Work’s a Beach Too : * Advertising: Graphic artist Thom McElroy and his staff get their feet wet before devising campaigns for major surf, ski and skateboard companies.
Working as a part of Southern California’s surf culture means doing business unconventionally. The pin-striped suit is eschewed, and you don’t often “do lunch” to cut a deal.
And when Thom McElroy schedules a board meeting, he looks to the ocean for a sign.
The Costa Mesa graphic artist certainly does not look for some New Age-inspired omen from nature to conduct business. But if the waves are good, McElroy and his clients bring along a primary tool of their trade: surfboards.
“We go surfing at lunch, they’re our board meetings,” said the 29-year-old owner of McElroy Designs. Snow boards and skateboards are sometimes used when the waves are flat.
“I grew up in Huntington Beach--right in the surf market,” he said. “So most of my clients today I surfed with over the years--and now, fortunately, they’re my clients.
“I surf to relieve stress and to be with the kids who are the customers. That’s when I do my research. I go to the surf shops and poke around. I talk to kids out in the water. I just absorb.”
A four-person art staff at McElroy Designs creates ad campaigns for some of the best-known companies in the multimillion-dollar surf, skateboard and snow board industry. Quiksilver, Billabong, International Licensing Co.--which handles Hang Ten, Lightning Bolt, Vans, Asics and even KROQ, the alternative music station--are among the company’s clients.
McElroy is also a liaison between the manufacturers and the publications they advertise in, handling ad placements in industry and fashion publications such as Surfer, Details and Sportswear International.
“I have a close relationship with most of my clients,” he said. “Most of them are around my age; they’re aggressive, sole proprietors.”
McElroy, an Irvine resident and father of a 3-year-old son, is every bit the ambitious, young entrepreneur. The middle son of five children, he said he subscribes to the work ethic that his parents instilled. After graduating from San Diego State with a bachelor’s degree in graphic arts in 1985, he spent two years at Vision Sports Inc.--the Tustin-based manufacturer of skateboards, snow boards and clothes--as art director of the silk-screen department.
The job--which he interviewed for while surfing--provided opportunities to network within the industry. This benefited McElroy and a partner who went into business for themselves in 1987. The business marriage lasted two years before McElroy decided to go solo in 1989 and move into his current 1,500-square-foot office--just a stone’s throw from the coast.
He started the second business with a photocopier from his parents and a $3,000 loan from a neighbor of his parents, who inspired him to go into business for himself.
The early success of McElroy Designs led to several offers to buy the company and make it an in-house art department. All have been rebuffed.
“That’s not something I want to do now. At certain times I thought yes, but not now,” said McElroy, whose business has been riding high despite the recession. He has worked many days until midnight and on Saturdays to meet the demand.
When the recession began, clients first reduced the number of ads they placed in magazines. But many of the larger companies have been taking advantage of lower rates in recent months to place more ads, which has translated into more work for McElroy’s studio.
His wife, Sara, has joined the business to handle bills and other paperwork as general manager.
The three artists McElroy contracts with said that besides being able to relate to their work on a personal level, they enjoy a sense of family in the office.
Dave Lang, 25, who came to the company eight months ago, said: “It’s great to have a boss who’s a killer surfer. He’s not like a boss, he’s your bro.”
Staff artist Dan Sweet also sees the lifestyle as an asset. “We actually live the lifestyle that we’re making ads about,” he said, “which makes us more qualified and gives us an edge over the others.”
Between catching waves, the artists develop an image for clients by designing logos, ad campaigns and in-store displays. Very much a hands-on artist and manager, McElroy is also creative director on print ad design and art director at photo shoots.
“Every day I enjoy driving to work,” he said, “because I know there’s going to be 50 new things I’m going to learn. I like to learn it all before I pass it on to someone, so I know exactly what they’re doing.”
McElroy said what makes his company distinctive is the range of services and flexibility it offers, which resulted last year in revenue reaching $250,000. He declined to discuss the profitability of the private company.
The company has developed innovative darkroom special effects and collage techniques that have resulted in some popular ads. About 60% of the work is produced on a Macintosh computer and 40% by hand.
Producing the artwork “with a creative twist” is why Paul Schmitt, owner of New Deal, a Costa Mesa-based skateboard company, said he trusts McElroy Designs with his company’s image.
“I don’t have to go into great detail with them,” he said. “They know what we want because they’re in tune with what’s happening.”
McElroy said having the freedom to set his own rules and control his destiny is what he loves most about being in business for himself.
“I’m a heavy risk-taker. Well, a calculated risk-taker,” he said. “I just felt I could make a better impact on the world if I was on my own.”
Close-Up: McElroy Designs
What: Combination advertising agency and graphics design studio. The company produces ad campaigns for some of the best-known companies in the surf, skateboard and snow-board industries.
Sales: $250,000 in 1991.
Owner: Thom McElroy, graphic artist.
Born: May 24, 1962.
Typical day: 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Business philosophy: “Lean and mean. To survive in the ‘90s you have to give top-rate service and the highest-quality product within today’s budgets.”
Pet peeve: “General tardiness. The surf-market people are always late, because they’re just too lax.”
Passions: Painting, surfing and being able to work so close to the ocean.
Staff: McElroy contracts with three other artists; his wife, Sara, is general manager.
