HONEY When posed with the question of moving everything from California to Colorado Mike Mahoney jumped at the chance! “California is known in the industry as the place to manufacture and ride longboards, but my wife got a job offer in Grand Junction and I’m a fanatic so we hopped on it and moved everything to Colorado.” Mike moved his company, Honey Skateboards, to Grand Junction, Colorado a little over two years ago and has never looked back.

Mike has been manufacturing his decks for almost seven years. He sells longboards through his website and through local, national and international retailers, such as: Traz Snow and Skate, Santa Barbara and Board Australia to name a few. Production of his longboard decks has become much more efficient and faster with the help of a newly purchased CNC machine. In addition to creating longboard decks, Mike creates Pugsley fenders for snow bikes, which he sells locally through Outfitters.

Mike finds Grand Junction to be a great place to do business because the general costs are lower than those in California and the people of Grand Junction support local businesses. “Colorado, especially Grand Junction has been very nice and welcoming, which is a nice change from California.” Mike was immediately welcomed and supported by other local outdoor industry manufacturers. The industry is seeing an increase in sales due to the varied demographics of customers who buy longboards. Longboard users are very different from the average customer. College students have always been the primary demographic for longboards, and Mike is seeing more campus longboarding clubs popping up all over the country, but in addition to college students “we [Honey Skateboards] see a lot of 40-50yr olds who are young at heart and want to stay active with their kids, and the longboard is better suited for the aging body with its larger and smoother ride than the standard ."

In addition to his passion for creating boards, Mike is also very involved in the safety of sporting activities. “We have formed an Industry Association for Longboarding. We want to make sure people stay safe so we’ve all agreed that any and all marketing material shows the longboarder always wearing a helmet.” The focus on safety makes it an ideal sport for any age, and one in which the entire family can participate. For more information about Honey Skateboards, check out Mike’s website at: www.shop.honeyskateboards.com.