Kona - Sold

[Karate Chicken Industries]

Kona Bicycles sold to Ohio outdoor group

SEATTLE (BRAIN) — Kona Bicycles has been acquired by Kent Outdoors, a Ohio-based company that was known until Wednesday as Kent Water Sports. Kent Outdoors owns several outdoor sports and watersport brands, including the Arbor snowboard brand. Kent Outdoors is no relation to Kent International...

www.bicycleretailer.com

I'm left wondering if some corporate uhmerica scumbaggery is going to kill them too. The foolishness that corporations bring to almost everything they touch is astounding.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

The 3 main guys will be in their same positions... for now. I'm not going to speculate, I'm betting that their current model is pretty successful, hopefully no need to tinker for now.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

The company I worked for when I moved to Longmont, CO had recently been bought out by corporate ameriduh and the two who started it were still there (smart and really genuine people). That didn't last long and after they left it got even worse. According to co-workers who had been there before the takeover, the treatment of employees was great and had been steadily going downhill after the takeover. This is a common theme when corporate tenets poison a good thing. I'm not holding my breath.

 

[RustyGold]

It is common transition strategy to keep the head people for a period of time to smooth out the reactions from the public. It's just for optics.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

The guys have been doing it for thirty years, maybe this is a retirement strategy. I've heard the company was suffering financially, needed a cash infusion to be able to keep up.

 

[Karate Chicken Industries]

I've heard the company was suffering financially, needed a cash infusion to be able to keep up.

There are other ways to deal with that beyond selling out to corporate dingbats.

I imagine this as one example of their future. Let's say there is someone who is in a position they have been in for many years, has been dealing hard and are satisfied with their job, pleased with how they kill the game at it and have no desire for doing anything else. The coprorate tools then come in and some automaton tells this individual that they must provide job "goals" for their next year. So the employee simply says that their goal is to keep doing as they have been for years and just deal in what they do with no desire for advancement or otherwise. The corporate automaton will then advise this person that they "must" have goals and if not, "goals" will be set for them and their retention at the job they have been dealing successfully in for years is dependent on meeting those "goals". With all of the needless and ridiculous tenets that corporations are known to employ, this is most likely just the tip of the iceberg that can melt Kona down into historical oblivion.

 

[irideiam]

Another good company down the tubes. Isn't this the same Kent that owns Kent Bicycles that are sold at Walmart?

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Different Kent, this is an "outdoor" group of brands.

 

[irideiam]

I see

 

[JA331]

Lets all hope for the best.

 

[irideiam]

Update:
https://www.bicycleretailer.com/industry-news/2022/03/16/kona’s-new-owners-look-growth#.YjclHOLMKpo

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Lotsa talk about business strategy, not so much about bicycles. Hopefully they aren't looking for the kind of "growth" that went so well for Schwinn and GT nameplates