When aspiring skateboarder Pierre Andre came from France to California in the early 1980’s he was homeless and broke. His passion for freestyle skating was obvious to those who watched him do amazing tricks on the Venice boardwalk as they gave him money as if he were one of the other a street performers. Encouraged by his new found local fan base Andre decided to turn pro and entered the freestyle skate competition and won the world championship that same year. A real-life American dream kind of story, Andre went on to start one of the most innovative skate companies in the world, Sole Technology. With brands like Etnies he thought outside the typical canvas standard and focused on developing durable skate shoes that could take a beating. He was also determined to change the perception that skaters are lawless outcasts that don’t care about society or the environment. In this episode of Behind the Brand host Bryan Elliott talks to CEO and founder Pierre Andre about his journey and how skateboarding could change the world for the better.
Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/video/227841#ixzz2bxlvspDN
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