As snowboarding grows, the brands just seem to get bigger and bigger. Everyone is making everything, it’s impossible to keep track of who owns who, and everything is made in China… right? Actually, the growth of snowboarding has certainly made room for a few giants, but it’s also birthed no shortage of independent companies, run by snowboarders, with no corporate backing, just doing it for the love and to be part of something awesome. This week, we caught up with five small brands, some brand new, some that have been at it for awhile, but all doing it for the love. Of course, there are many more out there, but these are the ones on it enough to respond to our emails. So here are the stories behind Caked, Automaton, NW!, Team Eight and Status.

Caked.
Founder Dave Tafur
Location: Portland OR via Nassau, NY
Caked. Facebook

Why did you start a snowboard company?

I started up the brand to try to bring my vision of happiness to snowboarding. Give the people what snowboarding has given to me, show the world what is really good! I wanted to make sure my life could be connected to the best thing in the world with all the best people!!

Who’s running the show?

Dave Tafur is the man behind the plan so when you see me don’t be afraid to say hi and ask what’s good.

How long have you been making/selling boards?

We have been working on the company for a bit the past 3 years and only have had boards for the past two. But in the past 2 years we are proud to say that we have produced 40 snowboards and put those into the world for people to enjoy and shred on.

Team riders?

Some of the people that shred and back the company are Tyler Lynch, Yale Cousino, Dubbers, Brian Connoy, Alex Hereford, RKELLY, Riley Nickerson, Sammy Blazejewski, Zach Lefter, Zach Duby, Ryan Allaire, Zack Wilmot, Matt Douglass, Lemi Winks, Lonely, and many more homies were all together makin it happen for you. GBP GBP GBP GBP GBP LANCE SABABA

Besides being rider driven, hand built and all that other jazz that most small brands claim, why should some kid buy your board instead of one with a solid industry rep?

Cause Caked. is the shit, it’s the illest. Caked. is the realness, if you get Caked. you’re joinin forces with people all around the world Caked. is loved internationally, you will have a friend anywhere you go. People will know you back and are about something good. To be down with Caked. is the ultimate. We have the biggest family in the industry and were here with open arms welcoming any type of snowboarder.

How many boards do you have in your line?

We actually only have one board right now but we are working on tons of new graphics and have such new fire comin’ out!! Get excited to see what’s to come from Caked.

Where are your decks pressed?

We were getting the boards made by this company Monson outta So Cal, but they don’t know how to do business and they make shitty product so I had to leave them. I couldn’t put a product out there I didn’t really love and back so basically fuck Monson and as of right now we are searching all over the US to find the next company we can begin to build with.

Where can people buy your boards?

You can get the boards off of our Facebook for the mean time. We have a site that’s droppin’ soon that you will be able to order from and there are a few online dealers we will be working with. For sure look around your local core shops you might come across a caked. in a shop like that.

Plans to make any other snowboard products besides the obvious stickers, t shirts, and hats?

Yeah were gonna make it all, as of right now its just a step by step process. We’re not tryin to bite of more then we can chew, just keep doin’ what were doin’ and gettin wit it all day.

What type of rider are you trying to market or sell your boards to?

Caked. boards are for anyone who walks the face of the earth, we appreciate snowboarding and all snowboarders. Hopefully the more we grow and build we can market to the entire snowboard culture and every personality in it. Basically every person. It’s not about marketing to one group at all it’s all about having something you can be stoked on under your feet so you can enjoy snowboarding. We market to snowboarders that’s it, anyone who likes to live!!! Hopefully you all are having a great winter out there with many more to come and whenever your thinking about snowboarding know that you are Caked. chee cheea GET WIT IT!!

Automaton
Founder: Brenton Woo
Location: Truckee, CA

http://automatonsnowboard.com

Why did you start a snowboard company?

For the same reasons why most people start any company: they weren’t completely happy with how the existing product was and decided that they could add to the industry. One key difference between the snowboard industry and, say, tires is that snowboarding is much more of a culture. Snowboarders live like snowboarders. Whereas I dunno how anyone could live like a tire. So to be able to contribute to the culture is definitely rewarding.

Who’s running the show?

All legal and financial responsibilities of Automaton fall on my shoulders. Of course we have artists that do the graphics, guys that handle logistics, but at the end of the day it’s my ass that’s on the line.

How long have you been making/selling boards?

Automaton has been operating since 2004.

Team riders?

