Here's a copy of it, in case major changes are made to it. I kinda like being described as "semi-retired"
==Origin==
Reaction Snowboards, Inc. was started by a group of University of Washington students in 1999. They were originally based in Issaquah, Washington. This group was led by Jin Lee and Alex Gilman. Originally, they called themselves Team Reaction Snowriders due to the fact that a few members of the group were skiers and skateboarders who did not snowboard. The team entered contests and gained local recognition, leading to sponsorship requests from companies such as Blankboard, Nice Bindings, HelmetsRUs, Silence, Avalanche, and other industry-related companies.
However, none of the original members of Team Reaction were interested in being sponsored and none wanted to snowboard competitively for a living. As a result, the group decided to design, manufacture, and market their own line of snowboards and accessories, and changed their name. In 2001, Reaction Snowboards, Inc. was born as a corporation in Washington State. Jin was named President / Treasurer, with Loren Anderson as Vice President.
==Factory-Direct==
Determined to keep friends involved in the company, Jin hired designers and friends Leigh Caplan (who designed the original Blue Pill / Red Pill snowboards), Nathan Young (who designed the first website) and Alex Gilman (who designed the Glow snowboard and the Butterfly women's snowboard). In keeping with the friendly spirit, the company motto was, "Go Big or Go Home... Dan," named after Daniel Horowitz who refused to go on some of the riskier terrain. The first Reaction Snowboards were built by Blankboard in Stanwood, Washington. After a falling out, the factory was moved to the Monson Snowboard plant in California.
Much of the success of the company was based on the fact that Reaction Snowboards cut out the middleman and were Made in the USA. The snowboards were "made-to-order" and were shipped directly to the consumer. Soon after, companies such as Illuminati Snowboards, Monument Snowboards, and other "direct-to-consumer" brands started appearing in the industry. Other companies began adding online ordering systems as well.
==Made in the USA==
Due to increasing production costs in the United States, there was huge pressure to move factories overseas to countries such as China.
However, Reaction decided to keep production in California, during a time when larger companies such as Burton, K2, Ride and Salomon were moving overseas. This helped Reaction find a loyal base of consumers and riders, and helped solidify their popularity.
==Addition of Acid Helmets==
Later in 2001, after witnessing an increase in head injuries at the mountain, Acid Helmets was created on a whim by Jin. Acid Helmets was made popular because their helmets were more affordable than many other brands, such as Giro and Boeri, yet offered the same safety features and safety ratings as those helmets that were much more expensive.
The success of Reaction Snowboards and Acid Helmets spawned copycat brands and companies, including counterfeit Reaction Snowboards that were sold at Target locations around the United States, and similar looking helmets that were not branded Acid Helmets. However, this helped increase the popularity of Reaction Snowboards and Acid Helmets.
==Ownership Change==
In 2004, Reaction Snowboards, I
nc. and Acid Helmets (along with all related websites, inventories, and intellectual properties) were sold to a group of investors in the mid-west for an undisclosed amount. As of July, 2007, Monument Snowboards has gained control of all assets related to Reaction Snowboards, Inc.==Original Members==
Jin Lee remained with the company until it was sold in 2004, and now lives in his home in Issaquah, Washington is semi-retired. Alex Gilman, Leigh Caplan, and Nathan Young still work as website designers / artists. Loren Anderson went on to play for a professional paintball team that competes around the Northwest.
No comments:
Post a Comment