15 More Things You Didn't Know About Element

1. Although skateboards are made from tress, the Element tree logo was created for other reasons. Johnny heard an ironic story that trees are one of the few things that survive massive forest fires and felt that the story ran parallel with his own life and inspired him to make the Element tree logo because it represented growth and endurance.

2. In 1995 Johnny wrote down on a piece of paper his idea of the perfect pro team and just four years later the list had actually materialized. Bill Pepper, Reese Forbes, Kenny Hughes, Donny Barley, Kris Markovich Tim O’Connor, Mike Frasier, Natas Kaupas, Donny Barley and Jeremy Wray all rode for the team. Shortly after the final piece, Jeremy Wray, joined the team Element ran an ad that read, “Good things come to those who wait.”

3. During the heyday of the Hook-Ups and Worlds Industries cartoon graphic craze, the Element sales team called Schilereff into a surprise meeting where they demanded he lose Element’s clean image for one more fitting of the style of the time. Johnny refused the ultimatum, Element kept its path and still maintains the style that the brand has known for over ten years now.

4. Ryan Kingman came a long way to earn his current position as Element’s Global Marketing Director. He left his job as a valet in Hawaii for an uncertain future in the skate industry after some persuasion from his good friend Mark Oblow. Kingman’s first job in the industry was at PS Stix where his job was scraping the excess paint off of newly screened decks. After stints at random jobs around the industry, Kingman eventually became Element’s Team Manager at the request of Schillereff and has steadily worked his way up the ladder.

5. Well before either person became a household name in the skateboard world, Bam Margera and Johnny Schillereff met at Woodward Skate Camp when Bam was ten years old and Johnny was riding for New Deal. They met when Bam’s parents dropped him off and bragged about their son’s abilities. Years later the pair were reunited when Bam joined the company Johnny had already planned on creating when they met all those years ago.

6. When Johnny was creating the permanent Element Tree logo he showed it around the office and to the team riders to get outside opinions. Everyone was appalled by the logo and gave Johnny an unbelievable amount of shit letting him know how much they hated it, calling it “hippie crap.” Johnny went back to the drawing board and created another option that went over much better. While in the process of printing boards and decals that would solidify the “new” Element logo, Johnny had a gut check and swapped out the art and snuck in the original Tree logo despite the haters and the rest is history.

7. Element has its own very skate camp on a lake near the Sequoia National Forest in Northern California. The camp has boats, fishing, hiking, archery, wilderness survival skill and board making workshops; and of course an amazing skate facility, which is nestled deep in the forest. Young campers that have gone on to make their mark in the world of professional skateboarding include Paul Rodriguez, Jerry Hsu, Colt Cannon, Levi Brown and Jeremy Wray.

8. Prior to Element’s inception in the early 90s Johnny Schillereff, had already established himself in skateboarding as being one of Alva’s first team riders from New York. His claim to fame came later when he rode for New Deal and did one of the first 180 nosegrinds down a handrail, captured on video.

9. The first incarnation of Element came in the form of Underworld Element. Most often referred to Underworld, the company reflected a raw urban vibe. Underworld was plagued with many challenges and soon after its creation it went downhill. Underworld’s original crew moved on and Johnny was left with the choice of turning the struggling brand around, or abandoning the project altogether. He chose a bit of both and rebuilt the company that became, simply, Element.

10. In 1999 Johnny’s wife, Kori, was tired of wearing boys size small tees to represent Element and asked Johnny to make proper girls tees that she and the team rider’s girlfriends could wear. By the time she was finished, she had designed and launched an entire girls clothing line, making Element one of the first skateboard companies to do so.

11. When Johnny was just 4 years old, his big sister, who taught him how to skate, gave him his first skateboard & he grew up skating with. Many years later in 1998 when the girl skate scene was re-emerging he was in Vancouver Canada at Slam City Jam and watched the girls division of the competition. As the stands began to clear & hecklers began, he got pissed & remembered his roots. On that day he & team manager Ryan Dewitt made a conscious decision to strongly support the female skateboard community. Element had already recruited Vanessa Torres (who went on to win the world championship in 2003), who was soon followed by Lacey Baker, Europe's Evelien Bouilliart and Brazil's Karen Jones. Element also co-produced "Villa Villa Cola" the first all girl skateboard video.

12. After a stretch of somewhat serious team rider injuries in 1996, Element became the first skateboard company to legitimately provide health insurance for their team riders.

13. In 2002 one of Element’s first pros Bill Pepper retires. Element creates it's alumni program, celebrating and providing security to Element pros that have endured a lifetime career on element.

14. Element co-founded a non-profit organization called Elemental Awareness, which was skateboarding's first non-profit organization. Their mission is to reach out to youth through the avenues of skateboarding and nature, in order to develop self-esteem, awareness, and the tools to lead successful live.

15. With nearly 20 years of skateboarding under it's belt, Element has been the home to professional skateboarders Andy Howell, Chris Hall, Rick Ibaseta, Jefferson Pang, Julian Stranger, Curtis Mccan, Bill Pepper, Harold Hunter, Pepe Martinez, Steavie Williams, Reese Forbes, Andy Stone, Eric Pupecki, Kenny Hughes, Dave Duren, Jason Ellis, Kris Markovich, Tim Oconnor, Mike Frasier, Natas Kaupas, Donny Barley, Jeremy Wray, Bam Margera, Jake Rupp, Tosh Townend, Nyjah Houston, PJ Ladd, Vanessa Torres, Colt Cannon, Terry Kennedy, Mike Vallely, Tony Tave, Brent Atchley, Chris Senn, Lincoln Ueda, Bucky Lasek, Levi Brown, Ray Barbee, Jef Hartsel, John Comer, Neal Hendrix, Darrell Stanton, Chad Muska and Chad Tim Tim.