We have our Agents that represent Automaton in various ways. I think as the snowboard community is maturing, there’s less emphasis on pro’s and teams, yet both are still important parts of brand development. But for me, I could never buy into a for-rent snowboarder. Since Agents decide on their own level of participation, I think it’s just a lot nicer to deal with that than a person who’s always on the take yet isn’t really clear on what they can give back. But then again, I think that mentality is due to the relative immaturity of the snowboard industry. Snowboarding simply hasn’t been around as long as skate and surf, and there’s a lot of growing up to do. Because the whole snow scene is so relatively new, I think a lot of kids don’t truly understand what it is to be part of a company. “Sponsorship” isn’t a validation of how good someone is on a snowboard. Their own shredding should handle that. Being on a team should never be the goal. It should be a tool to help that rider accomplish their goals.

Besides being rider driven, hand built and all that other jazz that most small brands claim, why should some kid buy your board instead of one with a solid industry rep?

Well, I think that question is a bit misleading. A solid industry rep is something you earn, not a measurement of brand awareness. Automaton pays its bills, ships on time, handles customer attention, has good relations with suppliers, etc. I don’t ever promise on anything I can’t deliver. So I would think that Automaton has a super solid industry rep. But I think the question means a wide brand awareness and is asking why would a kid buy a small brand product over a large brand product. There is no answer for that. People do what they want to do, and like what they like. There are obviously tons of people that like large brands. And since Automaton’s going on its 8th year of business, obviously there are plenty of people who like small brands.

How many boards do you have in your line?

Two board models in 3 sizes each. So total of 6 SKU’s. Automaton’s line is tight and focused making it easy to understand, and easy for people to identify the correct product to suit their needs.

Whats your most popular deck? Why is it the hotness?

Well, a more interesting answer to this question is not our #1 popular deck, but our #2 popular deck: the Trust Me. Why? Because the Trust Me was released in 07/08, and it’s our #2 selling deck this season and last. All Automaton decks are freestyle oriented, and are designed to be easy, forgiving, and fun to ride. So performance differences between each year’s boards exist but are subtle for most people. Therefore, clearly people that follow Automaton are more keen on the graphics than any other aspect. They don’t care about unproven tech or ‘the latest’ gear. They care about how a product feels. And these people are the kind that don’t need the validation of a big brand behind their products otherwise they wouldn’t be considering Automaton in the first place.

Where are your decks pressed?

By the best factory in the world: Elan in Austria.

Where can people buy your boards?

If you’re in the USA/Canada, Automaton’s online shop is the best place. Ground shipping is included in the price. The bulk of our sales are via
the site which means that the bulk of our customers are buying product sight unseen. And 70% of our customers are returning which is a good sign of brand loyalty. If you’re the kind of person that needs to touch and flex a board, SFO is the shop in San Francisco. Sometimes deals on Automaton decks can be had at Solstice Supply.

Do you have plans to make any other snowboard products besides the obvious stickers, T-shirts, and hats?

No. Brand extension is a killer. This is a universal truth in any market. Remember Coors water? If we want to extend into bindings, we’d start a binding brand.

What type of rider are you trying to market or sell your boards to?

Definitely the more mature shred, and mature in the snowboard scene means 24-32 year old demographic. This demo is the largest portion of our customers. They’re mature enough to realize that a pro team doesn’t make them ride better or have more fun, but does make products cost more. They’re more focused on the snowboarding experience rather than what the new trends are. And they’re out there to have fun and enjoy life instead of trying to impress everyone.

NW!
Rider Communications + Art Director: Andrew Guddat
Location: Reno, NV
www.nowaysnowboards.com

Why did you start a snowboard company?

As a consumer me and many of my surrounding friends were really dissatisfied with what was becoming acceptable behavior from companies in the industry. Seemed like no one was interested in answering emails or calls and the idea of a company being personable and actively interested in its consumers was fading out. We’ve also always been big supporters of our local core shops and the culture that sprouts from the local shop. Watching the new business model of selling direct behind the retailers that have been reppin’ your product for the past x amount of years was also something we didn’t want to support. On top of that it seemed like lesser quality manufacturing and goods were becoming more and more common, which we also didn’t want to contribute to. Basically to sum it up We are strongly opposed to the “Wal-Martifaction” of the snowboard industry. So in response to the changing standards we said “No Way!” to supporting brands with low standards and and inferior product and started building a brand with a product and ideals that meet our needs.

Who’s running the show?

