out of their 1st stocking order in two weeks and they just doubled their next order.

Jim, an instructor with Maui Dreams, recently purchased his first Lavacore pieces and put them to the test. Just after putting it on Jim felt the effect immediately. Jim wore it under a 5mm wetsuit for 3 dives including a night dive.

“Once I got in the water, I was sold—that fleece inner liner gets cool for the first few min, but then traps the water it absorbs, warms up, and becomes insulation….Between dives, I noticed another thing—usually when I’ve worn a rash guard under my suit, exposing the rash guard to air feels like someone dumping ice water on me due to rapid evaporation…with the Lavacore, I got that effect for maybe 3 seconds, then I was warm again…even in the wind!”

Read about Jim’s whole experience and opinion of Lavacore over at the Maui Dreams blog.