Trek
Starting out as ‘Stella Bikes’ with a vision to set up a chain of stores in college towns, Bevil Hogg and Dick Burke soon ran into some problems. None of the good bike brands were available to purchase, so their solution was to create their own brand of bicycles.
Fast forward to the winter of 1975, Hogg and Burke met over some beers in a Wisonsin supper club The Pine Knoll and engaged in a deep debate over what to call their fledgling bicycle company. Hogg favored Kestrel, after the bird of prey. Burke preferred Trek because it called forth images of travel and adventure. He must have known there was something remarkable about the word, something that held the promise of longevity and freedom and exploration and quality.
After settling on Trek Hogg and Burke went to work in a barn between Madison and Milwaukee, where a total of five employees built the brand’s first bikes out of steel. The company is still based near the barn that facilitated its first years—its modern headquarters are in Waterloo, Wisconsin.
“We’re a uniquely American success story from small-town USA,” said brand manager Eric Bjorling. “So many of the values that have led to Trek’s success—hard work, craftsmanship, responsibility, commitment to our customers—are Wisconsin values.”