Local bike component manufacturer, King Cycle Group/Chris King Components has just released the results of their “Pretty and Strong” promotion. Over a four month period they donated a portion of the sales of a limited production run of pink parts to Oregon and SW Washington chapters of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The final donation amounted to $10,316.56.
From the press release, King’s Jacki Sterner said:
“The dealers who chose to sell it and the riders who chose to buy it carried that commitment to completion. I am continually amazed that we have the people inside our company and customer support outside who can make this sort of thing go.”
I worked with King Cycle Group back Santa Barbara, California right out of college and I can say that I have never come across a company so committed to being a good citizen. In addition to being one of the most earth-friendly companies in the world, they spend and donate thousands and thousands of dollars every year to non-profits, trail building projects, and more. This may not seem like a ton of money compared the millions a company like Nike can throw around, but this is a small, privately held company that makes bike parts (which isn’t exactly a rich man’s business). If “voting with your wallet” means anything to you than you should have King headsets and hubs on your bikes or at least one of their cool shirts on your back.
I don’t mean to pontificate or anything but this company is the real deal, and that’s increasingly rare in the business world these days.