Kyle Lobisser | Founder

Kyle began prototyping foil masts in his kitchen in 2016, shortly after leaving his role as a lead product design engineer for Apple. As an avid kitesurfer in the SF/Bay Area, foils opened up lightwind sessions when the surf was small or the northwest flow along the coast wasn’t blowing. Kyle graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and has a Masters in Engineering Management. He started his career at Boeing as a structural analysis engineer on the 787 dreamliner, the world's first primarily carbon-fiber based commercial aircraft. He then worked briefly on flying cars in Silicon Valley before transitioning to consumer products with Apple. Another startup brought him back to the Seattle area in 2017, where Cedrus remained a side project until 2021 when global supply chains broke down and the locally-made masts found their calling in newer forms of foiling like prone and wing-based. Kyle is kiting less with the arrival of his daughter in 2019, and transitioned to big boat sailing which can accommodate the whole family. He carries his wingfoil gear on summer cruises, and tries for an annual winter Baja trip to continue his foiling progression. Kyle has 12+ patents, many related to design and manufacturing with carbon fiber. He is passionate about the role of manufacturing in solving some of our biggest environmental challenges, so that his daughter can share the stoke of the oceans and mountains too. He is also an avid skier, mountain/gravel rider, and loves bringing lessons learned from other sporting goods to the foil world.

Kurt Waeschle | Customer Service and Director of Stoke

Kurt grew up in Southern California and is a lifelong surfer, turned kiteboarder, and now winger. He is a retired firefighter and captain, and continues to instruct and teach in the industry and related areas of hazardous materials response. He is formally trained to put out the fires at Foil Cedrus! Kurt pursued kiteboarding to get the surf stoke without having to drive to the far reaches of Washington state to catch ocean swell. With the introduction of wing foiling, opportunity to get in the water was even more accessible than kiting, so it was an easy transition to leap from one sport to the other. When not chasing the wind in the local area, he can be found riding his MTB, skiing (a former instructor/patroller), and spending time with family.  It is not uncommon for Kurt to start a conversation with people on the beach/trail/chairlift, etc., and then become friends. This is how he met Kyle before taking a kiteboarding lesson; they then became friends, mountain biked, and kited together. As Kurt’s foiling progressed, he eventually became a customer because of the modularity of the mast and focus on local, sustainable manufacturing. So, if you reach out to Kurt and chat, do not be surprised if he invites you for a session at one of our local spots if you live in the area or happen to be visiting and it's windy!

Scott Norrie | Head of Finishing

Scott also hails from Bainbridge, and has spent the majority of his career in automotive restoration. He has finished Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance winning cars, but can also rebuid engines and perform mechanical work. He's by far the MVP of the Cedrus shop, able to sweat copper air lines, build fixtures and equipment, all with an extremely high strength to weight ratio. He's a skilled artist, having painted art cars and motorcycles, and someday we hope to offer custom masts painted by Scott! Thanks to his experience and openness, we've been able to deploy one of the most advanced finishes in the foil industry with our UV cureable clearcoat system. When not finishing masts, he's found next door restoring a Porsche 356. When not working, you can find him ripping his mountain bike on and off the island, ski touring, hiking, surfing, or water skiing. He's learning to wing foil, and joining the local crew on downwinders that finish at his hot tub. We're incredibly lucky to have Scott, and honest when we say we couldn't produce masts without him!

Stasi Burzycki | Lead Composite Technician

Stasi recently joined Cedrus and leads all structural assembly work. While masts are curing in their jigs, he supports Scott with finishing work and Kyle with other various shop needs from laser engraving to helicoil installation. Stasi has an Associates Degree in Composites Manufacturing and Precision Machining, leveraging this background heavily while at Cedrus but also outside work as a professional sailor. From big boat to Tasar racing, Stasi is often found on the water or working on boats in the yard. Wingfoiling is his new favorite form of sailing, and he has foiled all over the world from Australia to the Gorge. Stasi is originally from Bainbridge Island, and when the wind isn't blowing, you can find him riding bikes or snowboarding.