Sklz is the most influential sporting goods brand you’ve probably never heard of, but many professional athletes know all about its specialized equipment and Carlsbad headquarters—like former Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter; that’s his jersey on the office wall. Its line of performance gear helps elite athletes fine-tune specific movements, like increasing vertical jumps, but Sklz also makes nonslip medicine balls and recovery products that are popular with regular folk. The company shares a massive 174,000-square-foot property with Exos, which runs private training facilities for pro football, baseball, and soccer players; and it boasts Jason Verrett (cornerback for the Chargers), Evan Longoria (third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays) and Alex Morgan (FIFA Women’s World Cup Champion) as company spokespeople. Naturally, most Sklz employees are either former athletes or were later bitten by the fitness bug, so if you plan on doing business with this company, don’t expect the staff to wine and dine you to make a connection—they’ll want to work out with you instead.
Turf war
You can’t get easily starstruck when working at Sklz, since NFL veterans and players training for the Combine often visit the on-campus sprint track to work on their speed, agility, and 40-yard-dash.
Vibe
Sklz employees and guests are greeted by a steel catwalk, high ceilings, and a fishbowl conference room perched over the open product showroom.
Fun and games
All Sklz employees have a bobblehead created in their likeness after celebrating five years with the company.
Open door policy
Mammoth swinging doors are found throughout the property, from interior corridors to the main entrance.
Eye for design
A porthole from the catwalk in the main entrance peers into Exos’s neighboring training facility, where Sklz products are tested and used by pro athletes. Designed by Luce et Studio and remodeled by Burger Construction, the Sklz headquarters replaced the aging corporate space of Callaway Golf four years ago.
Health conscious
Sklz employees have wide-open workspaces and lounges, enjoy weekly fresh fruit deliveries, and can bond over monthly health and wellness challenges. It’s common for coworkers to blow off steam and build camaraderie with an impromptu game of knockout basketball.
Tags: Office Space, Offices, Sports
