As part of a continuing series that will be running every Thursday, we’re going to be featuring the backgrounds and services of our numerous sponsors and partners. Furthermore, we’re going to exhibit how their relationship with us is making an impact in the lives of youth and in the community. Today, our focus is on Bicycle Garage Indy, and their subsidy, BGI Fitness:
Company Overview:
Bicycle Garage Indy promotes and supports healthy lifestyle changes in the Central Indiana community by providing a retail experience that wows their customers. Randy Clark, founder of BGI, is fond of reciting the story that launched BGI. In 1980, Clark was working at Eli Lilly & Co. and was smoking two packs of cigarettes a day when a friend challenged him to ride a bicycle to the World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tenn from Indianapolis. The six-day, 600-mile journey changed Clark’s life, as he quit smoking and became an avid cyclist. In 1983, he combined his love of cycling and his desire to own a business, opening BGI in a 3,000-square-foot spot in a Castleton strip mall. He left Eli Lilly in 1986 to operate BGI full-time.
Clark expanded the business to include fitness equipment and moved into a larger Castleton location on East 82nd Street in 1995. In 1998, BGI—through an acquisition—expanded to the city’s far south side. In 2011, BGI opened a location downtown at the City Market as part of the city’s high-profile bike hub. BGI also has a distribution center in northeast Indianapolis.
Currently, a 5-to-10-year plan to transfer ownership of the company to chief operating officer, Scott Helvie, is in place. Helvie has 14 years experience in the cycling and fitness industry, five of those with BGI. Helvie has worked in manufacturing, sales and distribution.
Relationship with Nine13sports:
Our partnership with Indianapolis’ largest bicycle retailer, Bicycle Garage Indy, and their subsidy BGI Fitness, materialized in August of 2014. Our relationship with BGI is distinguished from other organizations in the fact that the bicycle retailer serves as an organization-wide partner versus funding programs that benefit specific schools. TÂ benefits to Bicycle Garage Indy and BGI Fitness include branding on our trailer, Nine13sports programs provided at several choice Bicycle Garage Indy events, and Nine13sports promotion of both entities as their exclusive bicycle or fitness equipment related community partners. Also, in 2014, our Kids Riding Bikes programming was delivered at their annual Labor Day sale.
In 2015, BGI & BGI Fitness renewed their partnership and committed to a second year of supporting Kids Riding Bikes. Moreover, another highlight of 2015 was back in March at the 32nd Annual BGI Spring Bicycle Expo. This event included world-class professional freeride and trials mountain bike rider, Jeff Lenosky, performing bunny hops and gravity defying stunts. Additionally, our Kids Riding Bikes program gave visitors the opportunity to race Jeff on Nine13sports bikes between his shows.
We’re very fortunate and appreciate of our partnership with Bicycle Garage Indy. Our relationship will enable the expansion of Kids Riding Bikes programs through your support, allowing Nine13sports to continue using bicycling to create a healthier, fitter Central Indiana community.
For more on BGI & BGI Fitness, check out their website.