Quality Bicycle Products
Encyclopedia
Quality Bicycle Products is the largest distributor
of bicycle
parts and accessories in the bicycle industry
, with revenues of $150 million in 2008. In addition to wholesaling
bicycles and components from other manufacturers, QBP owns and manufactures several brand
s of its own. QBP also participates in activities which support its community through cycling advocacy
and green building
.
QBP purchased Salsa Cycles in 1997, a California-based mountain-bike manufacturer. The following year, QBP entered the emerging single-speed bike market with its in-house designed Singleator chain tensioner. Later in 1998, this product and the new Rat Ride single-speed frame (soon renamed the 1X1) helped launch the company’s new start-up, Surly Bikes
. After that, the company continued developing brands for under-served markets, adding specialty parts with Problem Solvers, value parts and accessories with Dimension, and high-end components with Winwood. QBP also became the exclusive U.S. distributor for Jagwire, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of bicycle brake and derailleur components including pads, cables and cable housing.
By 2000, QBP employed 150 people and expanded its warehouse to 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²). In 2004, the company was named a Tier 1 Distributor by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News magazine. That same year, QBP took first place in the Specialized Commuter Cup Challenge and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation as the Best Workplace for Commuters.
In 2006, QBP completed its distribution center and office complex. In addition to the environmental benefits of a LEED-designed building, QBP reduced waste further by introducing paperless order picking. At the height of its summer busy season, the company shipped 3,000 boxes in one day and achieved its first $3 million week. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the facility LEED Gold certification in 2007. At the end of 2006, QBP launched Q-Active, a distribution enterprise catering to independent ski and run retailers.
Responding to the growing trend of bike commuting and “transportation-oriented” cycling, QBP created the Civia bike brand in 2007. The following year, QBP transformed Wheelhouse, its dealer-oriented wheel-building service, into Handspun, a consumer-oriented manufacturer of hand-trued and custom-built wheels. QBP also founded All-City, which offers single-speed and fixed-gear bikes, parts and accessories for urban bicycling. In late 2008, QBP was awarded Gold-level status as a Bicycle Friendly Business by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB). In 2009, the company achieved Platinum-level status, the LAB’s highest designation.
QBP will open a second distribution center in Ogden, Utah in the spring of 2010.
and Winwood. QBP is also the exclusive U.S. distributor of Ridley
, a Belgian manufacturer of road, mountain and cyclocross bikes, and through its Q-Active division, the company distributes products to independent ski, run and outdoor retailers.
for national and local trail-building initiatives. Working with grassroots citizens groups, the company lobbies for federal funds in Washington, DC and works with state departments of transportation and local advocacy groups to implement programs like Safe Routes to School; the Non-Motorized Pilot Program for a Minneapolis cycling network; Mountain bike trail, BMX track and bike path projects; and Bike-to-work
programs and bike-rack donations for area businesses. The Advocacy team also actively promotes cycling among QBP employees by sponsoring a Commuter Bike League, bike-to-work days and a commuter credit cash reimbursement program; assisting novice bike commuters with maps and route information; and providing bike racks
, showers, lockers and safety escort service
s.
Every February, QBP hosts Frostbike, an industry tradeshow and educational forum that draws vendors and retailers from around the world. Perceived by many bicycle dealers as an opportunity to see products not offered at the late-summer Interbike
tradeshow in Las Vegas, Frostbike also offers numerous business and technical seminars.
