History:
Some skills can be learned, while others must be inherited. Chris Wood, founder and creative director of Airtrix, may have learned how to apply paint, to pinstripe, and to develop his business, but he inherited his sense of color, drawing, and structural harmony from his grandmother. Kicked out of high school art class, Chris spent much of his free time doodling in the back of his textbooks and filling folios with drawings. This was the genesis of Airtrix.
Combat soon focused Chris’s attention on the future. Following graduation, Chris served in Desert Storm as a Marine infantryman and came back to civilian life with two points uppermost in his mind:
-- A superior work ethic is crucial; and
-- We must create our own luck.
Returning to his hometown of Santa Barbara after Three years of Service with the U.S. Marine Corps, Chris started Airtrix in 1994. His primary business focused on airbrushing signs and motorcycle helmets. His breakout came in 1996 when friends, familiar with his remarkable talent, introduced Chris to the Bostrom brothers. The Bostroms were soon wearing Airtrix lids. Other racers, both national and international, soon followed the Bostroms’ leads. Jamie Hacking, Troy Corser, John Hopkins, James Stewart—all were soon sporting exciting new Airtrix helmet designs. Enthusiasts and corporate clients were quick to follow. Red Bull, DreamWorks Productions (transformers 2) Coach Leather, Mark Jacobs International, Roland Sands Design, Match Hotch designs, MGM, Shoei, Bell helmets, Retro SBK, and Performance Machine have all come knocking for logo design, helmet design, and award-winning motorcycle paintwork.
Bolstered by its success, Airtrix now employs a host of talented artisans. Its projects range from orders for single helmets and motorcycle paint jobs to major corporate undertakings, both national and international. And no matter what the project, Chris keeps the keys to the design locker firmly in his hand.
Airtrix has now expanded into vehicle branding, corporate logo development, in-house t-shirt screen printing, wide format gleche printing (print on canvas) and die cut sticker services — all in a new modern expanded facility in Santa Barbara. Come on in and say hi!
Philosophy:
Running a creative enterprise is VERY complex.
- We have to spot the developing design/lifestyle trends before anyone else.
- Our products and designs have to be on the market first.
- Because it’s going to be closely inspected by customers and competitors alike, our quality has to be above reproach.
Distilled further, any past or future Airtrix success is attributable to the following:
- A SUPERIOR WORK ETHIC.
- A BELIEF THAT ALL GOOD LUCK IS SELF-CREATED.