Myself (Andrew Guddat) and my longtime friend Duane Bratsch. We make a good team because we have similar standards yet diverse set of skills. I handle all the graphics and relationships with riders. And Duane handles the team as well as a lot of the business and distribution. All the riders have a large effect on what we do and how we do it as well. We are really dedicated to listening to what people have to say about Product, Branding, Advertising and anything else about us or snowboarding in general. Without the kids that are out there shredding everyday we would have no real reason to exsist.

How long have you been making/selling boards?

If you somehow got a hold of a NW! board this year your probably really special. We are using this year to build prototypes and build hype. We’ve been laying the groundwork since July and we will be ready to set the rubber to the road come 11/12 season.

Team riders?

Joey Odom, Chris Johnson, Niko Nakamura. All of our kids are fantastic and we work together all the time. Currently, Joey And Niko are both filming for “Bits’ and Pieces” from Galaxy Machine.

Besides being rider driven, hand built and all that other jazz that most small brands claim, why should some kid buy your board instead of one with a solid industry rep?

As far as product goes we use only high end materials. Our boards hold together better than many others due to a proprietary blend of glue we use in all our decks. Also, exclusive to NW! Snowboards is Babe Magnet Tech. You can learn more about that on the site. What a smaller company like NW! can offer you that a a larger well known company can’t, is a more personal interaction with the company. At a industry leaders company you are one of a million faces, with a smaller company you are a unique individual that will be remembered. As well as being able to have a more individual relationship with the
company you buy from you also get to ride a board that is unique, setting yourself apart from mass produced boards seen all over the hill.

How many boards do you have in your line?

We have one model called The Catalyst designed for park domination in three lengths with positive or rocker camber.

Whats your most popular deck? Why is it the hotness?

Our rocker boards are a team favorite. Common problem with rocker boards is that they are too loose, Flat camber is a little too locked in, so our rocker has 3 mm of rise instead of the typical 5+ mm. Still just as easy to butter and press but a little bit more controllable than your average rocker board.

Where are your decks pressed?

Good Ol’ Reno, Nevada. Our boards actually smell like hookers and blow… just like Reno.

Where can people buy your boards?

We will be available in select core retailers next year.

Plans to make any other snowboard products besides the obvious stickers, T-shirts, and hats?

NW! Universal remote controls, NW! Flavored condoms, NW! Prepackaged Unicorn dust, NW! Toasters, NW! Energy drinks, NW! Shamwows, NW! Snuggies. Potentially getting some of those fruit roll up tattoo papers with our logo on it. Anything cheesy we can possibly put our logo on.

What type of rider are you trying to market or sell your boards to?

The Rider we have in mind is a Rider that cares about communications, quality and shop culture.

Team Eight
Founder: Greg Johnston
Location: Portland, ME
http://www.teameight.com/

Why did you start a snowboard company?

Growing up, I would drool over the specs of all the boards in the TWSnow Buyers Guide before making my purchase of a new board. However, back in that day, there were very few options for those of us with bigger feet (apparently size 11 feet were huge in the early 90s). I was generally relegated to riding a larger board than I wanted, or, when they finally came out with wider boards, I had the ride the “wide” boards. These boards generally had terrible graphics and whack shapes. Since I was not going to get my own pro model, I decided the only course of action was to make my own. What is better than having the shape you want mated with your own graphics!?

Who’s running the show?

That would be me, Greg Johnston.

How long have you been making/selling boards?

I have been making boards for 8 years, but have only made them available to the public for the past 2 years.

Team riders?

Everyone that buys one gets a pro model! It is not like we have a huge budget to pay people, but these are the riders to whom we give boards because they are amazingly talented riders, and they choose to ride exactly what they want: Seth Wescott (everywhere except the race course), Tristan Corriveau, Guillaume Morisset, Alex Tuttle, Chris Avantaggio, Joel Norton, Alex Lund, Thomas Haraden and a few other people who would get in trouble with their other sponsors if I ratted them out…

Besides being rider driven, hand built and all that other jazz that most small brands claim why should some kid buy your board instead of one with a solid industry rep?

One would buy a TeamEight Snowboard if they wanted to finally get their own pro model. Every single one of our boards is custom made to the user’s specifications, including topsheet graphics. We keep our pricing competitive as well, starting at $350 for a blank, up to $450 for a custom topsheet graphic. The best snowboard in the world is the one that is designed specifically for you, everything else is a compromise.

How many boards do you have in your line?

