Our Crew | JZ Surfboards | California

our crew

Joel Zemenick

Andi Cummings

Co-Owner / Business Operations & Marketing

Hi there! I’m Andi and I have the overall responsibility to ensure JZ Surfboards is on the path to success and that our customers get the best experience possible. I am originally from the southern states and moved to NorCal by way of Charleston, South Carolina.

Sometimes, The Universe brings you to exactly where you need to be! That’s how I met Joel. Our first date was a surf/dive trip to Maui, and if you had asked me if I would have owned a surfboard company at that time, I would have laughed! I am a business coach by trade and I have dedicated my career to helping small business owners become successful entrepreneurs.

Now, I get to go to work daily with one of the best shapers/glassers in the business (ahem, my man!) who I am so proud of. Building this company with Joel has been a true effort of love and dedication. We work together daily to make sure our crew is having the best time possible while outfitting our customers with the best boards possible. I am a mother of an amazing kid in Charleston, a fur baby who is spoiled rotten, and I get to be Mama Bear to all of our awesome crew.

While I am still new to California -- and to surfing -- my love for Mother Ocean runs deep as I am also a certified dive master from St. Croix. I find my soul whenever I am in the water! In my spare time, you can find me doing my part to save our oceans and protect marine life for lasting generations.

Todd Johnson

Public Relations / Team Manager / Surf Instructor

Growing up in Pacifica, I was introduced to the ocean at a young age. With my dad being an avid surfer and fisherman, I was at the beach a lot as a kid. As I got older, surfing became an outlet as well as a competitive sport for me.

After high school, I started teaching surf lessons at Linda Mar Beach for Surf Camp Pacifica. Soon after that, I started designing and shaping my own boards and had none other than Joel Zemenick glass them. Turns out... JZ had glassed almost every board I ever owned -- from Neptunes, to Clarks, to my own Johnson Board Co brand!

In 2012, the sport of wakesurfing turned into one of the fastest growing water sports in the country and I was right there competing, shaping, and coaching the worlds best on the World Series of Wakesurfing. Over the years, I've had the privilege to shape and coach for multiple world champions. My boards were honored as the official board of the world series of wakesurfing in 2013 and are still considered some of the best in the sport.

In 2017, after 16 years as an employee, I became the Co-Owner and operator of Surf Camp Pacifica. Today we run our famous summer surf camps along with special events and private lessons. I also started a skateboard program in 2010 that has grown very popular.

I feel so blessed and I'm so grateful that surfing has become my career, and I'm honored to officially be part of the JZ Surfboards family.

Owner: Johnson Board Co
Co-Owner: Surf Camp Pacifica

Mike McArdle

Artist

I was originally born in Oakland, California, but grew up in San Francisco in the Sunset District and then The Excelsior. At nine years old, my family moved to Pacifica, CA where I still call “home.” My fascination with the ocean started at a very young age. My father was a swimmer and a diver and qualified for the Olympic trials. As a child, my sister and I were always in the water at Ocean Beach watching my father swim.

As I got older, I became an avid skateboarder right in the middle of the 70s skateboard craze.
Tired of eating the pavement, a buddy of mine asked me to check out surfing with him. I did and I never looked back! I started surfing spots in Princeton and Cowells (Santa Cruz) as a beginner, and for the next 30 years, I surfed my home breaks in Linda Mar and Rockaway.

Throughout my life, I’ve been doing art. As a child, I had a fascination with airbrushing. I discovered airbrushing while following my idol, Ed Roth... more commonly known as the “Rat Fink.” I’ve worked in many mediums, but airbrushing has always been natural to me. After graduating high school, I received a grant to the Academy of Art in San Francisco. That’s when I first started airbrushing canvases and then gradually moved to making art on surfboards. My first job as an artist started at theNorCal Surf Shop nearly 20 years ago. From there, I graduated to motorcycles and cars -- owning several of my own shops.

I met Joel doing surfboards at NorCal. We connected right away! He is a very talented guy and we became instant friends. We have worked together off and on throughout the years, and finally here I am working with Joel again at JZ Surfboards. The quality of work that we do together is unmatched, and Joel is always a joy to work with! We are constantly throwing ideas around at each other to create a board that is unique looking and surfs insane. I am looking forward to the masterpieces that Joel and I can create!!

Jet Wada

Laminator

They call me Jet Wa-dah. I was born and raised in the Bay Area and grew up surfing and fishing almost the entire coast with my pops and younger brother. From Ocean Beach SF, down to Mission Beach in San Diego, and everywhere in between, I have probably been there checking out the next surf spot. In the winter, you can most likely catch me fishing steelhead in the rivers near Sacramento or hunting waves wherever there is a swell.

I am a proud new dad to my beautiful baby daughter. I take time to balance work, play, and raising a kid all at once 🤙🏾 . And, I definitely plan on taking my daughter to all the lineups and fishing holes when she is old enough.

Other than that, I am a pretty laid back cat that just wants to make good surfboards, fish as much as I can, and be a good dad. As a laminator and a shaper, it’s my passion to build you exactly what you need in a board and have it be of the highest quality! I have been studying under the greats of NorCal like Joel, and I am stoked to get you a board under your feet! 🤙🏾... “yeah you!”

CJ Betancourt

Staff Photographer / Customer Service

My name is Carlos but I also go by CJ. I was born in Honolulu, HI and moved to Pacifica, CA in 1998. Shortly after moving from Hawaii I was introduced to the cold water through our friends at Surf Camp Pacifica. Because of Surf Camp Pacifica, I was able to understand and appreciate the ocean from a young age.

With this foundation and diverse experiences throughout life, I found that photography and surfing could both be used as a tool to express my creativity. While at the same time allowing me to grow and learn from my failures in and out of the water. Both surfing and photography have their own challenges but allow tremendous opportunities for growth.

Meeting people in the community has been one of my favorite parts of being a photographer as I’ve been blessed to hear many of their stories. Which leads me to JZ Surfboards…

I am extremely honored and proud to be a part of this skilled team. Not only is it a great place to work, it is a place where I can explore my creativity everyday -- an experience I am extremely grateful for. The atmosphere of excellence and craftsmanship at JZ Surfboards radiates and challenges me to grow as a photographer, while still holding true to my roots.

Lola Bean, Shop Dog