Richard Novak
Nationality
United States
Brands
2
A lifelong surfer from Santa Cruz, California, Richard Novak co-founded NHS in 1973 with friends Doug Haut and Jay Shuirman — the company's name an acronym of their surnames. Originally a fibreglass supplier to surfboard shops and boat builders, NHS pivoted into skateboards the same year on a 500-deck commission from a Hawaiian friend, producing the first Santa Cruz Skateboards from leftover materials. Novak went on to license and distribute Independent Trucks (1978) and to incubate Powell-Peralta-era graphics-heavy decks, making NHS the world's longest-running skateboard manufacturer. He was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2020.
