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| jfx1026 |
 Posted: Fri Mar 12, 2021 5:55 pm |
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Joined: 12 Mar 2021
Posts: 6
Location: San Jose, CA
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I've been digging all over the internet and I can get a simple answer.
Who founded Thunder trucks?
I've seen these names attached: Fausto Vitello, Brian Ware. |
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| plankskate |
| Posted: Sat Mar 13, 2021 6:30 am |
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ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 830
Location: Canada
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jfx1026 wrote: I've been digging all over the internet and I can get a simple answer.
Who founded Thunder trucks?
I've seen these names attached: Fausto Vitello, Brian Ware.
Ermico Enterprises, Inc. was founded in 1976 by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello. The Company's line of business includes the manufacturing of sporting and athletic goods.
The pair manufactured the revolutionary skateboard trucks (Indy) at a foundry in the Hunters Point Shipyard. The foundry, operated under the name Ermico Enterprises Inc., has since moved to 17th Street in Potrero Hill. They also began the distribution company Deluxe Distributions, which operates adjacent to Ermico Enterprises.
Deluxe Distribution is an Ermico Enterprises, Inc-owned subsidiary founded in 1986 with limited partner Brian Ware in San Francisco. Deluxe was formed to distribute the Beware Record label, and other small record labels popular with skateboarders, along with Thunder Trucks and Supercush Bushings. Deluxe distributes six skateboard brands and owns DLXSF, a retail outlet. |
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| jfx1026 |
| Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:32 am |
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Joined: 12 Mar 2021
Posts: 6
Location: San Jose, CA
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Thunder Tucks existed before they came out of DLX. There's an ad in the December 1982 Thrasher and the address is listed as Daly City, CA. that's just south of SF.
I know at some point they became part of the Swenson/Fausto family but who actually started Thunder? |
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| steve-g |
| Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 4:45 am |
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ORDER OF THE SKULL
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| There's a Thunder ad in January 1982 Thrasher but not in the December 1981. I haven't checked any Action Nows. Unusual time to launch a new truck brand with skateboarding being totally dead. Makes me wonder if Thunder wasn't a new brand from an existing name. In 1981 you could choose Indy, Gullwing, Tracker, those horrible Connections... Can't see this as a market to be milked by an outsider. |
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| steve-g |
| Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:12 am |
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ORDER OF THE SKULL
Joined: 17 Jul 2003
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Location: UK.
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jfx1026 wrote: Fausto Vitello, Brian Ware.
I asked a friend who is close to a few people at DLX and this is the correct answer. Thunder is an Ermico brand in collaboration with Ware who ran a record label. I guess founded late 1981. |
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| jfx1026 |
| Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:37 pm |
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Joined: 12 Mar 2021
Posts: 6
Location: San Jose, CA
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So, I'll go with Ware, Swenson and Vitello.
Much appreciated!
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| slob-air |
| Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2021 2:46 pm |
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Joined: 27 Oct 2001
Posts: 63528
Location: S&B HQ
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jfx1026 wrote: So, I'll go with Ware, Swenson and Vitello.
Much appreciated!
No.
Swenson and Vitello created Thunder.
Swenson ran the Ermico foundry. Vitallo owned part of it and managed the money end of things, brand stuff etc etc.
Mofo did the adds
Mofo, Blackhart and ... can't remember his name, and Terry Nails worked on it with them. At the last moment before the master molds were set to go for the Stage 1 Version II (version I didn't have the icons and it was mail-order), Terry Nails told everyone to wait and ran out the door and down the street to a small head shop in the area. He grabbed a bunch of the cheapo "Metal" earings you see at head shops. When he got back, he opened them up, popped off the part that attaches to your ear lobe and pressed the remaining swords, hatchet, battle axes etc. into the molds along the baseplate, one for each making it visually one of the most legendary trucks out there (it also turned faster than an Indy and both versions had larger grinding beds than Indy. Great fucking Trucks!
That happened in 1982.
Swenson did heavy work on the design/molds.
Geometry was based on a Stage II Indy but the way Swenson roughed it by hand it ended up with a faster geometry but with the same stability of a Stage II Indy and perhaps, a little stronger. |
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