The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
By Jean Falbo-Sosnovich
SEYMOUR — A hidden gem tucked away in the Silvermine Industrial Park is making its mark in the “rad” world of skateboarding.
Surf-Rodz, 71 Cogwheel Lane, is a family-run business based on helping recreational and professional skateboarders have a smoother, faster and more exciting ride on four wheels.
And those wheels, upon which colorful and graphic skateboards sit, couldn’t be held together without a “truck” — the bar between the wheels — which Surf-Rodz specializes in and makes on site.
The business was launched in 2009 and is an offshoot of JV Precision Machine, which is run by the Visinski family. The small shop is located within JV’s headquarters.
Andrew Visinski, co-owner of JV, was approached by a friend years ago who happened to be a skateboarding enthusiast and asked Visinski to build something to enhance his ride. Already having the machines and equipment at his 42,000-squarefoot manufacturing space, Visinski was happy to give it a try. Surf-Rodz was born soon after, and now is run by Visinski’s 22-year old daughter, Mikaela.
With skateboarding becoming increasingly popular, and most every town and city from here to California boasting its own skate park, Surf-Rodz is also gaining popularity. And with skateboarding expected to be added to the 2020 Summer Olympics lineup, business could be booming here over the next couple of years.
“The trucks make the skateboards go, and depending on what type you get, a hybrid, a reverse king pin or traditional kingpin, they enhance the rider’s performance,” said Andrew Visinski.
The Visinskis were “one of the first” in the industry to make the trucks in a rainbow of colors, ranging from metallic pink and gold to sapphire blue and emerald green, as opposed
“The trucks make the skateboards go, and depending on what type you get, a hybrid, a reverse king pin or traditional kingpin, they enhance the rider’s performance.”
— Andrew Visinski
to typical trucks in standard silver. They send the raw trucks out to a custom anodizing company to bring the trucks to life in living color, and they then come back to Surf-Rodz for free, custom engraving if the customer chooses that.
Mikaela Visinski, who serves as manager and is working toward a degree in business management
from Southern Connecticut State University, said Surf-Rodz’s products are top notch, made in the USA and come with a lifetime warranty. The products currently are only available online at the company’s website, and are attracting attention from skateboarding enthusiasts across the country.
The Visinskis are always interested in enhancing their products, and get direct feedback from skateboarders about what
they want in order to give them the best ride. They’re also hoping to host some events this spring and summer at the town’s skateboard park at the Seymour Community Center to showcase their products. They’ve also donated special pink skateboards, customized with pink trucks, to the town’s Seymour Pink
breast cancer initiative’s annual fundraisers.
“Our goal is to be on every skateboard and longboard out there,” Andrew Visinski said.
A skateboarding fan for the past few years, Ryan Casolino, 15, of Branford, recently tried out a longboard customized with a Surf-Rodz truck underneath. Ryan said he prefers
riding a longboard to a skateboard.
Longboards are a longer version of a skateboard and designed more for downhill racing, as opposed to gliding over ramps and sidewalks.
“I like the freedom of riding and going downhill,” Ryan said. “The (Surf-Rodz) truck helped enhance my ride, made me go faster.”
Ryan said a family friend told him about Surf-Rodz, and now he plans to visit the website and check out the gear for himself.
For more information about Surf-Rodz, call 203377-4902 or email sales@surf-rodz.com.