The company actively encourages employees to improve customer service by continually developing “environmental and efficiency-oriented innovation.” To facilitate this process, QBP developed Great Results Improving Processes (GRIP), a program that combines principles from Six Sigma, Lean, Kaizen and Total Quality Management. QBP implements employee-developed practices in virtually all areas of its business, from warehouse productivity and waste reduction to environmental sustainability. Through the GRIP program, QBP saved approximately $2.2 million in 2008. That same year, QBP CEO Steve Flagg received an Ernst & Young's entrepreneur award among Upper Midwest distributors.
certification in 2007 from the U.S. Green Building Council for its new distribution center and office complex. The 135000 square feet (12,541.9 m²) facility features many energy and resource-saving features including recycled building materials; extensive natural lighting and high-efficiency florescent fixtures; water-saving technologies; and a 40-kilowatt solar-panel array that provides four percent of the building’s annual energy. Additionally, grounds landscaped with rain gardens and porous pavers to promote natural evaporation of storm runoff
; drought-resistant prairie grasses require no irrigation. 30 percent more efficient than required by Minnesota state code, the structure generates significantly lower long-term maintenance and operation costs than a conventional building. QBP’s efforts were recognized in 2007 with the first annual Carbon Buster Award from U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and in 2008 with a Minnesota Governor’s Award for Environmental Practices.
The QBP Commuter Program rewards employees that bike or use alternative transportation with “credits” they can use to purchase company products or redeem for lunches from local restaurants. The company also provides showers, lockers, a free towel service, a fully stocked workshop for repairs and plentiful indoor and outdoor bike parking. Greenlightride.com, an interactive website QBP developed to support its competitive Commuter Bike League, helps cyclists record their miles, create teams, track statistics and network with other riders. The free service is open to the public. In 2008, 15 percent of the company’s 453 employees biked to work, averaging a one-way commute of 12 miles (19.3 km) and logging a collective 325,000 miles. The Bicycle League of America recognized these achievements in 2009 by awarding the company Platinum Level status as a Bicycle Friendly business.
Brands - Bicycle
Brands - Parts
Sponsorships
Distribution (business)
Product distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix. An organization or set of organizations involved in the process of making a product or service available for use or consumption by a consumer or business user.The other three parts of the marketing mix are product, pricing,...
of bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
parts and accessories in the bicycle industry
Bicycle Industry
The Bicycle Industry or Cycling Industry can broadly be defined as the industry concerned with bicycles and cycling. It includes at least bicycle manufacturers, part or component manufacturers, and accessory manufacturers...
, with revenues of $150 million in 2008. In addition to wholesaling
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
bicycles and components from other manufacturers, QBP owns and manufactures several brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
s of its own. QBP also participates in activities which support its community through cycling advocacy
Cycling advocacy
Cycling advocacy consists of activities that provide greater safety, comfort, and convenience for bicyclists by educating cyclists and motorists, improving road quality on bike routes, establishing more and better bicycle parking, providing legal protections for cyclists by including cycling...
and green building
Green building
Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
.
History
Founded by Steve Flagg and Mary Henrickson in 1981, QBP operated from a small office in St. Paul, MN. The company did $100,000 of sales during its first year. Business improved in the second year with sales reaching $250,000. In 1983 the company continued to grow, achieving half a million dollars in sales. It was mountain bikes, a new phenomenon on the biking scene in the mid 1980s that fueled the company’s dramatic growth. QBP specialized in importing hard-to-find mountain-bike parts from suppliers in Japan. By the end of its fourth year, QBP hired its first employee and sold $1 million in parts. For the next 26 years the company averaged 33 percent growth per year. The number of employees tripled from 1987 to 1993, prompting moves to successively larger facilities in Richfield and then Bloomington. In 1996, when there were 60 employees, QBP purchased a 67000 square feet (6,224.5 m²) warehouse on its current site in West Bloomington.QBP purchased Salsa Cycles in 1997, a California-based mountain-bike manufacturer. The following year, QBP entered the emerging single-speed bike market with its in-house designed Singleator chain tensioner. Later in 1998, this product and the new Rat Ride single-speed frame (soon renamed the 1X1) helped launch the company’s new start-up, Surly Bikes
Surly Bikes
Surly Bikes is a designer and importer of bicycles, frames, parts, and accessories based in Bloomington, Minnesota, established circa 1998. Surly is owned by and shares facilities with Quality Bicycle Products ....
