Powell Peralta
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Powell Peralta - Skateboard Company
George Powell stared making homemade skateboards in 1957. He studied engineering at Stanford University. In 1974 his son came and asked for a skateboard. George pulled an old one out of the garage, but when his son started to complain that it didn't have urethane wheels, George became interested in skateboarding again, as he realized these new urethane wheels made a big difference to riding your board. He started making his own boards and wheels again. He bought this new urethane and baked his own wheels. He also used some of new materials like aluminum and fiberglass to fabricate his own composite boards. One of the test riders of one of his flexible slalom boards was Stacy Peralta.
When George was laid off from his job in the aerospace industry he packed up and moved from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara to start his own skateboard manufacturing business. In 1976, George built the Quicksilver ProSlalom deck which he marketed through Sims. This was followed by the Quicktail.
George started to make wheels too. He developed wheels which he named Bones because of their white color.
Skateboarding changed and George Powell moved into wood laminates.
In 1978 George teamed up with Stacy Peralta. Stacy was a big name in skateboarding and took over team management and advertising. In 1979 they created a skateboarding team that they called the Bones Brigade. Powell Peralta developed a unique style, with a skeleton motif. Their artwork stood out in the market. The produced the Bones Brigade videos that were some of the most influential skateboarding videos of that time.
In the late 1980’s, smaller skater run companies like World Industries appeared. This phenomenon took market share from the bigger companies. Powell Peralta suffered as many of their riders defected and either set up or rode for those new independent companies. At the end of 1991 Stacy Peralta walked away from Powell Peralta.
The company was re-branded as Powell Corporation, and despite severe financial problems initially, Powell continues to make skateboard products today.