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Meet Brent Ackland

Founder/Visionary

Brent has a long history in the SUP industry. He is the founder of Northern SUP in 2011 — a multi-faceted SUP company originally contracted by the City of Barrie and the Town of Innisfil to offer rentals, lessons, classes, social programming and retail sales on Centennial and Leonards Beaches. Brent is one of the original PaddleFit Certified coaches, and has coached well over 1000 people to paddle.  2024 saw an expansion to C3 Canadian Cross Training Club as their Head SUP Coach and Program Development. 

Within the SUP industry, Brent has held the positions of Canadian Sales Manager, Team Manager, and created the first Ambassador program for Jimmy Lewis Boards. He is the Canadian Distributor in addition to Regional Sales Manager for Eastern/Central USA for Infinity SUP and in January 2025 was promoted to President & CEO of PaddleFit.

Having been a full-time fitness coach for over 10 years, primarily on the water with stand-up paddling through PaddleFit, and more recently acquiring CrossFit Level 1 Certification, Brent has dedicated the last decade to helping people live a more fulfilling life. He brings a rare combination of traditional fitness and performance background and utilizes these skills in the great outdoors.

A tireless Ambassador for Stand-Up Paddling, Brent loves introducing new people to the sport as well as showing them how the sport can complement their fitness goals. In addition to promoting his own business, he is selfless when providing advice and expertise to assist others in launching new SUP businesses or helping dealers understand clients’ needs to determine purchase orders throughout Canada and the Central & Eastern US.

Brent truly embodies the spirit of stand-up paddling and is living proof that SUP is a lifestyle and not just a sport

“Life is about progression, not perfection. I am committed to helping you take the first step towards your goals. Whether that is SUP coaching, fitness coaching, business coaching or getting the perfect new board under your feet for the summer, now is the time to start your journey towards maximizing your potential.”

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