Boyd Cycling, the South Carolina family-run boutique wheel brand, claims that it is ‘getting good at managing adversity.’ Despite a nationwide USA economic slowdown that has had both negative and positive effects on bike shops and the industry as whole, Boyd Cycling points that it has been on an upward trajectory.
In November Boyd Cycling hired SpinCycle Brand Management, headed up by cycling industry veteran, Kendall Young, to manage OEM sales and broker US distribution.
On the addition of Kendall Young, Boyd Cycling Managing Director, Nicole Johnson said, “We’ve been fortunate as we’ve grown to be working with like-minded people who value the people part of this business. Kendall exemplifies this.
“His entire career, his experience and industry knowledge can be attributed to the lengthy, rooted relationships he has nurtured throughout the last thirty years. It’s a defining component of his personal brand.”
‘The fruit of SpinCycle’s labour comes first in the form of a 2021 OE forecast and subsequent production line of OEM wheel models. The second piece comes with the announcement of Hawley Lambert Cycling (HLC) as Boyd Cycling’s first USA distributor partnership.’
“Hawley is an ideal fit far beyond our shared South Carolina home-base,” added Nicole Johnson. “Their core message is ‘discover the human side of the bicycle business’, the blueprint of what we do every single day. Developing and building relationships with both our retail and OEM partners provides us with the building blocks toward continued growth.”
HLC’s North American President, Pat McGinnis said, “I couldn’t be more excited about our new partnership with Boyd Cycling. As a fellow South Carolina-based bike industry business I have tremendous respect for Nicole and Boyd. They run a great business, they’re community-focused, and they’re the embodiment of supporting the growth of cycling. I look forward to nurturing both our sport and our businesses together in the coming years.”
Earlier this month Boyd Cycling added Brandon Hirokawa to the inside sales team that included the newly hired Brad Reece. In the last six months Boyd Cycling has increased its dealer network by 20% and reportedly sees few signs of slowing.
In April the company applied for and secured a Payroll Protection Plan offering assurance that its entire team would remain intact. Having been named a 2017 and 2019 Small Business Administration’s Exporter of the Year and a 2019 Small Business of the Week recipient, Boyd and Nicole Johnson have built both a local and state-wide network and were afforded insight that assistance could be possible. “It was key to us,” said Boyd Johnson, “that we not have to furlough anyone on our team, including our outside contractors. Everyone has been part of our success and everyone is part of our future.”
