On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell chatted with Drew Medlock, the CEO of Allied Cycle Works, a Bentonville-based manufacturer of high-quality carbon bikes who boasts a mission to “make the best bicycles and components in the word, right here in America.” James and Drew discussed what it means to manufacture in the USA and how Bentonville has created an ideal cycling ecosystem.Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(0:36) Introducing Drew Medlock
(2:09) A Taste of What Allied Cycle Works Is All About
(5:23) Making Bikes in the USA vs. Asia
(8:24) What Brought Allied Cycle Works to Bentonville
(14:40) Why Bentonville?
(16:47) How Businesses Can Capitalize on Bentonville
(17:55) What’s Next for Allied Cycle Works?
(18:45) Why USA-Made?
(19:57) Superpowers and Closing Thoughts
Links
JAMES BELL
DREW MEDLOCK
ALLIED CYCLE WORKS
ALLIED CYCLE WORKS FACTORY VIDEOS
Quotes
“We had the vision to bring high-tech frame manufacturing processes back into the United States…Brands didn’t really have the in-house knowledge [to build carbon fiber frames] in the United States…So our goal was to bring that back.” Drew Medlock, (2:28)
“Northwest Arkansas has been really great because there’s a good manufacturing base here from the poultry industry and people who are good at working with their hands and are easy to train here locally.” Drew Medlock, (6:33)
“I just see so much opportunity still left here. I think there’s so much good momentum and positive momentum about really growing the outdoor industry as a whole and growing our community…It’s cool to be somewhere where there’s a blue sky in terms of what’s possible” Drew Medlock, (14:40)
“[Northwest Arkansas] is a place that is growing. There’s lots of development, we can see more diversity coming into the area, and it feels like a place where you can have this access to the outdoors and be a part of it but also build a sustainable business climate for your employees.” Drew Medlock, (17:34)
Making the Best Bikes in America with Allied Cycle Works
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell chatted with Drew Medlock, the CEO of Allied Cycle Works, a Bentonville-based manufacturer of high-quality carbon bikes who boasts a mission to “make the best bicycles and components in the word, right here in America.” James and Drew discussed what it means to manufacture in the USA and how Bentonville has created an ideal cycling ecosystem.
Allied Cycle Works
“We had the vision to bring high-tech frame manufacturing processes back into the United States…Brands didn’t really have the in-house knowledge [to build carbon fiber frames] in the United States…So our goal was to bring that back.” Drew Medlock, (2:28)
The bicycle game is ever changing and adapting as we learn more about how to improve this evergreen pastime. In an era when bicycle manufacturing had primarily moved to Asia, the founder of Allied Cycle Works started with a mission to manufacture their parts here in the United States so they could have more control over the production process and ultimately to turn out a better product for their customer. CEO Drew Medlock and his team have continued to take up this mantle day by day and place quality bicycles in the hands of customers who want to do what they love most: ride their bike.
“Northwest Arkansas has been really great because there’s a good manufacturing base here from the poultry industry and people who are good at working with their hands and are easy to train here locally.” Drew Medlock, (6:33)
Drew is proud of the fact that they can create jobs here locally, but also that there is so much opportunity to hire quality manufacturers in the area with experience working for other Northwest Arkansas giants. This and partnering with technicians and production engineers that have joined Allied Cycle Works have helped to make the move to all-stateside production go smoothly. As Allied Cycle Works looks to the future in adding mountain bikes and more to their catalog, they can certainly ensure one thing: the bikes they craft are made to order for the consumer and will have the hands-on quality customers deserve.
Why Bentonville?
“I just see so much opportunity still left here. I think there’s so much good momentum and positive momentum about really growing the outdoor industry as a whole and growing our community…It’s cool to be somewhere where there’s a blue sky in terms of what’s possible” Drew Medlock, (14:40)
It is movers and shakers like Drew that continue to push our community forward and into the blue skies that he is so proud of. Drew sets an example for all business leaders by considering the lives, incomes, and happiness of his employees without compromising an amazing workplace environment both inside the walls of the business and outside in the community.
Get Connected!
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle. Don’t forget, Bentonville is a place where you can have more of what you want and less of what you don’t!
