History
In 1999 Reynolds left Birdhouse Skateboards and started Baker Skateboards along with other professional skateboarders from Stereo, Zero, and other companies. The company was named after a lifestyle in which a person "gets baked" (smokes and experiences the effects of the drug, cannabis) and skateboards every day. In 2007, Reynolds provided a detailed account of the company's beginnings:
Well, I was living in Huntington, riding for Birdhouse. We just thought to ourselves, all these companies are really lame. Like, Birdhouse doesn't promote piles, you know what I mean? Like, Zero's [skateboard deck brand] not promoting, like, what we're all about. You know, we met up with Jay Strickland, we started telling him about our ideas, like, "We wanna do something. We wanna do a company." And we're, like, "All of us, together.", you know? It was just, like, a big mess, you know? I went and talked to Tony [Hawk] and Per [Welinder] "It's either, I quit, and take a bunch of guys and do something, or, you guys help me start a company, you know?"
The skateboard deck brand signed a distribution deal with Blitz Distribution, the company that, at the time, was distributing Birdhouse and other brands, such as Fury and Hook-Ups (Blitz had originally been formed by Per Welinder and Hawk to distribute their own products). As of 2008, the brand was the top-selling brand under the Blitz Distribution umbrella. In regard to the original Baker logo, Reynolds has credited the design to Strickland and stated that it represented a motley company that consisted of talented skateboarders.
Leo Romero left the Baker team in April 2009, and his departure led to a great amount of discussion among skateboarders and fans. In an interview that was held during the same week that he joined the Toy Machine team, Romero explained that he was generally unhappy with his life at the time and his decision was not due to problems experienced while at Baker. Romero described his experience with announcing the decision: "Calling Andrew Reynolds and quitting his company is kinda scary, you know what I mean? When I told him he was like, 'Oh, that’s cool man, who are you gonna ride for?
" In April 2011, Romero was again asked the question and, after stating that he was "sick" of the question, he explained that he didn't fit in at Baker and the company had changed from when he was a young skateboarder. Romero was awarded Thrasher magazine's "Skateboarder of the Year" trophy in 2010.
Riley Hawk, son of professional skateboarder and company owner Tony Hawk, joined the Baker team in 2012 after riding for his father's company, Birdhouse. Tony Hawk explained in a May 2012 interview that Reynolds had spoken with him first and he appreciated that his son was not being chosen as a "novelty" rider, in addition to Riley Hawk's admiration of the Baker team. According to Tony Hawk, Reynolds explained that he had great respect for Riley Hawk's skateboarding and believed that his skateboarding was unlike that of his peers. Tony Hawk further explained that he just wants his son to be motivated, as the expectation associated with being Tony Hawk's son impacted upon Riley Hawk's motivation during the early stages of his skateboarding.
An interview with former Baker professional Shane Heyl on September 27, 2013 confirmed that Heyl, Kevin "Spanky" Long, Jeff Lenoce, and Braydon Szafranski are no longer members of the Baker team as of the date of the interview. Heyl declined to speak on behalf of the other former Baker riders, but explained that he initiated the decision regarding himself with Reynolds, whereby he stated to the company owner that his knee is an ongoing issue.
In December 2013, Hawk was assigned professional status by Baker at a surprise event that occurred on Hawk's birthday. Tony Hawk announced the news to his son and professional skateboarders Mike Carroll, Rick Howard and Stevie Williams were among those present. Longtime team member Dustin Dollin revealed in an April 2014 radio iunterview with Thrasher that Hawk's signature skateboard deck achieved sales figures that the company had not seen in a long period and Baker "really needed it".
Baker Zone
The RIDE Channel, a YouTube skateboarding channel cofounded by Hawk, announced on March 15, 2013 that a new series, entitled "Baker Zone", would commence on March 18, 2013. The series features video productions from the Baker company, such as "Weekend Warriors", "Piled Out", "Trash Compactor" and "Dumb Ass Park Footy".
Bakerboys Distribution
In 2007, Reynolds and fellow professional skateboarders, Jim Greco and Erik Ellington, established Bakerboys Distribution, a company that distributes seven brands, some of which are owned by past and current Baker riders:
- Baker Skateboards
- Shake Junt
- Brigada Sunglasses
- Deathwish Skateboards
- Volume 4
- Heroin skateboards
- Palace skateboards
Formerly with the Blitz distribution company, Baker's distribution was newly managed by Bakerboys in 2011.
The Palace skateboard brand, which won the "Brand of the Year" award at Europe's Brighton Trade Show in January 2012, announced a distribution deal with Bakerboys in July 2014. The video appeared on the "PWBC News" series that Palace produces.
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