BEHIND THE SCENES: PROJECT DISTRIBUTION
INTERVIEW: On the outskirts of Brisbane, in a sleepy industrial area of Tingalpa, we arrive at a warehouse that looks nothing out of the ordinary. Only a cheeky Spitfire logo on the door reveals that something skateboarding is going on here. But once we step inside, it’s a different story: A mini ramp, piles of skateboard decks from brands like Antihero, Birdhouse & Krooked, stacks of Spitfire wheels, and boxes with Last Resort AB shoes. We have entered the warehouse of Project Distribution — one of Australia’s largest and most renowned skateboard distributors.
From this warehouse, Project Distribution sends out stock to skateshops across Australia as a sole distributor of some of the most trusted brands in the industry. If you’ve bought an Antihero board or some Spitfire wheels in Australia, they have been through this warehouse.
The man himself
Ben Ventress welcomes us at the door. He might be a professional businessman who runs one of Australia’s most successful distribution centres but he still got his skater charm switched on. He’s wearing the new Last Resort AB shoes and looks as if he could jump on his board and go for a session anytime. Exactly like he did when he was featured in SLAM Skateboard Magazine, back in the day.
And that’s pretty much how it is. He’s a skater and a businessman – in that order.
Ben loves skateboarding! And it shows in his business model. Staying true and loyal to the skateboard community is at the core of his approach and his passion has built Project Distribution’s solid reputation in the skateboarding industry over the past 12 years.
Ben is 42 years old, married to Elissa and together they have two children, Sam 10 and Rosie 6.
Ben skating in front of the warehouse
Photography: Matt O’Sullivan
The first tiny industry steps at Kwala Distribution
Ben hasn’t always been self-employed. He started his career working for a large, legendary skateboarding distributor called Kwala Distribution.
Or actually, during high-school he worked at the iconic Goodtime shop in Woolloongabba, Brisbane where he built up their skate counter with his buddy Andy. It was a great time where he got invaluable retail experience, but eventually he needed more work and got a job with Koala.
Andy Mac from Kwala knew Ben already through their DC Shoe Co Sponsorship of him. “Andy saw something in me that I didn’t even see myself,” Ben says. In fact, he turned out to be pretty good at sales, even if he didn’t really like it. “There was so much pressure. Kwala did DC at the time, it was hectic.”
Meanwhile, Ben was studying graphic design at TAFE and ended up switching over to become Kwala’s graphic designer when they got a brilliant idea: Getting ads in different magazines is costly and Kwala had a lot of brands they needed to advertise so why not make their own magazine?
And so they did. They named the magazine BSP and published five issues. BSP was legendary already at the time.
“Looking back at it, it was so ghetto. ”
Ghetto or not. Having worked his way through Kwala as everything from warehouse worker over brand manager and graphic designer to national sales manager, Ben knows his stuff.
“So, when I started the business I was ready. Yep, let’s go, I know exactly what to do. I just need the bits and pieces to put together, but it was a pretty natural progression to start”
The Kwala ship goes down - let’s skate!
The era at Kwala lasted until 2008.
“On our one-year wedding anniversary he came home and told me, I’m gonna lose my job,” Ben’s wife Elissa says.
And it all happened very quickly. People in suits came through and when Elissa finally got a hold of Ben he simply told her: “They’ve taken my phone, they’ve taken my car.”
But skaters are gonna skate and as the Kwala Distribution ship went down they had to have one last skate at the Kwala ramp.
“The funny thing is, it was a big warehouse and we had a big ramp in the back, and we all went and skated the ramp one last time. We had all lost our jobs but we all just went and had this big skate on the ramp, having a good time”
“The administrators in their suits were shaking their heads like, these people what are they doing they’ve all just lost their jobs and they are just having a great time having a skate. We just watched it all go down,” Ben remembers.
Just as in the good old days at Kwala Distribution, skating in the warehouse is a big part of the culture at Project Distribution.
Photography: Matt O’Sullivan
From a garage in Morningside - to a double warehouse in Tingalpa
One week after Kwala Distributions closed, Ben founded Project Distribution with a little help from his father-in-law, Dave.
Then everything happened super fast. Ben immediately started emailing and calling all the brands they had at Kwala. He put a business plan together and went to the States a week later to negotiate deals with the different brands over there. Yet, the most important of them, Deluxe was confirmed before he even left Australia.
“I was on the way to the airport when I got the call - yep, we’re gonna go with you!”
“I slept like a baby on the plane over there, it was the biggest sigh of relief.”
Ben’s mission to convince the different brands that going with a small, start-up distributor was not going to limit them, turned out to be a success.
