VISTA —— Fifteen years ago, as the 1980s bled into the '90s, a 20-something skateboarder named Ken Block was silk-screening T-shirts at Palomar College.

Block sat down in an algebra class and met Damon Way, another creative type who shared his passions.

"We obviously recognized each other as skateboarders, so that kind of started a friendship," Block said. "That grew into a discussion of what we did otherwise, and we both had an interest in companies."

They co-founded a small T-shirt business, which became so big that Block had to abandon his classes.

"Everything that we seemed to make sold very, very fast," Block said. "That was a really good sign, because at the time the skateboarding industry was at a lull. It was at one of its lowest points."

Through a series of branding makeovers, innovative choices and corporate acquisitions, the business evolved into DC Shoes, a multimillion-dollar pacesetter in the skating industry. Block is the president of the company, now a subsidiary of Quiksilver.

Last year, DC Shoes sold $135 million in skating footwear, snowboarding apparel and boots and beachwear.

"It's a very finicky market. I like to use the term cultish," Block said in his office Tuesday. "There's a lot of pride in the market for individualism and personal style. It's not a team sport."

But Block, 37, considers himself part of what he calls a younger and cooler demographic —— a big kid who still plays video games and wears DC shorts and a T-shirt at work.

"Damon and I, actually, basically live and breathe the market," Block said. "I go and visit the skate parks, I visit the pros, I talk to the kids. I read every magazine and watch every video."

Block and Way, the executive vice president, are still together. Their second-story offices are posh and ultramodern, more bachelor pad than workplace, decorated with steel-and-leather furniture and oversized, three-dimensional art pieces.

The men attribute their success to a lot of creative firsts, Block said.

"A lot of the industry falls along with what we do," he said. "Back in the day, we were the first company to go out and have slick ads that were two-page spreads. … Every skate ad you see today will be a two-page spread."

At Block's second home in Park City, Utah, dubbed the "DC Mountain Lab," there is a mini-snowboard park and 600-foot rope tow in his backyard. The company uses the property for product testing and marketing.

Block said his company's 150 or so employees have outgrown the 200,000-square-foot headquarters in Vista, but he never plans to leave the area. Other industry giants are nearby: Adio Footwear, SPY Optic, Syndrome Distribution and Zero Skateboards, among others.

"Of anywhere in the world, this is where that (surf-skate) culture is most popular," Block said. "We have nice streets, nice sidewalks. … Whereas if you got to Prague, you've got cobblestone streets that are 400 years old at times. That newness, and that culture, and the beach being right here makes it kind of a mecca for this industry."

Looking to the future, Block sees an industry growing ever bigger.

For example, companies like Nike and Reebok are getting involved. "The biggest footwear brands in the world think this is a viable market," he said. "I think it's important in the grand scheme of things —— I'm not that excited about it as a business owner."

Block is investing $250,000 into the world's first skate plaza in Kettering, Ohio —— a skate park on steroids that better resembles urban skate spots. Instead of ramps and pipes, the plaza offers rails and ledges. And there won't be any DC branding to speak of.

Block is also gearing up for DC's first retail store in New York City's SoHo district, which should open in September or October.

He wants skateboarding to move into more hearts and minds and away from the image of illegal and rebellious.

"Most adult parents with their kids understand baseball more than they understand skateboarding," Block said. "I think it still has a really long way to go."

Contact freelance writer Andrew Phelps at ap@andrewphelps.com.