Rob Dyrdek

 At the age of 11, Dyrdek was offered a contract to represent Surf Ohio, a local skate shop in Dayton, Ohio. He began competing at age 12. Gordon and Smith Skateboard Company (G&S), a national brand, began sponsoring him in the early part of. In July 1989 , aged 15 Dyrdek won first place at an National Skateboard Association North Central District competition. At 16 years old Dyrdek decided to skip his senior year of high school and move to Southern California to continue his professional skate career. In the year 1991, he became a pro skateboarder by competing in the Skateboard World Cup in Germany. He finished fifth. Alien Workshop, a Dayton-based skateboarding firm, began sponsoring Dyrdek in the year 1991. The company began producing exclusive Dyrdek skateboards soon following the endorsement. Dyrdek, aged 25, also started Orion Trucks, a skateboard accessory company. In 1995, Dyrdek had been competing in events and appearing at shows across North America, Europe and Asia. Dyrdek was sponsored by Droors Clothing (later known as DC Shoes). In 1995, Dyrdek launched his very first signature shoe (the RD 1) with DC which began a 20-year partnership that included 29 signature footwear. In 1999, Dyrdek expanded into the business world when he founded Dyrdek Enterprises In 2000, Dyrdek finished sixth in skateboarding at the X Games in San Francisco. In 2003, he established Silver Trucks, a skateboarding accessories company.In 2005, he created the concept, designed, created, and raised funding for the world's first skate plaza, the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Skate Plaza, in the city of his birthplace, Kettering. The plaza was designed to incorporate urban artifacts, such as railings, ledges and planters to highlight street skateboarding elements. The park was the first to be funded by the Rob Dyrdek/DC Shoes Foundation.