. After that, the company continued developing brands for under-served markets, adding specialty parts with Problem Solvers, value parts and accessories with Dimension, and high-end components with Winwood. QBP also became the exclusive U.S. distributor for Jagwire, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of bicycle brake and derailleur components including pads, cables and cable housing.
By 2000, QBP employed 150 people and expanded its warehouse to 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²). In 2004, the company was named a Tier 1 Distributor by Bicycle Retailer and Industry News magazine. That same year, QBP took first place in the Specialized Commuter Cup Challenge and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Transportation as the Best Workplace for Commuters.
In 2006, QBP completed its distribution center and office complex. In addition to the environmental benefits of a LEED-designed building, QBP reduced waste further by introducing paperless order picking. At the height of its summer busy season, the company shipped 3,000 boxes in one day and achieved its first $3 million week. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the facility LEED Gold certification in 2007. At the end of 2006, QBP launched Q-Active, a distribution enterprise catering to independent ski and run retailers.
Responding to the growing trend of bike commuting and “transportation-oriented” cycling, QBP created the Civia bike brand in 2007. The following year, QBP transformed Wheelhouse, its dealer-oriented wheel-building service, into Handspun, a consumer-oriented manufacturer of hand-trued and custom-built wheels. QBP also founded All-City, which offers single-speed and fixed-gear bikes, parts and accessories for urban bicycling. In late 2008, QBP was awarded Gold-level status as a Bicycle Friendly Business by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB). In 2009, the company achieved Platinum-level status, the LAB’s highest designation.
QBP will open a second distribution center in Ogden, Utah in the spring of 2010.
Brands
The company owns eight brands including All City, Civia, Dimension, Handspun, Problem Solvers, Salsa Cycles, SurlySurly Bikes
Surly Bikes is a designer and importer of bicycles, frames, parts, and accessories based in Bloomington, Minnesota, established circa 1998. Surly is owned by and shares facilities with Quality Bicycle Products ....
and Winwood. QBP is also the exclusive U.S. distributor of Ridley
Ridley (bicycles)
Ridley Bikes was started by the innovative spirit of one man, Jochim Aerts, a highly skilled frame builder and painter who began in 1990 producing frames for Belgian bicycle companies. Jochim’s passion for road racing and frame craftsmanship was soon channeled into his own brand in 1997 when Ridley...
, a Belgian manufacturer of road, mountain and cyclocross bikes, and through its Q-Active division, the company distributes products to independent ski, run and outdoor retailers.
Business and Industry Advocacy
Committed to expanding the bike industry and creating new avenues of profitability for its customers, QBP provides numerous services and programs to dealers including custom bike and wheel building, shock and brake treatment and ReTale, a merchandising and store design program. QBP regularly advocatesCycling advocacy
Cycling advocacy consists of activities that provide greater safety, comfort, and convenience for bicyclists by educating cyclists and motorists, improving road quality on bike routes, establishing more and better bicycle parking, providing legal protections for cyclists by including cycling...
for national and local trail-building initiatives. Working with grassroots citizens groups, the company lobbies for federal funds in Washington, DC and works with state departments of transportation and local advocacy groups to implement programs like Safe Routes to School; the Non-Motorized Pilot Program for a Minneapolis cycling network; Mountain bike trail, BMX track and bike path projects; and Bike-to-work
Bike-to-Work Day
Bike-to-Work Day is an annual event held on various days in the Spring across the United States and Canada that promotes the bicycle as an option for commuting to work...
programs and bike-rack donations for area businesses. The Advocacy team also actively promotes cycling among QBP employees by sponsoring a Commuter Bike League, bike-to-work days and a commuter credit cash reimbursement program; assisting novice bike commuters with maps and route information; and providing bike racks
Bicycle stand
A bicycle stand,also called a bike rack, is a device to which bicycles may be securely attached. It may be free standing or securely attached to the ground or some stationary object such as a building. Indoor bike racks are commonly used for private bicycle parking, while outdoor bike racks are...
