Perfect match -- Quiksilver and Surf City

Eron Ben-Yehuda

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- For Quiksilver officials, moving the company

headquarters and distribution center to Surf City made perfect sense.

“It’s Surf City USA,” executive vice president Steve Tully said. “It fits

naturally with the lifestyle we’re selling.”

The company -- a leading force in the beach clothing industry -- doesn’t

just project that cool image. Its employees live it, he said.

“If there’s [an ocean] swell, they’ll come in late that day or take a

long lunch,” he said. “We like to enjoy life.”

But don’t be fooled by the staff of mostly young hipsters who work on

everything from design to marketing to sales. They may be dressed in the

latest fashion, and some may ride their skateboards to work, but the

company didn’t earn $400 million in net sales revenue worldwide last year

by goofing off, he said.

“It’s laid back for sure,” he said. “But it’s also serious business.”

Quiksilver moved its headquarters from Costa Mesa into an

80,000-square-foot building in the 15200 block of Graham Street in late

June. The offices are next door to its 200,000-square-foot distribution

center that opened about two years ago. Together, the facilities employ

about 800 workers, with about 150 living in town, he said.

The offices are housed in a plain converted warehouse. But as you enter

through the front door, you’re struck by the fanciful interior -- a mix

of art deco and industrial design themes with a splash of “Hawaii

Five-O.”

In addition to executive offices, the sprawling building combines design

“pits,” where the latest shirts, pants and accessories are created, with

showrooms, where sales representatives from stores throughout the country

come to see the latest fashion trends.

The company’s booming commerce is music to the ears of city officials.

It’s certainly a far cry from the early 1990s, when the buildings stood

empty, except for indoor swap meets held on occasion, said Jim Lamb, the

city’s business development manager.

“You like to see your city have an association with successful

companies,” he said.

He knows firsthand how successful the company has become.

“My son only wears Quiksilver,” he said.

And the corporation shows its heart by contributing money to

environmental causes, such as the Orange County Marine Institute and

Surfrider Foundation, Tully said. As for promoting events in town, Tully

said nothing has been planned -- yet.

“But,” he said, “we just got here.”