As far back as I can remember I have always been "Hell Bent" on life, like "push it to the limit and then some" -- if someone told me not to do something I went ahead and did it anyhow and if someone said "it can't be done", I would do my damnest to show them they were wrong, that's just the way I am. I grew up in a small redneck town on a large ranch in Arizona, one Hot Hell Hole Town. Nothing to do but work, work and more work. Ranch work is hard, it's a 24/7 job that requires a lot out of you, sometimes more than you can give.

I left Arizona and moved to Las Vegas and bummed around there taking odd jobs, after about a year I decided to move to California where I landed a job working for a Plastic Co. I was stoked about the trade and wanted to learn as much as I could as fast as I could. Between working and partying not eating right and getting very little rest it caught up with me and I passed out at work one night and woke up in the LA County Hospital with Spinal Meningitis! Damn near died. It was a long road to recovery -- months and months of therapy, the nurses sure were pretty. I don't want to catch that again; it's a real ass kicker.

After I had fully recovered, I decided to join the Marines and see what they had to offer me. I wanted to go to Radio School but they figured I would serve them better by destroying things. Now, that was right up my alley! So, off I went to "Demo" school and that I must say was a blast. Vietnam was an experience that I, as well as my Fellow Comrades in all the Armed Forces, will never forget: a heavy price to pay for Peace and I'm not even going to discuss it because it will just open up some bad wounds that I buried a long time ago.

After I got out of the Marine Corps, I went right back into plastic mfg., working for many different companies over the years. Then one day, as the story goes, I decided to start my own plastics business. I manufactured Medical Products, Dental Products, Auto Products, Sport Products, Goverment Products, Office Products, ect... ect... and the list goes on. Whatever a customer wanted produced, whether it be made out of Plastics, Wood or Metal, I would produce it. I have been in the manufacturing industry for over 40 years and you never quit learning -- there has always been and there will always be new technology to keep up with.

Everybody has to have an "Out", something to get their mind off of the everyday grind of work and worry. So, I started a Country Band, now that's what I call work. I never knew that there was so much involved in forming a Band and playing music. Sometimes I think I worked harder at that than I did at my Office. For almost (8) years I played "Country Clubs" every Fri., Sat., and Sun. and then have Band practice in the middle of the week. I cut a "Record" in the late 80's and got it played on quite a few Country Stations, did some "Radio Talk Shows", got to hang out with some of the Top Country Singers. After the record was released, I was offered a contract to play in Las Vegas, at which time I had to make a decision over whether to give up the Plastics Co. and play music the rest of my life. End of story. As you can see, I'm still manufacturing products.

After a few years of having my Fri. Sat. Sun. days and nights free, I was looking for another challenge. So I bought a 1970 Chevy Malibu, and built it for 1/4 mile Drag Racing, 122 miles per hour in just 11 seconds. Now, thats how to really get your adrenaline pumping! You're on a natural high all day while at the Track. I had my share of close calls but that's the way it goes. As the old saying is, "shit happens"! I was having so much fun that I built my 2nd car so that when one was down for repairs I could race the other car. I enjoyed this part of my life for about 10 years and I still have the Cars overed up and quiet. Yes, they are for Sale at the right price, so anybody that wants a "Fast Muscle Car", just contact me!

I guess it was the fact that I wanted to design and build just about anything that came my way. I would not turn down any project no matter what type of industry it was for. After 40 years in the Designing and Manufacturing of products in just about all areas, I decided to start a Skateboard Company and it has been a great challenge. I love every moment of it. To take all the knowledge over the past 40 years and direct it toward the Skateboard Ind. is very exciting.

I started making skateboard products way back in the early 80's for a number of companies, doing all kinds of projects. I watched the Industry go up and down over the years but it always bounced back. That was what caught my eye. So, I made a decision to start a skateboard company. I wanted to produce top-quality products for the industry and design some new products to make a skater's set-up a little easier. You have to listen and watch: that's important in producing products that the skaters want.

