Zak Wood / Colorado Daily

Sam Hines, owner of Meta Skateboards, located on the Hill, poses for a photo wearing a T-shirt designed by Austin Myers.

CU art student Austin David Myers would have been 23 this year, but a tragic experimentation with heroin ended his life in December of 2006.

"He was only 21 at that point, so he didn't have his whole map figured out of what he wanted to do, but there was some talk about starting a T-shirt company or graphic design company," said Ben Myers, Austin's older brother. "Six months prior to his death he was getting into using skatedecks as a medium."

Ben was always aware of the potential his artistically talented younger brother possessed, but it wasn't until shortly after his passing that Ben realized Austin's true vision.

"I had no idea, but after he died I went into his garage -- I open it up, and there's like 20 skatedecks that he was getting ready to paint on and he had sketched on a bunch," Ben recalled. "You could tell just by what his garage was like that this was something he was going to continue doing and maybe take it to the next level. These decks are unbelievable -- some of the best artwork you've seen."

For Ben, the discovery not only helped to reconcile the loss of his younger brother, but also challenged him to give Austin's vision the push it needed to be fully recognized in the public eye. There, in the wake of Austin's death, ADM Skateboards was born.

"It's not your typical skateboard artwork," said Sam Hines, Owner of Meta Skateboards on The Hill, who knew Austin well from skating and had even displayed some of his oil-painted decks on the wall of his store before he died. "(ADM is) not marketing their boards to kids, they're marketing their boards to people that would appreciate art. This is hand-drawn, original artwork that the art community would respect."

According to Hines, ADM began pressing boards from scanning several of the designs Austin had made -- not only directly from other decks, but also from other artwork they had found in his sketches.

Although the company is based in Boston, ADM is operated, among other stakeholders, by Ben Myers and Garrett Stanton -- both CU grads -- and considers Boulder to be the center of its operation.

"The heart and soul of ADM Skateboards is Boulder," said Ben Myers. "We feel like Boulder is the buzz and epicenter of what's happening."

Between Austin's artistic talent and his popularity among CU students, the skating community has embraced ADM as a force to be reckoned with in town.

"Half the time he was doing art and the other half of the time he was skating with us," said Dar Ardalan, ADM Team Manager, recent CU grad, and former friend of Austin's. "I think its great to see his name going on -- seeing the decks around and seeing his art around is what would make him happy. It's a great form of memory."

To solidify the cause of ADM as an inspiration of hope to future skaters like Austin, ADM donates five percent of its proceeds to charities that promote drug education and awareness programs to youth, and the building of skate parks at various locations throughout the U.S.

"That's coming out of ADM's pocket, not the retailer or the buyer's pocket," said Hines of the five-percent policy. "That's really cool that ADM is taking a five-percent hit to further some really great causes."

Since establishing the five-percent policy, however, ADM has gone onto establish The 5% Fund as a separate entity and 501C3 charity, according to stakeholder Garrett Stanton.

"This is the ground floor," said Stanton. "The company is a vehicle for a passion project that will make a tangible difference in people's lives if we can get the right momentum behind us -- and I think we will."

Current programs The 5% Fund contributes to include Skateboarders Against Drugs and skate parks in Boston, MA and Wheatridge, CO -- with the goal to raise $100,000 by the end of 2009, according to Stanton.

Skaters like Ardalan also recognize the need for awareness programs and the continued development of additional skate parks.

"Skateboarding is such an urban activity that kids are exposed to a lot of things when they're going around the city and skating spots," he said. "You see things when you're skating around town that you wouldn't see if you were at a football or baseball complex, so having a positive presence there is really good for kids who just want to go around and skate without having to deal with all of the negative influences that come with the city."

One Boulder High student, Dustin Simantob, has gone on to purchase additional boards after being given one for free to shoot an ADM promotional video.

"I have one on my wall and three for skating," said the 14-year-old. "I decided I really liked the way the one on my wall looked so I just leave it there so I can always see it."

Contact Lance Vaillancourt about this story at (303) 443-6272, ext. 125, or at vaillancourt@coloradodaily.com.