“I had been to the States two months prior representing Kwala. Then two months later I went back, I’ve started my own thing, you know I know my business, will you gamble on me. And yeah, around 20 brands went yep, sure we’ll give you a chance,” Ben says.
The business was a reality and now Ben had to prove himself and his business.
“When we got Deluxe I needed to make it work. They made me work the hardest for it too, because everyone wanted them.”
Ben and Elissa ran a tight budget, built up a company from the garage of their Morningside unit, while Elissa worked full-time as a teacher at Churchie (school in Brisbane) and, oh yeah, then they also had a baby, their son Sam.
“We do reminisce about the good old days. It was crazy times, but good,” Elissa says.
“We lived from week to week. And high fived each other if we had money for a beer on the weekends!”
Even through the hard start-up days they always believed in their business model and with good reason.
“We outgrew the apartment soon and bought a place with a big shed, then eventually the shed was full, the garage was full and when the Christmas stock came we filled up the lounge room with completes - so that’s when we decided to get the warehouse down the road. Yeah, and away we go…”
I’m going around the world, and you’re not invited
Project Distribution has been a family affair from the word go. Today Ben is in charge of all the buying, shipping, wholesales and pre-booking of all the stock. Meantime, his wife Elissa is handling the administrative tasks, while also being marketing responsible in cooperation with her brother, Matt O’Sullivan. And Ben’s business partner, Dave he does the accounts receivable.
BUT. Before family, there was a skateboarding bucket list to attend to! Taking a break from Kwala, Ben left all of his stuff at Elissa’s parents’ house and left to go travel overseas.
“It was a thing I had to do. Like a bucket list, I had to do a skate trip around the globe. So I left poor Elissa here by herself for four months…I’m going around the world, and you’re not invited. She still gives me shit about that,” Ben says with a smile.
And it was quite the trip. See for yourself in the video below.
“I went everywhere. The States, Canada, NY. Flew to London, hired a car with some mates, drove to France, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, back up to France. We camped in lane ways or set tents up at the bottom of a mountain, ate baguettes, brie and tomatoes. Lived on LIDL and cheap beers. I remember when we went through the Check Republic and we stayed in Pilsn, went and bought 40$ groceries and we lived like Kings for a few days. We went to Barcelona and skated all the spots and just lived our best lives, yeah,” Ben reminisces.
“I went as a kid and came back an adult!”
“We went and bought 40$ groceries and we lived like kings for a few days. We went to Barcelona and skated all the spots and just lived our best lives, yeah.”
The warehouse vibe. Project Distributions’s warehouse manager Mike Lawry packing boxes while Ben’s son Sam is reading Thrasher.
Photography: Matt O’Sullivan
A handshake seals the deal
The skateboarding world is like nothing else, and the core companies backing it are no different. It’s a unique business environment to navigate, with few formal contracts between the different players in the field. Instead unwritten rules, trust and respect ensures the flow between brands, distributors and shops.
“We don’t look at the other distributors as competitors and have a really good relationship with everyone we work with,” Elissa says.
The personal commitment and connections are crucial so twice a year Ben goes to The States to build and manage relationships with business partners over there. One week of hard work, skateboarding and networking – not much sleep.
“We’ve got a really good reputation in the industry but I need to maintain it,” Ben says.
“It’s an interesting beast, skateboarding. It’s not like a normal business where it’s just black and white, it’s all grays in skateboarding. There’s so much passion!”
“It’s all been pretty organic, we’ve worked hard and stayed small and it’s served us well. I think my passion for skateboarding is at the core of the business too. I LOOOOVE skating, I love skating yeah, yep. When I go to the skatepark with my son, I’m in the mix, that passion for skating has served us well and that is the core of our business.”
More than just a distributor
That exact passion for skateboarding and the community is also what drives Project Distribution’s different initiatives reaching out of the usual distributor’s range.
“Essentially we’re a wholesaler, but we want to get out there, to be known as a brand - without competing against the brands we represent, of course, that would be unethical” Ben says.
“We’ve always tried to run a very ethical business. It’s not about the money for us. But yeah, we try to create as much fun stuff and excitement as we can.”
Last year Project Distribution organised a large Go Skateboarding Day-event at Coorparoo. They flew Chima Ferguson up from Sydney, ran lessons for the girls and there was so much fun for the kids. They wanted to do it again this year, but then COVID-19 happened.
The road to pro
There’s so much focus on becoming sponsored and potentially turning pro – but what does it really take to go from a good skater, to a sponsored one, to a pro skater who gets paid to skateboard?
“Every kid wants to be sponsored these days,” Ben says. Project Distribution actually receives messages from skaters weekly who thinks a short edit on social media will get them on the team, but unfortunately it’s not that easy.