When I get an idea of a product that I want to produce, I go over it with Dave Hackett. His input is very important on how I am going to design the new product. The next step is to decide what is the best material to make the product out of that will perform well.

Then a "Part Print" is made with all Dimensions called out, showing all angles "Top View" and "Side View". After the Part Print is created, you then make some "Prototypes" of the product. After the prototypes are made, we then "Test" the performance of the product. It is tested over and over. If there are any changes that need to be done we make the corrections and then do more testing until we have a finished product that will perform the way we want it to. After the product has passed all testing, it is then ready to market.

I have been very fortunate to have such a super team of "Pro Legendary" Skaters to work with. Dave Hackett has worked very closely with me on many products produced. Dave gives me great feedback on new products that I want to manufacture, his personal knowledge is a great asset.

Dave and I work very close, we are in contact daily talking about some new product I want to come out with. Working together Khiro has created a great line of high quality products that we supplied to skateboarding's legendary greats who can see, feel and experience our level of commitment and no-bull approach.

Working with the team riders is a great privilege and their input is very important in producing products that skaters come to rely on. With their help and guidance and working close together, Khiro will continue to produce top quality products for the skating industry.

For starters, they will for sure keep the Skating Ind. alive and moving forward. The young Skaters are hard-charging with a no-fear attitude and always looking for changes. There are a lot of changes going on in the Ind. right now and I think we all want to see how it will pan out.

The Bad thing I have seen lately is that some Cities are cracking down hard on Skaters, writing Tickets for Skateboarding anywhere in public. I know this has been going on for quite a while but it seems that some Cities have gone out of their way to tighten down hard on skaters. Skateboarding has become a means of transportation for many people and I beleive it should be looked at in that manner. Remember the younger skaters coming up now are the future blood of the Industry, and as a whole if we do not support them than the Ind. will suffer a great losses. What the Skateboard Ind. does today to support young skaters will determine the future of Skateboarding Tomorow.

Boy that's a tough one! I would have to say "Coconut Cream Pie".

I can see the market advancing strongly. There are a lot of great companies out there developing new products which will keep the Industry very strong. One thing about skateboarding, it will never die out. It may have its up's and down's in cycles, but it will always be alive. I have noticed over the past year that a lot of the older skaters that put their boards away are now gettin' back into the scene and I'm not talking about just a hand full of skaters.

Take a look at Dave Hackett, who went to the Worlds and Kicked Ass and came home a "Champ" and I beleive Dave is (42), hope he doesn't kill me for giving up his youth. Anyhow, a lot of older skaters seen this and said, "Hell, we're not finished", and dusted off their boards , got back into the race and my hat goes off to each and every one of them. They are the strong-arm in the Ind. and they are the ones that will keep the Ind. moving forward by their "Racing" and "Teaching". These are the Heros and the "Legends" that each young skate has a dream of becoming.

Khiro has developed some new products for the market that makes a skaters Set-Up a lot easier and quicker. Khiro has given the skaters a large range of products to choose from, such as "Bushings" (6) different Styles in (5) Hardnesses as well as a variety of "Hard Risers", "Shock Pads", "Hardware" "Pivot Bushings", "8mm-Spacers", "10mm-Spacers", "Speed Rings", "Flux Riser Light", for their choosing.

Khiro Designed the "Angled Wedge Rail Riser-Kit" which is a very hot seller: a Skater can Wedge his or her Trucks from (1*) to (15*) and up by "Stacking" them on top of each other, quick and easy.

I try to develop products for skaters where there is a problem, where they only have one choice. I try to solve the problem and design it to where a skater has multiple choices he or she can try.

I beleive Khiro has made its mark in the Industry. I also believe skaters now look at Khiro as a reputable company producing products that they come to rely on and that they look toward Khiro for new advancing products. I focus myself on watching and listening to the skaters needs (that is important)and than work on developing a product that will solve their problem.

