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Company Profile DB Longboards

870 DB header mountain hill

How did DB longboards start? Give us all the juicy details. Was it hard? Was access to capital difficult?

Like many skaters, the more we rode, the more we found ourselves coming up with ideas to change and improve the decks we were on. Eventually we gave in to the urge and took things into our own hands. The first DB boards were made back in 2003 when our founding crew was still in high school, so the initial startup capital came from loans through friends and family. Our original decks were all cut, drilled and finished by hand. The first seven years were spent laminating boards in a garage, another garage and a barn. Now, operating in our current facility, things are a bit more sophisticated!

What have been some of the biggest challenges in starting up?

Weā€™ve faced many of the same challenges as most smaller board builders and startups: cash flow, rent, salaries ā€” you know, business stuff. Itā€™s a constant learning experience for all of us, but we thrive on the challenge of it all. Weā€™re a DIY sort of bunch, so we enjoy tackling the many inevitable hiccups present in our day-to-day operations.

What are some of your proudest accomplishments?

First and foremost weā€™re proud of the products we build. Weā€™ve always tried to lead product-first, and the feedback weā€™ve received in support of what weā€™re manufacturing has been overwhelmingly positive, which is a great feeling. Somewhere along the way weā€™ve managed to build quite an awesome network of team riders, customers and vendors, while having a pretty good time to boot.

Who makes up the crew in terms of the company?

Weā€™ve got a small management team of three people and usually have a rotating crew of anywhere from five to a dozen guys working the floor, depending on the season. Everyone who works at DB does so because they have a passion for the products we build. We like our decks to start and finish in the hands of skaters!

Whatā€™s the longboard scene like in Fife?

The Seattle-Tacoma area, where weā€™re based out of, has a solid local scene. This year we helped organize a series of bike path races within the area and were pretty stoked on the turnout. Putting on events in that sort of environment is a great way to help allow riders the opportunity to get out and ride in a situation much safer than skating open roads. We always do our best to help support the local longboard community and are looking forward to doing even more in years to come.

DB Longboards VancouverThere seems to be a fair amount of emphasis on environmentally friendly construction at DB. Thoughts?

We definitely strive to be as low-impact as possible, and there are a lot of steps we take to do just that. Our boards are laminated with waterbased, non-toxic glue and sealed with low-VOC lacquer. Our offcuts are all recycled, producing very little waste. We also work exclusively with sustainability harvested milling operations. That said, itā€™s really more a reflection of our core values and efforts to operate using best business practices in general. The attitude extends far beyond environmentally friendly construction and is present in everything from our relationships with our vendors to our customer service. We always want to do better.

Manufacturing seems to be trickling back from China to the U.S. What are your feelings on this? Is it hard to compete?

Itā€™s an exciting trend to see, and I think weā€™ll continue to see it happen. Itā€™s hard to compete with Chinese-made decks, no doubt about it. Weā€™ll never be able to produce a deck as cheaply as the Chinese manufacturers, but cheap isnā€™t what we aim to do. We simply have to differentiate our product in another way and not compete on price alone. Lucky for us, there are a lot of customers who see the value in a quality U.S.-made product and want to support American manufacturing. With the longboard industry still changing so rapidly, it provides an advantage for smaller, more nimble manufacturers who are able to keep up with current trends and are capable of providing top-quality products at the cutting edge of demand.

You have some unusual-looking decks. Whatā€™s been the reaction to the Lunch Tray?

Huge! Weā€™ve been pleasantly surprised by the tremendously positive response to the Lunch Tray. Our board design is where we try to set ourselves apart from the pack. Tim Mackey, our in-house engineer, really has a knack for taking his ideas and blending them with the feedback given to him by our team riders. This makes the whole design process extremely collaborative and has proven to produce some quality results. We want all of our decks, even the more basic entry level boards, to be well thought out with a clearly defined purpose. DB boards aim to be unique and functional while maintaining the simplicity and aesthetics present in any good design.

Any other comments?Another big thanks to all our customers and supporters. Go skate!Ā Interview by Michael Brooke, Concrete Wave Magazine

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