25 Years of Industry Experience / Skater Owned and Operated
I remember the day as if it were yesterday, I was 9yrs old spinning 360's on Davis Street on a warm Bay Area Summer night. I was headed out to my local pool to try and finally carve those damn tiles and like most trips to the pool, I would stop at various parking lots and sidewalk cuts along the way and do the few tricks that were in vogue. A few "walk the dogs" a couple of "end overs" some "G Turns" and the occasional "barrel roll". On this particular day though it wasn't just the tile challenge I aimed to cross off my list. I was feverishly after my ever-growing "how many 360 spins" I could do in a row. It was on everyone's trick list back then and you were never satisfied with your new best....... ever. You would finally hit 6 and after a day of boasting to the homey's the stoke would diminish and 7 was now in your sights, you would hit that 7 and you guessed it, here comes the race for 8. My goal at this point was the elusive 10 mark and that was big shit back then, if you were in the 10 club you were something special and man did I want to be something special. I was obsessed with this skateboard thing, I couldn't think of anything I would rather be doing and if spinning 10 would get me clout with the boys I wasn't stopping till it happened. And so I prepared myself - "remember to keep my arms in that outstretched position then start bringing them toward my chest at around the 4th or 5th spin. Keep my head on the same axis and keep the spin tight, wide circles were death!". I started the challenge and 8 came relatively easy that day, 9 not so much and after about 10 attempts I ate shit pretty hard. Then the negativity began to creep in, If I was struggling to reach 9 how the hell was going to hit 10 today? I had been at this goal of 10 for a while too, my 9 record was almost 2 months prior, and that's an eternity for a 9-year-old. Another failed day would be such a bummer so even with the mounting bumps and bruises I continued on even though I remember getting really discouraged. Then boom! As if the 10 spins were already wired I spun like no other time before, perfect tight circles all at the same speed with less tension and struggle than ever before and as quickly as I started I was finished - 11 360's in a row! I immediately let out a blood-curdling scream that unfortunately no one heard. I say unfortunately because it would have been cool if someone saw this glorious 4 wheel tornado that just occurred but I was fine with it just being me and I thought to myself "I'll never quit skateboarding"........ never"
And, I never did........ from the late 70's pool explosion, the 80's skatepark boom, the 80's skatepark death, the 90's street surge, the bloated ASR trade shows of early 2000's, The surge of DIY, and the new skatepark boom of the last 15 years... I never bailed. Every era, every fad, every wheel size and every shape. I've been here through it all and my passion never waned and the stoke never died. In times of injury, I would shoot photos and in more recent years I would film but make no mistake when the injuries healed I was right back on board. It wasn't planned but when it came time to get a real job the skateboard industry took me in and I've never left. I worked for the absolute best skateboarding has to offer and endured the biggest asshole this industry has ever seen. I've done almost every job you can think of too: photographer, writer, every sales position imaginable, team management, brand management, distribution, warehouse monkey, web designer but the majority of my time has been spent in the manufacturing space.
All Of These Years Of Dedication To Skateboarding
Brought Me To My Final Project, 11:11 Manufacturing
Manufacturing skate goods is nothing new, the fact that we manufacture everything from boards to bearings does make a brands purchasing headaches hurt a lot less though. Custom shapes have technically been around since day one and as I write this there are manufacturers from garage setups to the largest manufacturers like BBS producing custom boards. Distributing skateboards and skateboard-related products has been around forever, and companies like AWH and Eastern are masters of the method. Distribution directly from your manufacturer, saving on skyrocketing freight and labor costs, is relatively new in our industry. Especially form one that has the ability to produce and distribute all skate-related products, not just boards. Since online sales have become such an important part of a brand's overall sales Business to Consumer (B2c) services have blown up over the last few years. A brand can have the best ideas ever imagined but without a sales department, you can't get that killer product under the feet of your target market. Online marketing is key these days and even though everyone has a 4k camera in their pocket days finding a professional photographer and filmer is still tough. Seems like some brands have high end creators locked up and as we know those digital assets are crucial for a brand. Has there been a skate manufacturer that also produces all things apparel? Not only all print services but custom blank options as well? Not sure about that one but we offer this option as well.
At 11:11 Manufacturing We Do All Of The Above Services
Freeing Up Your Time For The Jobs You Want To Do
The hassle and anxiety of doing jobs you never wanted to do but have to do in order for your brand to continue can and should be outsourced. Did you start your brand to be the shipping and invoice manager? Was purchasing agent on your mind when you dreamed up your brand? I would guess it was the creative part of your brand that sparked your interest in the first place. Road trips with the crew, producing quality videos, crafting cool products, and creating a brand you and your community were proud of was probably the dream. Hit us up to see what we can do for you and let's get back to that original goal.
- BROdela
bruce@1111manufacturing.com
10/26/22: A Note Regarding The Current State Of The Industry
To say the current skate economy has its challenges would be an understatement. The overwhelming debt some companies have acquired since the surge and subsequent fall of the pandemic is downright frightening. The rumblings amongst the "in crowd" point towards more closures, bankruptcy, downsizing and general gloom and doom. Some brands are suffering more than others but make no mistake, whatever challenges you are facing we can help......
If you were forced to cut certain positions contact us to see if we can make this lean time more comfortable. Whether it be our fulfillment program to help cut down on ship costs and your lack of a workforce or our strategically placed price structure to maximize much-needed profits, 11:11 is here to help.
Lastly............
We aren't here just to manufacture goods and assist in running your business, the skateboard culture still matters the most to us. Do you have a contest or demo coming up? Working on a secret DIY? Have a good idea for an article on our site? Or just want to talk about the trick of the year? Hit us up, we would love to contribute to your scene or have you contribute to ours!