 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2012) |
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| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Headquarters | Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
| Products | |
| Website | www |
Independent Truck Company is an American skateboard truck manufacturer based and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California. Founded in 1978, the brand is owned by NHS, Inc. and has an extended list of team riders.
The company was co-founded by Richard Novak, Jay Shiurman, Fausto Vitello, and Eric Swenson and the Stage 1 model was the corporation's first product, released on May 23, 1978, in Newark, California. The Independent truck (or "Indy") was designed due to a response of lacking of high quality skateboard trucks on the market at the time. In reference to the two other major truck companies on the market, Blackhart stated that one broke, and one didn't turn (Bennett Trucks and Tracker Trucks, respectively). [1]
Independent trucks are made of:
The logo for the trucks is based on the Iron Cross according to the artist, Jim Phillips. It has remained the Independent logo since the company's inception and was derived from the French variation of the Cross pattée.
Jim Phillips says in his 2007 book "The Art of Jim Phillips":
...I began toying with the iron, or Maltese cross which was long gone as the old 60s surfer's cross, and even longer dead as the biker's cross. I used a beam compass to make it into a round shape, which looked completely different than the old square iron crosses... I took my idea into the NHS office the next morning and it went on the wall as usual. Jay and Rich each stared at it for a while, and they both thought that it looked a little too "Nazi". My sketches were rejected and I was sent back to the drawing board. I went back to my studio determined to use it, knowing it was the one. I searched my archives and scrap file for some justification for using the symbol. I found a firefighter's logo, symbols on the knights and Columbus sails. Then in my scrap file, under the letter P, I found a Time magazine cover of Pope John Paul from the June 18, 1979 edition. It was amazing; there was a cross on his vestments almost the way I designed mine. I marched into the office the next morning with the magazine to show what I thought was proof of acceptability. They both looked at each other and said, 'Well, if the Pope has it, it must be okay!' That was that, and the Independent cross was born.
In 2021, after many vocalized opinions that the cross was indeed too "Nazi-like", Independent eventually deprecated the Iron Cross logo in favor of a different design. [2]
Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon with improved strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Because of its high tensile strength and low cost, steel is one of the most commonly manufactured materials in the world. Steel is used in buildings, as concrete reinforcing rods, in bridges, infrastructure, tools, ships, trains, cars, bicycles, machines, electrical appliances, furniture, and weapons.
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NHS, Inc. is a United States sports equipment distribution company based in Santa Cruz, California. It was founded by Richard Novak, Doug Haut, and Jay Shuirman, three surfer friends from Santa Cruz, California, teamed up to start NHS. The acronym NHS comes from their surname initials. The company distributes the following brands: Santa Cruz Skateboards, Santa Cruz Snowboards, Santa Cruz Surfboards, Creature Skateboards, Independent Truck Company, Bronson Speed Co., Krux Trucks, Ricta Wheels, Mob Grip, OJ Wheels, Road Rider, Slimeballs, Bullet and Nor Cal Clothing Co. NHS formerly owned shares of Santa Cruz Bicycles, also co-founded by Richard Novak, but sold to Pon Holdings in 2015.
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Jim Phillips is an American graphic artist known for his contributions to surf and skateboard culture, particularly his creation of the iconic Screaming Hand logo for Santa Cruz Skateboards. His work has become emblematic of youth rebellion and skate culture, remaining influential over three decades.