Málama Composites

Málama Composites was formed in 2009 by David Saltman and Ned McMahon after both had lived through long journeys of awakening to the possibilities of eco-friendly materials.

David Saltman spent childhood summers with his family on the beach in San Clemente, where his father was an early member of the San Onofre Surfing Association. After graduating from UCLA Film School, David wrote, produced and directed for cable television, then became involved in launching TV networks, including the E! Entertainment Channel.

An avid environmentalist, he also served as a board member and executive director of Surfrider Foundation which, in 1991, won the largest Clean Water Act Lawsuit in American history.

"This was a turning point in my life. We had three young children. I was no longer enjoying the entertainment industry but was loving the work we were doing at Surfrider. I woke up one morning with the realization that the environment was just too important to be treated as a charity."

This epiphany set Saltman on a twenty year odyssey that has included launching the first factory to make fiberboard from urban wood waste, and the first bio-composites companies in the US to produce natural fiber reinforced plastics for the auto industry.

"We enabled engineers at Ford, GM and Chrysler to produce interiors that were lighter, stronger, less expensive and far more eco-friendly than conventional composites." It was a compelling value proposition.

After that Saltman ran a public traded solar energy company and then teamed up with McMahon to form Málama. McMahon had also undergone an awakening:

During summers as an elementary school kid, Ned McMahon's dad would drop him off at La Jolla Shores in the morning, and pick him up on his way home. At 13 Ned built his first boat. At 14 he stripped the fiberglass off an old long board and shaped his sacred craft.

By the mid 70's Ned was a professional custom shaper, building boards for the pros in California, Hawaii, France, Peru and Japan. It was the golden era of high performance surfing: The short board revolution. No one considered the health risks of the foams they shaped or the resins they glassed with. It was all about lightness, quickness, thinner foils, faster boards.

Then, several of the shapers working with Ned in the factory were suddenly diagnosed with cancer. "I watched young, healthy guys sicken and die from exposure to toluene, styrene and other solvents." Ned realized these volatile organic compounds could be absorbed through skin as well as by breathing the fumes. There had to be another way.

At that time, San Clemente-based Clark Foam produced fully 50% of all polyurethane foam used to make surfboards. Clark's use of toluene diisocynate (TDI) as the reactive agent in its blanks put them on a collision path with the EPA and the California Air Quality Management District. After a protracted legal battle, Clark Foam closed down in 2004, leaving the surf industry in a panic, and motivating McMahon to begin his search for less toxic, more sustainable material solutions for the industry, culminating in his partnership with Saltman.

"We must transition from petroleum-based products to those derived from bio-based materials." says Saltman. "Plants can provide the feedstock for industry without damaging ecosystems, interfering with the human food chain, or contributing to global climate change. Málama joins a number of innovative companies, talented designers and enlightened entrepreneurs in proving that sustainability makes sound economic sense. Mahalo."