Recent OSU Honors College alumni Parker Conrad, ’24 (H.B.S., computer science), and Frederick Boulton, ’24 (H.B.S., mechanical engineering), didn’t expect to start a company when they first met, but their shared love of surfing — and a realization about the industry’s environmental impact — led them to launch Buni Boards. Their startup is challenging traditional surfboard production by using plant-based resin and responsibly sourced foam to create high-performance, eco-friendly boards.
Long before they became business partners, Parker and Frederick’s friendship began in their first year at Oregon State University, sparked by a shared love of surfing. "I have to credit the Honors College for how Parker and I met,” says Frederick. “We were at a freshman-year park cleanup when I noticed his surfing shirt and struck up a conversation.” That chance meeting led to eventual surf trips, late-night brainstorming and a friendship built on a shared enthusiasm for the sport and the craftsmanship behind it.
Despite growing up on opposite coasts — Parker in Cannon Beach, Oregon, and Frederick in New York City — the two were drawn to the Oregon State University Honors College “because of the thesis project. I personally liked that I could explore any topic that sparked my curiosity,” says Frederick. That freedom led him to research sustainable materials in high-performance engineering, culminating in his thesis, “Manufacturing Carbon Fiber Reel Rims for Electric Race Cars,” in which he gained hands-on experience working with composites and innovative materials.
For Parker, the thesis was “a great way to gain research experience that could translate into a future career.” As a lifelong surfer, he was drawn to the intersection of craftsmanship and sustainability in board design. His thesis, “An Artistic Exploration of Surfboard Manufacturing,” examined the environmental impact of traditional surfboard production and experimented with alternative materials, from bio-based resins to sustainably sourced wood. “Surfers rely on clean waters and a healthy ocean, yet the industry often harms the very environment it depends on,” says Parker. “As shapers, we have the power to choose materials that minimize our impact.” His project allowed him to blend technical research with hands-on manufacturing, laying the foundation for what would later become Buni Boards.
During their time at OSU, Parker and Frederick immersed themselves in both academics and extracurriculars, including the Global Formula Racing (GFR) team and the Valley Surf Club, which they founded. But it was during the pandemic that their entrepreneurial vision took shape. Parker, spending more time in Cannon Beach, was reintroduced to surfboard manufacturing by his friend Mason Crawford. “Because surfboards are so diverse and dynamic, Mason and I wanted to try them all, which wasn’t realistic. So, we decided to make our own,” he says. “We made our first surfboard, a dexter- style makeshift board, in my parent’s backyard” using scavenged materials.
As they refined their designs, Parker started “selling boards as a way to sustain the process,” he says. But the backyard setup had its limitations. Looking for a more permanent workspace, Parker found a mentor in Seaside surfboard shaper Tom Scott, who offered him shop space and tools in exchange for labor. “I’d clean his shop, and in return, I got to use the space to shape boards. That’s when things really started to take off.”
Meanwhile, Frederick’s own interest in surfboard construction grew as he spent a summer in New York. “I was surfing more actively, and my board started needing more repairs,” he says. As he worked on fixing his boards, he began to “recognize the similarities” between surfboard construction and the composite materials he had studied in his thesis. “When you're making surfboards, you’re using composites, and that overlapped with what I already had experience in.” When he saw Parker shaping boards back in Cannon Beach, he recognized an opportunity. “Parker essentially opened the door for me to bring our shared interests together,” says Frederick.
From the start, Parker and Frederick knew sustainability was a core mission. “Surfboards aren’t inherently eco-friendly, and few surf companies prioritize eco-friendliness,” says Frederick. Determined to take a different path, they made sustainability Buni’s defining purpose. “We made it our mission to break the vicious cycle of waste in the surf industry.”
That commitment has shaped how they run Buni Boards today. “Since we manufacture from the ground up, we make it our priority to source the best materials within our ability and budget,” Frederick says. Buni strives to locally source materials, using “Oregon-made recyclable EPS (expanded polystyrene) foam,” which has a greater lifecycle than traditional polyurethane foam, and “ECOBOARD-certified resin that is bio-based, reducing the use of fossil fuels.”
They also take waste management seriously. “We make sure that the materials we use are recyclable or reusable in other ways,” says Frederick. Foam waste is sent to a local recycling plant specializing in EPS reuse, while other materials are repurposed in creative ways. “We use excess resin to create usable objects like shot glasses and coasters — there was a time when we’d sell them at frat parties to fund more materials.”
While they’re proud of how far they’ve come, Parker acknowledges that sustainability is an ongoing process. “There’s a long way to go for waste management. Our goal is to always choose the most sustainable option when we have a choice,” he says.
For those interested in launching their own business ventures, Parker and Frederick emphasize the importance of collaboration and perseverance. “Support each other, work as a team and focus on the goal, not just profitability.” says Frederick. Parker adds, “If you have the privilege to start a business, just go for it. Doubt and adversity can hold you back.”
As for the future, Parker and Frederick are keeping things open-ended. “We're riding the waves and rolling with the punches for now,” they share. But one thing is certain — Buni wouldn’t be what it is without the people who helped along the way. “None of this would've been possible without Beck Tankersley, Garner Evans, Emmett Nelson, Katie Zagata, Mason Crawford, and anyone else who has crossed paths with us,” they say. “There is no Buni without them.”
By Mandy Eng, Honors College student writer.