"God" and my "Family" give me the drive I need to acheive my Goals. All the "Super Dudes" on the Khiro Riding Team keep me moving forward, they are a great group of Pro Skaters to work with and I have the up most respect for all of them, they are a hard charging team. Dave Hackett adds insight to the products that Khiro produces as well as testing of the products and gives me the feedback I need to get the product dialed-in.

There are many professionals I have had the privilege of working with over the years in manufacturing that I look up to for their success in business. It's also the person that has guts against odds that are stacked against him that won't quit until he has acheived what he set out to do. It is the fearless ones that stick their Ass on the line to gain knowledge for advancement for mankind, as was once said "This is one Giant Step for Mankind" and I'm sure everyone knows who that was. (enough said).

No they do not cut through the urethane. If they are installed and used with respect for what their function is there is no problem. If a skater tightens down to hard to stiffen up their trucks they could blow them out. When a skater installs these bushings and they have to tighten them so tight that they blow out the bushing what this should tell the skater is that they need to go to a "Harder" bushing set-up to stiffen up their trucks. I don't care what or who's bushings you use, the bottom line is if you over tighten them you will blow them out.

The right approch is if you want your trucks stiffer than you need to find what hardness bushing will work good for you. Not take a soft set of bushings and keep tighting them until they blow out, not a good move.

You can take anything that is produced in the market and destroy it by over abuse. Does it make the product a failure? "No", you exceeded the point that the product was designed for. Such as "Kingpins"-- over-tighten them and you will "Strip" the threads, over-tighten the truck "Hardware" and again you will "Strip" the threads. Would you take a 1 1/2 Ton Truck and put (4-Ply) Tires on it and then load it with a (Ton) of dirt? Hell no, you wouldn't! It would "Blow" the tires! Why ? Because you exceeded the limit that those rubber tires could perform under. So, the bottom line is that everything has a functional limit and you have to operate within that limit.

This is one reason that Khiro developed (5) different shore hardnesses, was to give the skaters a variety of choices to choose from. Each skater has his or her own personal set-up and that is why I designed the "Big Bad Delux" Bushing Kit to give them a variety of bushing hardnesses and styles. A skater needs to spend some time "Testing" until they find just the right "Combo-Set-Up" that will work best for them. They need to "Mix" and "Match" all the bushings until they find thet right "Set-Up". Also they may find that they like their (Front Truck) Bushing Set-Up different than the ((Back Truck) Set-Up, I find this a lot in skater Set-Ups, it is not uncommon.

So I will leave with this, if you "Blow Out" any bushings that tells you that you should go to a "Harder" bushing set-up, because you have exceeded the limits of that Hardness of bushing. So if a skater will buy the Khiro Bushing Kit (No# I) or the (No# II) and spend the time doing "Set-Ups" and "Testing" they will find the the right "Combo" they have been looking for.

Hell, I don't remember! If I had to guess, I would say it was sometime earlier this year.

Khiro has just launched its Board Line called "Skosh" Boards, they are super cool, check them out at www.khiroskateboardproducts.com , they are "Small" Boards and are selling very well.

Khiro is also working on 5 New products that we will be coming out in 2006, and which we are excited about. We will also be moving our Corporation in 2006 into a larger building, needing more room for growth.

Khiro will also be coming out with New Products for the "Street", "Park", and "Pool". My goal is to build up Khiro to become a "Main Line Supplier" for all "Discipline" skating products.

I would like to see a movement in the Ind. towards Advertising and Promoting the awareness of wearing all your "Safety Gear" when skating. This sport has taken so many beautiful people from us and it hurts all of us when we hear of another death that could have been prevented "IF ONLY" they would of had their safety gear on. You can not take back an "IF ONLY"! It is over, it's to late to go back, so I am asking all skaters "PLEASE" wear all your "Safety Gear" at all times and "Help Spread The Word".