Infinity + 1

What’s your most popular deck? Why is it the hotness?

Since every deck is custom, we don’t have a most popular deck. However, I will say that people are loving the bamboo sidewall/carbon under foot/slight rise rocker decks. The board that is most popular in the lift line is one of my personal decks with a couple pictures of Ke$ha on board. And Seth won’t stop riding the Sturgeon (a rockered fish) we made him… he has been spotted riding it in the pipe!

Where are your decks pressed?

Right here in Portland, Maine.

Where can people buy your boards?

Online (teameight.com). Use the ConfigurEIGHTor tool to design your own. We do have limited edition decks at Backwoods Snowboards (Auburn, ME), and will have some up at our home mountain, Sugarloaf.

Do you have plans to make any other snowboard products besides the obvious stickers, T-shirts, and hats?

Stomp pads! We would like to expand our USA made goods to include bindings, boots, outerwear, but it might be a couple years out. Keeping manufacturing right here in the USA is very important to us.

What type of rider are you trying to market or sell your boards to?

Every rider! The beauty of custom made boards is that the customer gets to decide what they want. We don’t have to market ourselves as one style
or another, other than fun style.

Status Snowboards
General Manager Shawn Orecchio
Location: New Jersey
www.statussnow.com

How long have you been making/selling boards?

STATUS Snowboards was launched in December of 2009

Team riders?

Currently we have a strong contingent of up-and-comers on both the east and west coasts. Will Mayo, Eric Brovich, Kyle Ryan and Chris & Nick Geisen in the west with Brett Strother, Brandon Honeycutt, Matt Shaffer and Sean Kaulbach back east. We also have nearly three dozen riders in our Rider Development grass-roots program.

Besides being rider driven, hand built and all that other jazz that most small brands claim why should some kid buy your board instead of one with a solid industry rep?

Excellent question. We are seeing and hearing that many of the larger brands are experiencing quality issues. We can’t speculate why these quality or defective issues are occurring, but we hear (and see) horror stories about boards breaking, delaminating and there are a lot of kids that have fell victim to quality issues. As some of these mega-corps become larger, perhaps the growing pains of being a big box brand is affecting overall quality? Again, this is a generalization and does not apply to every company, or every board-maker, but it is most certainly a trend we are noticing. As a smaller company, we have a high standard for quality and performance and we fully understand that we cannot succeed unless the quality of the product is top-notch, without sacrifice or cut- corners.

How many boards do you have in your line?

The 2011/12 STATUS line will feature four (4) separate boards with each model being offered in five (5) total sizes. We are keen on keeping the model line small so that we can fine tune each board to truly match the boards intended riding style. The STATUS line will feature an urban, two park series models, and our popular UNO all-mountain freestyle line.

What’s your most popular deck? Why is it the hotness?

All of our boards feature a hybrid Camber/Rocker/Camber profile, but our ParkSeries 151 is by far the most popular. The ParkSeries offers an unbelievable amount of POP, response and stability, while the flex is soft and forgiving.

Where are your decks pressed?

100% of all STATUS boards are designed and pressed domestically in the United States.

Where can people buy your boards?

Our sales approach is a bit different from the norm… By design we are not placing any emphasis on developing a dealer network and sales rep force. With hardgood internet sales skyrocketing and localized in-store shop sales plummeting, our strategy is 100% direct-to-rider sales right from the start. We fully understand the pro’s and con’s of this approach, however, we feel this strategy will put our best foot forward by delivering top notch product and information to riders without muddying the waters that trickle down through the age-old sales rep, shop sales stream. We will be building upon a successful 2010/11 season by further developing our product line, our team as well as a new regional promotional managers who’s primary function will be to assist us in brand development, team support and awareness, not measured upon sales. To make a long story short….. www.statussnow.com

Do you have plans to make any other snowboard products besides the obvious stickers, T-shirts, and hats?

Our whole ethos is to be a ‘snowboard’ company and only a snowboard company. We recognize that adding a boot/binding/accessory line could generate more overall sales, however, it goes against everything we believe in. Our mission is to build and continue to build the best possible snowboards and constantly evolve without a stint of complacency. As a result, this mission will receive 100% of our attention for the unforeseeable future.

What type of rider are you trying to market or sell your boards to?

From up-and-coming bangers pushing the envelope of progression to the weekend warriors that rule their local mountain on a weekly basis sharing a common ground… they can spot marketing hype, latest & greatest technofads and bullshit a mile away.