BIRD LOCALLY ART MADE
SURFBOARDS
SHAPING A CAREER OF PASSION AND STOKE BY SAVANNAH SHEEHAN
Mass production, large retailers, and online shopping leave the consumer with instant gratification but little background knowledge on the product. Imagine being in-the-know of the entire process of creating something you want and customizing it to your every whim. Grass-roots operations do still exist and Mike Pechonis at Bird Surfboards will be one of the first to attest. Deerfield Beach, Florida has been a hub for surfing and surf culture for generations. Having been raised in Deerfield, Mike Pechonis, owner and founder of Bird Surfboards, immersed himself in the surfing community at a young age. At the age of 15, when his first surfboard broke, Mike stripped it down, bought some fabric and boat resin and has been making his own surf boards ever since. A day in the life of Mike Pechonis consists of physical labor and shear enthusiasm. When I arrived at Bird – officially incorporated in 1988 – Mike made no haste in exploring the grounds of operation, giving me the grand tour. Mike, ahead of me in tow, guided me into the room where the boards are shaped – the first step. We then went into a room that has a stand to hold surfboards and low lights on the walls – at about waist height, and other various tools. Boards start off as “blanks,” or simply blocks of foam. Here, Mike explains how he fits a person to their perfect board, and once that shape and size is decided, he moves forward with sawing away the excess material. “Boards come out of me,” shares Mike, “Michelangelo sees a slab of marble and in that is David. I see a slab of foam and your perfect surfboard.” >>
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“Michelangelo sees a slab of marble and in that is David. I see a slab of foam and your perfect surfboard.”