Joe Puliam (USA)

Joe Pulliam’s life has been dedicated to whitewater, beginning with a strong love of rivers and the people he paddled with and guided by what became the whitewater industry.

Early on, he built fiberglass boats with Bill Masters in his backyard and in 1982 joined Bill at Perception as Sales and Marketing Director, later Vice President.  He brought to the job a business degree and a personality which made him an exceptionally effective manager.

In 1987, Joe co-found Dagger to build canoes and kayaks. Dagger leaders were well-liked and respected for building good boats, standing behind their dealers, supporting conservation efforts and excelling at getting the word out about the joys of paddling.

The 1990s were the heyday of whitewater popularity, and Joe’s work ethic and vision for the sport had a lot to do with that success. Dagger was awarded Canoe & Kayak Magazine’s Manufacturer of the year twice (in 1997 and 1999).

In 1998 Watermark bought both Dagger and Perception.  Joe stayed on as President of Dagger and later became Executive Vice President of Watermark, where his sound business acumen and ability to work with everyone was recognized as he continued to lead the boat brands, Harmony and AT Paddles until 2005.

In 2007, Joe became Jackson Kayak’s  Head Coach and board member and, as EJ describes, source of invaluable advice and guidance. In November 2017 Joe decided real retirement was called for.

Joe has participated actively as an industry and paddling community leader by serving on boards of Trade Association of Paddlesports Board (1986-87 and 1990-96), American Whitewater (1996-99), and American Canoe Association (2001-04).  His skill, and guidance for over 35 years with integrity, openness, vision and a love of the river environment has left his mark worldwide.