The mission of the Books for Kids Foundation is to promote literacy among all children with a special emphasis on low income and at risk preschool aged children. Books for Kids creates libraries, donates books, and partners with literacy programs to help develop the critical foundation and skills which young children need to be successful in life.
The auction ends on April 24, 2009 and the current bid is only $78. Thanks, Tony.
Airwalk Sticks With Print Advertising
By The Editors April 21st, 2009. [Link Boardistan]
Airwalk is sticking with print advertising according to a story in Brandweek. The company is launching their new “We Are Airwalk” campaign in the printed pages of several magazines that are still in business.
The campaign will break in print in the June issue of Vapors, a skateboarding/lifestyle magazine. The print component will comprise 26 pages across vertical titles like Skateboarder and Snowboarder, as well as other lifestyle and music titles, including Spin and Filter. As for social media, the brand will have a presence on MySpace and Twitter. . . “The campaign is really focusing on athletes and who they are,” said Bruce Pettet, CEO of Airwalk, Denver, Colo. “It’s more than winning an X Games medal, it’s more the everyday life of what athletes do.”
Aside from the fact that they’re launching in print, it is nice to see that they’re sticking with the action photo and a logo creative. That way Andy Macdonald will actually have photos in a skateboard magazine.
[Link: Brandweek]
Neff On BYU News Net
By Boardistan April 15th, 2009.
It’s the story of a Brigham Young University student who took an idea to the nation. BYU NewsNet writer Kresha Worton tells the story of senior advertising student Chip Neff and how he and his brother Shaun built the Neff brand.
Neff said he and his brother have managed all of the business responsibilities over the past few years, but with their tremendous growth they recently were able to hire seven full-time employees to specialize in different areas. . . He said one of the biggest things that has contributed to their success has been the unique design and colors of the brand. . . “The theme of the brand is very fun and colorful,” Neff said. “We offer all the fun, most colorful and fresh designs.” . . .WGSN, a company that provides trend analysis and news to the fashion industry, had nothing but good things to say about Neff. . . This year WGSN predicted Neff as the biggest trendsetter for the snowboarding industry.
And what if every one of the reportedly 13.5 million Mormons world-wide were to buy just one hat. . . isn’t that they least they could do?
[Link: Boardistan ]
By Sal Ruibal, USA TODAY
It’s a hard-knock life for most action sports athletes.
They routinely bash their bodies, but find it nearly impossible to get health insurance that will cover their most serious needs.
Major league professional athletes don’t have that problem as their medical insurance is part of their unions’ collective bargaining agreements.
Shaun White dazzles in the men's vert finals at last year's Maloof Money Cup.
The Maloof family has seen both sides of the situation.
As owners of the National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Kings and The Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, they are required to make sure that their basketball players get the medical help they need when injury strikes.
As organizers of the richest skateboard event in the world — their Maloof Money Cup pays $100,000 to the winner — they also recognize that many competitive skaters lack even basic health insurance coverage.
When I saw Jake Brown fall 60 feet at the 2007 X Games and then walk off, my first thought was, ‘I wonder if he has health insurance?,’ ” says Joe Maloof, president of the Maloof Companies. “I decided we needed to start a foundation that would look after skaters and protect any skateboarder who got hurt in competition.”
Joe Maloof, 53, and brother Gavin, 52, started the Maloof Money Cup in 2008 with advice from Brown and other top skaters, such as Ryan Sheckler. He also leaned on them for advice on how to best serve the needs of injured skaters.
“Skateboarding is progressing quickly right now, and with this progression comes increased risk of injury,” says Sheckler. “I know quite a few amateur and pro skateboarders that don’t have health insurance or much savings, and those are the guys that really need the Sheckler Foundation and Maloof Skateboarding Assistance Foundation. If a serious injury ended their career these foundations could provide them the assistance they need.”
Joe Maloof says many mainstream sports fans don’t understand the dangers faced by skateboarders.
“There’s tremendous risk in these contests,” he says. “They’re performing tricks that only the world’s top athletes have the ability to complete. We had a duty to take the lead in taking care of our own.
“These aren’t just kids. There are a few 15- or 16-year-olds, but most are ages 19 to 35, the same age range as NBA players.”
The Maloofs’ act has also inspired others in the sport.
On Good Friday (April 10), Pierre Andre Senizergues, owner and CEO of the etnies skate-sport footwear company is giving away 2,000 pairs of shoes to homeless people in Los Angeles.
“It is really important that those in a position to help give back to skateboarding and their communities,” Senizergues says.
The second Maloof Money Cup is offering $450,000 in prize money and will take place July 10-12 at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. NBC and MTV2 plan more than three hours of coverage.
Contrary to media reports on some random website, I did not start a fire in a nightclub yesterday night. I did however put one out. Some people sitting on a couch in front of me had a napkin that lit on fire, on a candle, and it fell to the floor. I stomped it out. So crazy what you read online. Not a shred of truth to it. I don’t light fires. Then later that day we stopped at a gas station, all these paparazzi guys came out and started asking me about the same old bullsh*t. C’mon guys? At least I got a few skate moves on tape. I will find it online and post it.
Rob Campbell Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
courtesy of: Transworld Business
We’ve had to report on a lot of layoffs over the past six months. Unfortunately, those stories usually involved friends and great people we’ve had close working relationships with for years. Today, the news hits especially close to home.
TransWorld has eliminated eight positions within the company. Departments affected are TransWorld Business, Transworld Surf, TransWorld Skateboarding sales, marketing, and finance. More specifically, TransWorld Business lost two editors.
We’ve maintained that reporting bad news (even layoffs) is important to provide our readers with a clear picture of what’s taking place in the industry. We’ve also made efforts to get as many details from companies as possible when that news breaks. So in the name of “practicing what we preach,” I’ve provided as much detail as is legally possible.
Earlier today, Group Publisher Liam Ferguson addressed the staff in Carlsbad, explaining that the worldwide recession, and a downward trend in media spending, were factors in reducing the workforce by a small percentage.
“Collectively, all our departments have participated in significant cost cutting measures before we looked at our most prized asset, the TransWorld family,” said Ferguson. “We are making these tough decisions now to support the long term stability of TransWorld and insure we remain the number one Leader in Action Sports Media for many years to come.”
To be blunt, these situations suck. Like many other business leaders across the industry, from Bob McKnight to the smallest independent shop owners, we’ve been forced to make hard decisions for the long-term success of our business. After all, we don’t just report on this industry, we’re a part of it. And TransWorld Business will continue to be a critical part for everyone trying to get through these tough times.
