It started as a pact among seven Point Loma High School skateboarding enthusiasts: They were going to produce their own signature board.
A generation later, it’s finally come to fruition.
Josh Utley, an Ocean Beach web designer, graphic artist, and entrepreneur, has teamed with high school chum Nick Coleman, now a Sacramento HVAC technician and skateboarder, on a recently released model skateboard deck with custom artwork by renowned artist Steve Nazar.
Nazar is responsible for the legendary T&C Surf & Skate characters the Thrilla Krew (Thrilla Gorilla, Joe Cool, and Kool Cat).
“One of the reasons I decided to produce this skateboard was I wanted his (Coleman’s) family to see that he has accomplished his dream, in addition to his focus on supporting his wife and two children,” said Utley. “Nick is a stand-up guy who has always had his priorities in order.”
Utley and his friend’s skateboard odyssey began with them going downtown years ago and filing for a fictitious business name for their future signature skateboard. “We went with the intent of starting our skateboard company, and we didn’t want it to be an unfulfilled promise,” said Utley, noting he got sidetracked working for the surfboard community for a time.
Years later, the idea of creating a signature skateboard resurfaced for Utley once he realized, “We could give, or donate, new skateboards to kids who have old skateboards or maybe can’t afford a skateboard. That was our issue growing up.”
Fast-forward to now and Coleman, whom Utley said, “Is skateboarding every day,” has become immersed and recognized in the Sacramento skateboarding community. Utley’s proud of his friend’s old-fashioned approach to the sport, which helped with the design of their new signature skateboard.
“Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Nick was skating the old way with Dogtown boards, when most everyone else was skating the new style with the Popsicle-shaped boards,” said Utley. “Nick, who is big, 6-feet 5-inches tall, went against the mainstream. So what we came out with was an old-school board.”
Transitioning from moving from OB to Sacramento was greatly aided by Coleman’s entree into the skateboarding community there. Coleman added skateboarding is a central focus of his life.
“In so many words, it’s a way for me to stay balanced,” Coleman said of the sport. “Skateboarding to me is a lifestyle. It’s a culture. I work. I have a family. I just need some sort of creative outlet. It’s a balanced feeling to have some kind of creative outlet.”
Coleman was a surfer originally who started skateboarding “whenever the waves weren’t good. Later, my focus turned to skateboarding full-time – and I never looked back.”
The name for Coleman and Utley’s skateboard company, Revoked, came from their real-life experiences.
“Whenever we would go places to skateboard, we would always get kicked out, revoked, so we became the revoked mob,” Coleman said. “Josh was the one who thought of bringing it (name) back. I was the one who thought of asking the famous artist (Nazar) to do a custom graphic for me. I told Josh that and he said, ‘Let’s put a board out.’ And it became a reality. It’s a big thing for me.”
Glad to be partnering with his old buddy in the skateboarding business, Coleman said, “I believe in Josh and what he stands for and his company. We’re not out there trying to make money. We’re out here for the culture, the skateboarding industry. I’m still blown away by the whole process.”
Added Coleman: “We’ve launched the new board through revokedmob.com, and there is a Revoked Mob social media platform as well. I thank Josh Utley for all his work on the company. We couldn’t have done this without him. A special thanks to artist Steve Nazar and his skills that went toward this board. It really shows.”