“Here’s my Instagram, can I get sponsored?”
“In terms of sponsorship, there’s a hierarchy: First you get sponsored by your local shop, then they put you in touch with someone like us and they can potentially get in contact with the big companies in the states, they get some direct flow, and if that works out they can turn pros,” Ben tells.
“We have made that contact with guys like Chima Ferguson and if they are motivated and can make it work, they might get sponsored in the States and eventually go pro. But once they leave Australia, they are out of our hands.”
Project Distribiution’s Birdhouse team rider Ash Wilcomes skating the warehouse ramp while picking up his packy.
Photo: Matt O’Sullivan
Getting a job in the industry
Even if you don’t dream of going pro, building a career in the skateboard industry is still an option.
Ben worked his way up through hard work and persistence and urges others to have the same mentality.
“Nothing comes easy and the same goes if you want to work in the skate industry. It is a massive advantage if you are into skateboarding for real, but besides that it takes consistency and hard work. And also a great deal of respect for the established businesses. Many of them, like Project Distribution, have been built by passionate individuals who have put hours and hours into their dream. Approach them with respect and show them that you are willing to put in the hours and effort then you will earn their respect and eventually land a job,” Ben explains.
For the businesses it’s actually not always easy to find the right fit for the jobs they have available.
“Hiring in skateboarding is a nightmare”, Ben sighs.
“Finding someone who’s switched on, knows what’s going on in the industry, actively skates, is able to talk to someone on the phone, and be on the computer, ticking all those boxes is pretty rare.”
And Elissa agrees. She has received countless more-or-less inappropriate resumes over the years.
“I had a guy who dropped the F-bomb and the C-bomb six times in his cover letter.”
“Then the school teacher came out in me,” Elissa laughs.
It’s no secret that a sloppy resume isn’t going to land you the dream job, but with hard work and dedication it’s a different story.
“Work your way up from sweeping the floors, maybe get a holiday job at Fast Times, get some retail experience…Be around, be consistent, be in the scene,” Ben suggests.
“Then, when you do apply, take it seriously, send a nice resume - and maybe study graphic design, or marketing or business…”
The kids are taking over
Skateboarding is booming at the moment. Kids of all ages are picking up their boards and especially the girls are ripping. “Half the kids coming into the stores under COVID-19 were girls,” Ben tells.
“Girls skating is massive now and it’s just getting started. The girls who are winning comps are 12 years old. In 10 years the girls will be SO good. Do you remember the little girl in the tutu doing a heel flip down those stairs? She wins comps now!”
That little girl’s name is Rayssa Leal and she definitely is ripping - and is currently ranked second in the world in Women’s Street.
“You’re only as good as you think the ceiling is too, and the mens’ ceiling is sorta limitless, whereas the girls’ hasn’t been up there yet…and it’s brutal for the pro girls now. The young girls are gonna take over, they are the stars, and they are only 13-14 years old,” Ben predicts.
There are definitely some exciting times ahead for both girls and boys in skateboarding - and every time those kids pick up their board they win. Even if they don’t land that trick today.
“The thing I love about the kids skating, is watching them try something for half an hour where they aren’t getting upset, they arent’t throwing a tanty, they’re just gridding their teeth and they’re just trying to learn the trick, that is life lessons, that’s what you don’t get from scootering. With skating, if you gotta do it, you can try something for an hour, not get it and still go home smiling. And then when you DO get it, it’s glorious.”
How COVID-19 is affecting the skateboarding industry
Since March 2020 the skateshops have been struggling to keep up with a huge demand of skateboards and gear and there’s a mix of different factors to blame.
First of all, skateboarding is booming. Everybody wants to buy skateboards. So the demand is huge, even for a normal year. At the same time, it’s is super difficult to get enough stock due to COVID-19.
“Our stock flies out the door as fast as we get it here,” Ben explains.
“The problem is, that most of our stock comes from the States and some even from South America. Their COVID-19 situation is so much worse than anything we’ve seen here in Australia. So they are not able to produce enough and the logistics are horrible as well. To get anything into Australia at the moment is a struggle.”
So, currently the shops are starving for boards and with Christmas approaching there’s no end to the sales boom in sight but no stress, Ben is here to give you peace of mind:
“I assure you that we do all we can to get those boards and gear out to you guys – be patient it will come back.”
WATCH! Ben’s 40 for 40 video.
Ben did 40 tricks to celebrate turning 40 years old back in February this year.
- So stoked to still be able to get a few tricks in and even an NBD (for me) or two at my age!
For further information about Project Distribution visit their website here and check out their instagram.