, showers, lockers and safety escort service
Safety escort service
A safety escort service, security escort service, or simply escort service is a service provided on and around many college and university campuses to help ensure the safety of students and staff. The escort may be provided by campus police staff or student volunteers and may be provided on foot or...
s.
Every February, QBP hosts Frostbike, an industry tradeshow and educational forum that draws vendors and retailers from around the world. Perceived by many bicycle dealers as an opportunity to see products not offered at the late-summer Interbike
Interbike
The Interbike International Bicycle Expo is the largest bicycle industry trade show in North America and is held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada. Exhibitors consist of companies interested in selling their products and services to bicycle retailers, wholesale distributors and manufacturers...
tradeshow in Las Vegas, Frostbike also offers numerous business and technical seminars.
The company actively encourages employees to improve customer service by continually developing “environmental and efficiency-oriented innovation.” To facilitate this process, QBP developed Great Results Improving Processes (GRIP), a program that combines principles from Six Sigma, Lean, Kaizen and Total Quality Management. QBP implements employee-developed practices in virtually all areas of its business, from warehouse productivity and waste reduction to environmental sustainability. Through the GRIP program, QBP saved approximately $2.2 million in 2008. That same year, QBP CEO Steve Flagg received an Ernst & Young's entrepreneur award among Upper Midwest distributors.
Facility
A strong proponent of environmental business practices, QBP received Gold level LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
certification in 2007 from the U.S. Green Building Council for its new distribution center and office complex. The 135000 square feet (12,541.9 m²) facility features many energy and resource-saving features including recycled building materials; extensive natural lighting and high-efficiency florescent fixtures; water-saving technologies; and a 40-kilowatt solar-panel array that provides four percent of the building’s annual energy. Additionally, grounds landscaped with rain gardens and porous pavers to promote natural evaporation of storm runoff
Surface runoff
Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint source...
; drought-resistant prairie grasses require no irrigation. 30 percent more efficient than required by Minnesota state code, the structure generates significantly lower long-term maintenance and operation costs than a conventional building. QBP’s efforts were recognized in 2007 with the first annual Carbon Buster Award from U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and in 2008 with a Minnesota Governor’s Award for Environmental Practices.
Advocacy, Community Service and Environment
QBP strives to create a values-centered community where its employees can achieve personal growth and work in a socially responsible manner. Its Advocacy, Community Service, and Environment (ACE) program provides opportunities to participate in socially oriented programs like Trips for Kids, Loaves & Fishes charity kitchen, World Bicycle Relief and Red Cross Youth Bikes. The ACE Environment committee supports QBP’s environmental initiatives with a company-wide recycling program, Vermicomposting and outdoor composting, and a used bike tire recycling service for area retailers. QBP donates 6 percent of after-tax profits to ACE each year.The QBP Commuter Program rewards employees that bike or use alternative transportation with “credits” they can use to purchase company products or redeem for lunches from local restaurants. The company also provides showers, lockers, a free towel service, a fully stocked workshop for repairs and plentiful indoor and outdoor bike parking. Greenlightride.com, an interactive website QBP developed to support its competitive Commuter Bike League, helps cyclists record their miles, create teams, track statistics and network with other riders. The free service is open to the public. In 2008, 15 percent of the company’s 453 employees biked to work, averaging a one-way commute of 12 miles (19.3 km) and logging a collective 325,000 miles. The Bicycle League of America recognized these achievements in 2009 by awarding the company Platinum Level status as a Bicycle Friendly business.
External links
Brands - Bicycle
Brands - Parts
- Dimension Products
- Handspun Wheels
- Problemsolvers Solution-oriented bike parts designed to resolve challenging mechanical issues
- Winwood specialty components
Sponsorships
- Frostbike A winter ride