Meet Josh Ostler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Ostler. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Thanks for this opportunity to tell a little bit about what I know of entrepreneurship.

I work as a firefighter for the City of Phoenix… 10 years ago, my second job as a carpenter led me to want to design my own longboard. What started as a hobby in my garage, became a strong ambition to create a better longboard than what was out there. I started a company called Black Longboards with handmade longboards out of our garage. Each board was hand-pressed with fiberglass and took several days to make. I also made custom boards for local customers. This was fun and I loved how each board got better and better, but there just wasn’t a big market for the handmade cost. I then went on to create a second company called White Wave Longboards, where my designs and ideas were manufactured elsewhere for much less the cost, while using bamboo as the main core.

With the support of local shops like Sidewalk Surfer, I was slowly able to have a place in the heavily saturated longboard, skateboard market. It turns out people like the vintage longboard look that showcased the beautiful bamboo wood. I love the beauty of wood veneer. I then relaunched Black Longboards to be made in the same way with different types of exotic wood, and acquired the artwork for the bottom of the board from a local pinstripe artist, Asher Emerson.

I have a great passion for creating things. This drive led me to look at where there was a need in the fire department for an invention that would clean the fire hose off more quickly after fires, and help decontaminate the hose. My main goal was to help firefighters have less contact with carcinogens on this main piece of fire equipment. My invention has been patented and since we started selling them two months ago, it is now in several fire stations throughout the US.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This journey has been full of lots of ups and downs, but the best part has been all the experience and knowledge gained along the way. Money is tight on firefighter pay, so pursuing this business was quite the hardship at first. I believe in putting God and family first and wanted this to be successful so that I could use the outcome of pursuing such a business to better my family and community.

I believe we have been quite blessed along the way. It was worth it to sacrifice time and money in the beginning. With a humble degree in fire science, learning how to create and run a business has been quite the challenge, but also rewarding.

My family’s favorite aspect of the longboard business is that we have been able to donate quite a few boards to The Swappow Foundation, which is a local organization that helps foster kids of Arizona learn to skate. Each child within this charity gets their own board and therefore have a hobby that gets them outdoors. This also serves to help them feel like they are part of something, and to escape the difficulty they might be experiencing in their home life.
I also appreciate that the long journey of creating  the Fire Hose Decon . This invention has allowed for me to give back to a great career in firefighting that has helped me be able to serve the community of Phoenix.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an engineer for the City of Phoenix Fire Department. I love that while I sacrifice time away from my family, I am able to feel like part of the station family. I work with incredible people, who have been more than supportive of me in pursuing this small longboard business. In the beginning stages of creating this business, I would work a 24-hour shift at the fire station, come home to play with my kids and help my wife, and then after the kids were in bed, I would spend all night in the garage creating and improving my longboard creations.

I love that my days off from the fire department allows for me to grow my business and spend time with my family. I love being able to donate and help various charities with our longboards. I am especially glad that we are able to involve our children in the business with helping to fulfill and ship orders. My wife and I feel like hard work is important. We also feel like service within in the community is essential. Both the longboard business and my Fire Hose Decon invention makes such help within our community possible.

My wife and I especially love that the longboard business connects us with so many people throughout the world. Our customers are so nice, and often reach out to us. We feel very privileged to be able to be a part of something that brings people together outside. We feel strongly about putting down our devices and getting outside to connect with people in outdoor activities.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Most people don’t know that I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Australia for two years right after High School. I firmly believe that those two years of living and serving in Australia set me up for success in my fire department career and home business.

Pricing:

• Small longboards are $99 with White Wave
• $149.99 with White Wave
• Small longboards $105.00 with Black Longboards
• Longboards $160.00 with Black Longboards
• Fire Hose Decon $1,950.00

Contact Info:

• Email: josh@whitewavelongboards.com
• Website: www.whitewavelongboards.com, www.blacklongboards.com, www.firehosedecon.com
• Instagram: @whitewaveboards @blacklongboards
• Facebook: White Wave Longboards Black Longboards