Element
Element Skateboards was started in 1992 by Johnny Schillereff and was bought by Billabong in July of 2002. Schillereff came of age in the Peralta/Dog Town era and emerged out of the Albany scene, with some thanks to Concert Beach. Back then he skated with the likes of Toma, Blake Hannon, Phil Frost, Jermey Fish, Carl Shultz and Kenny Reed. Over the years Schillereff picked up some solid sponsors including Spitfire wheels, Thunder trucks and Vans Skateboard Shoes. But it was while riding with New Deal that he broke his ankle at the Brooklyn banks and his career as a skater ended. Schillereff considered this to be a pivotal point in his life and he began to rethink his involvement in the skateboard industry. He left New Deal in order to focus on a brand he was calling Underworld and would soon call Element Skateboards. Giant Distribution first created Element, which got off to a rough start. Schillereff continued on, using Giant as a backbone and doing everything for Element himself. When he was faced with saving the failing Element Skateboards or bailing, he saved the business. Slowly the growth of Element started filling in. Schillereff reinvented the brand until eventually it blossomed into what Element Skateboarding is today.
