If you like beer and bicycles, you should work for New Belgium beer!
As a one-year anniversary gift, the company gives its employees a bike. This year is their 25th anniversary and it's also the first time they are buying Detroit made bikes.
"We're insanely busy these days which is great, " said Chris Kiesling, the COO of Detroit Bike.
They are one of the few bike manufacturers in the country that can process large orders.
"So, we are a bit of a rarity in this day and age where we are machining, welding and producing the final frames here on this country," he said.
New Belgium Brewing gives their employees a bike once they've worked the company for a year. The co-founder studied beers riding to different breweries on a bike.
It's fitting their most popular beer is called Fat Tire.
Detroit Bikes knew New Belgium Brewing orders mass quantities and asked to give them a chance and buy their American made bikes.
"Vast majority of the industry, bikes are produced overseas, right now in Asia, primarily China right now," Kiesling explained.
"To support the communities that we sell beer in," George Boler, a local 'Beer Ranger' for New Belgium Brewing, said. "To be able to give back a city like Detroit just made sense."
They've ordered 2,500 bikes, which is a million dollar deal. Detroit Bike had to double its workforce to 40 people and add extra shifts.
"It's a really big company compared to just a couple of months ago," Riesling said. "You find people all the time who are both bike enthusiasts, who we love to hire, who also have had some experience with one of the autos or assembly facility so they come in with both those pieces, that's so important."
Boler added, "We swing in there all the time, so it's great to actually see the bike from start to finish."
The companies inked a three year deal - but unfortunately New Belgium isn't paying Detroit Bike in beers!
"But they are kind enough that periodically they will stop by with some beers, so that's a nice side benefit," Riesling said.
Detroit Bike expects to complete the order by late May.
