Mixing Bid'niss and Pleasure with Nike Article at Skatepark of Tampa

Mixing Bid'niss and Pleasure with Nike

Posted on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 by Rob

By Rob Meronek

Clem, Schaefer, and my fellow Innetech inventory slangster Justin Ryan were with me in Portland last week for some meetings with our friends at Nike to go over all kinds of things. Here are a few things we worked out, plus some observations:
  • Pushead is the artist for Tampa Am 2011 and Tampa Pro 2012.
  • Dr. Octagon is performing during the Am at the Anniversary Party on Friday night. Wow. Remember the album cover? Yep, see previous point. What a pair.
  • Nike will be premiering The SB Chronicles Vol. 1 at Tampa Am on Saturday night. We will be joined by a list of launch parties all around the world that will be watching with us over the web.
  • Tampa Am will be broadcast live at skateparkoftampa.com. We are not concerned with old media such as the boob tube. Let’s move on and control our own content and distribution. Digital high five.
  • The people at Burnside are very nice dudes and extremely polite.
  • If I ever grow up, I’d like to be a marketing chief and visionary like Sandy Bodecker.
  • Skatepark of Tampa’s 20-Year Anniversary Party at the end of 2012 is going to blow the doors off your mind. Can’t wait.
As usual, I got a few random photos from the trip and a bit of video from my phone. This was filmed on the old iPhone 4 since the 4S wasn’t out yet, but edited in Premiere since iOS5 has been crashing like a drunk driver.

Nike Bid'niss and Pleasure in Portland

Our first stop as skateboard tourists was Burnside of course. Before the skateboard bid’niss we have skateboard pleasure.
The fact that there are rules always surprise me. For some reason, I expect Burnside to be the Wild West of skateboarding with people smashing whiskey bottles over your head if you can’t carve right and stuff like that. We encountered nothing but super nice dudes while here.
That bullseye is rough.
Ryan Clements
Clem’s go-to move is the tailblock. He has taken that move on worldwide tour this year.
Ryan Clements
The Editor was drooling over the opportunity to shoot a cover at Burnside. Clem obliges.
The top of the bridge at Burnside.
This large river running through Portland reminds me of downtown Tampa.
I wonder how many photos this sign has been in.
There will be no street skating with the weather like this. All we’re doing is going to tip some sauce and chow down.
Pause for a foot fetish.
Andy Henrie
Andy Henrie is moving on from the TM spot at Nike. Cheers.
Andy Henrie
Special Blazers with Salty Dog on the backs.
Here’s a sample of great people in skateboarding that you want to work with. Skate photographer Jon Humphries was there.
He slays inboxes on the keyboard and switch tre’s on the skateboard. That’s Kaspar from Europe who now works in the US with Nike.
Mark Whiteley’s pen has been stabbing words into your eye at Slap Magazine for as long as I can remember. He’s helping with the digital stuff at Nike. Sounds like a cool job.
Chet Childress
Chet Childress keeps you entertained both on and off the plank.
Al Partanen
Al Partanen and Chet are due for a Frontside Grind Magazine cover.
Eric Lovejoy works at Nike also, most likely with a Wacom tablet.
Mark Goldman
Mark Goldman is at Nike managing social media with Mark W. Check the Nike Skateboarding Facebook page.
Justin Ryan
Justin Ryan is back in the trenches of Innetech with me at SPoT.
Andy Henrie
Andy Henrie, see you in Tampa for your last adult babysitting mission.
Michael Hernandez holds it down up top at Nike.
So now we’re on campus. Should I park here or in Tiger’s spot?
Brian Schaefer
The bid’niss gifts are amazing. Reminds me of when used to play soccer as a kid. It all went out the window as soon as I discovered the wood and wheels.
Brian Schaefer
Schaefer makes sure the conference table is up to par before we get down to bid’niss.
Dan Burris, Darin O’Brien, and Sandy Bodecker waiting for Schaefer to get off the table and start the planning.
To our back is this huge field. I now regret not doing the run around the whole thing when we were talking about it.
Golden poop apparently is some kind of Japanese treasure. Thanks Darin!
There are several cafeterias on the Campus for a damn good lunch and mid-day chill out.
I wonder how many people also eat dinner here.
We also went over some stuff regarding changes to our Shop. We’re reviewing some samples here and getting some ideas to improve things at home and make it easier for you to shop. We need to have these same kinds of meetings for the website. That will happen soon.
Rob Meronek
Next time, I’m wearing this and running around the track with it.
A few samples from around the cafe.
Hunter Muraira
Kaspar, Hunter, and Mark getting digitally down.
After our planning and brainstorming sessions, we stopped by the Beaverton Park.
Ryan Clements
Clem’s got a back disaster on the "huge" part.
Ryan Clements
The Editor has Clem in line for SOTY with two covers on The Mag in two days.
These are still popular here.
James McCoy
I met James McCoy while he was doing these almost Scott Oster moves. When I told him I needed a headshot to put him on the site, he threw on some wacky glasses. It will be on the internet forever, James.
The rain stopped long enough for a short walk around downtown.
I'm not used to seeing fire escapes.
It seems like so many businesses here from sushi joints to shoe stores to coffee shops are all independently owned.
We ate in that sushi place and since I have a psychological eating disorder against wacky things like that, I had to get a burger.
Mark Goldman
Later that night was MP3J Mark Goldman on the jams and Mark Whitely double clicking skate videos.
The next day, we’re back on Campus at the Tiger Woods building. I wonder what the atmosphere here was like during all that tension recently.
Inside Sandy Bodecker’s office is the most amazing desk I’ve ever seen. It's the most amazing collection of rare street and skate culture that I've ever been around and it's literally just laid out everywhere in no organized fashion. Mixed in there is also a Leica M9, an amazing wine collection, and some of the best artwork you'll ever lay eyes on.
That is one amazing piece by Todd Schorr. Clash of the Holidays was amazing, too.
Can’t remember where I’ve seen this chair before.
Yep, I’m holding the eBay Dunk. Only one pair was made and auctioned off for charity. Then the sample here was cut up. It’s on the floor in Sandy’s office.
A product of the amazing mind of Brad Staba.
No guests, no tours, no exceptions? Man, I want to go in there so bad. I bet the Back to the Future shoe is in there. I was on the lookout everywhere for it. Never got to see it.
Brian Sloane
We’re on the way home now but we have one last stop at the Nike TF to skate with FSEC card carrying member Brian Sloane. If you were around in the days when Sloane worked the Shop at SPoT, you probably have the entire Dr. Octagon album memorized. It’s going to be a damn good show on Friday during Tampa Am.
Brian Sloane
The Editor isn’t letting Sloane get away without a cover. He mentioned his girl is out hunting right now. Damn, sounds tough. This very warehouse is where the idea for The Mag first started.
Brian Schaefer
Schaefer’s putting a back tail on that extension like it’s a conference room table.
Thanks for the run of the facility.
When you’re from Florida and you see trees changing color like this, I would imagine it’s like people not from Florida coming here and seeing palm trees. It’s just something we don’t see down in Amerca’s wang.
One last dinner with some wacky madness and we’re off to go home. Thanks for the hospitality Nike. We’ve got some exciting plans for the next few years coming.

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