Jim Thiebaud

A San Francisco professional skateboarder who rode for Powell Peralta and Real in the late 1980s, Jim Thiebaud co-founded Real Skateboards in 1991 with Tommy Guerrero under the Deluxe Distribution umbrella set up by Fausto Vitello and Eric Swenson, anchoring it in a Bay Area street-skating ethos and a culture of pro models, graphics and giving back to riders. In 1987 the same Deluxe family had launched Spitfire Wheels, of which Thiebaud became a key figure as the brand grew alongside Real to become the dominant urethane wheel program in skateboarding. He remains an active partner across the Deluxe portfolio and one of the most respected longtime stewards of San Francisco's skateboard industry.