CycleSafe, Inc.’s founder and CEO, Richard Hartger, had an idea during his college years that led to achieving the first U.S. patent for a bicycle locker system.
Based in Ada, Michigan, our family-owned business has humble beginnings. Hartger worked in commercial real estate while working to turn his ideas into a successful company.
“It came out of the gas crisis,” says Hannah Hartger, Richard’s daughter and our Vice President. In the late 1970s, when gas prices were high, people turned back to bicycling. “He was in college and was spending a lot of time on other bigger university campuses and seeing the bike theft that was happening,” Hannah adds.
Family Business, Global Reach
He saw a problem that needed to be solved and developed an enclosed bicycle storage system to protect bicycles from theft and the elements, realizing that bikes are sometimes a person’s only mode of transportation.
He also spent a lot of time at marinas and noticed the design and material used for dock boxes and at that time, the first fiberglass boat hulls. “It’s uniquely combining different things that Richard saw,” Hannah says. “I admiringly call him a cowboy engineer. He’s not a degreed engineer – but he’s one of those people who sees things out in the world and can picture them being put together to create a solution.”
Richard was on to something and eventually went all in on the business. CycleSafe’s products are designed to meet every bike parking need, including the original ProPark bicycle locker, EcoPark bicycle locker, classic bike racks, HighDensity Racks, WallRacks, bicycle shelters, bike stations, and bike repair stands.
Today, we have products in more than 25 different countries and watch industry trends across the globe.
“We’ve always been at the forefront of any sort of new solution in the industry,” Hannah says. “But we’ve always done it in a way that serves the end user the best.”
Growing Up With CycleSafe
From the start, our business has been a family affair driven by an interest in cycling and product development. Richard’s father, who worked in mortgage lending, levied some tax breaks to help with startup funding, and his mom did payroll for a short time. Still today, we continue to innovate and design products that last.
“I’ve always joked and said, too, that CycleSafe is really like my eldest sibling,” Hannah says. “He (Richard) really cares about what we do. It’s something that he holds really tight to his heart, and that plays into us wanting to fix problems before even customers are telling us about them.”
Company owners Richard and Susan met at a high school reunion and they married in 1992. Susan has her master’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Michigan, and in the late 1980s, they started working together and ran CycleSafe out of their home.
“It’s been a big part of our family,” Hannah says. “It’s been the family dinner conversation for my whole life.”
Hannah joined the business after graduating from Michigan State University in 2018. She planned to stay for the summer and left for about a year to work in the furniture industry. It didn’t take long to realize the family business fit her skills and personal passions best.
“I love it. I don’t think that I would want to be working doing anything else,” she says. “Our lean team really allows us to get to the nitty-gritty of problems pretty quickly, whereas when you work for a big business, you have to play the game of corporate structure.”
Looking To The Future
Recently, Hannah was named CycleSafe’s Vice President. In this role, she is responsible for our day-to-day operations and marketing efforts, as well as for looking to the future and continuing to drive innovation and “cowboy” creativity.
Hannah enjoys the variety involved in working for our small family business. “You have to be willing to pivot and support a diverse set of business functions,” she says.
It’s hard work, but the reward is designing solutions that provide substantial change for our business. “I really love getting my hands into problems and solving them,” she explains. “And that’s the continuous role I’ve had at CycleSafe since joining the team.”
As our business continues to grow and innovate, we see an exciting future for bike parking and other secure storage solutions. Technology, innovation, and accessibility will continue to drive our company forward, as well as our ability to customize products with logos, graphics, or other designs.
Hannah is quick to note that our roots in West Michigan give us a competitive edge with connections to other companies on the cusp of innovation, not only in the cycling industry but also in furniture manufacturing, automotive, and other markets. Through their network with the Family Business Alliance of West Michigan and the Grand Rapids Chamber, the Hartgers are an active part of growing the business community in our area, as well as continuing to drive the modern approach to bike parking solutions.
CycleSafe’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction has made us a leader in the bike parking industry. We are passionate about providing solutions that make it easier and more convenient for people to ride bikes and keep their bikes safe. After all, for the Hartgers and all of us at CycleSafe, biking is our way of life.
