Business Chief APAC+ANZ Magazine August 2015 | Page 25

REINVENTING THE AUSTRALIAN SKATE INDUSTRY
organisation was founded by Jessie Billauer who broke his neck during a surfing accident when he was 17 .
The organisation ’ s mission is providing a way to gather the community and have able-bodied people help out the disabled population . This is intended to allow people to see the inspiring moments that take place so people can appreciate things better in their daily lives .
Over the years , Life Rolls On has educated over 100,000 people on spinal cord injuries and has been named an official charity of the U . S . Open .
Alwerud heard of Billauer ’ s story years ago when he appeared on a feature surf film called “ Step Into Liquid .” He later met a friend of Billauer ’ s , Ari Hoffman , who recommended Life Rolls On and is now the owner and COO for BLOCK Risers Innovation .
It didn ’ t take much convincing for Alwerud to join the cause and now 50 per cent of Jelly Skateboards and BLOCK Riser profits are dedicated to Life Rolls On .
“ When we started this Indiegogo campaign , we wanted to have a cause behind it because we felt if people are donating to our cause to grow our brand , we want to at least give back to a good cause , as well ,” Alwerud explained . “ It ’ s one of the coolest organisations that I ’ ve ever been a part of .”
What ’ s next for the company ? Jelly Skateboards continues to innovate the skate industry and is ready to enter Australia . Alwerud is confident the product will appeal to the Australian market for a variety of reasons .
“ Jelly Skateboards encompass everything about surfboards and snowboards ,” he said . “ The way the board flexes is the exact same flow you would see on a snowboard , while the way your body rides with the board feels just like surfing . It ’ s unlike anything out there .”
“ I think Australians would love this board , because they ’ re very green in terms of the products that they buy and are very conscious of how it ’ s going to impact the environment ,” he added . “ Also , [ the boards ] are clear . No one has really seen a 100 per cent optical clear board before .”
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