Inside Trek HQ
Cutting-edge design, manufacturing and programs
Trek founders Richard Burke and Bevil Hogg started their bike manufacturing company from a small red barn near the centre of town in Waterloo, Wis. In 1976, they had five employees. Now, the company is one of the biggest bicycle brands in the world. Their current facility is up the road from the original location in a 185,000-square-foot-facility with more than 800 employees. Run by Burke’s son John, Trek has invested heavily in creating a facility that not only manufactures and designs some of the top products in the industry, but offers employees a progressive work environment that supports health and wellness.
Canadian sales manager Mike Heitpas, who has been with Trek for more than 20 years, says throughout the past eight years the company has invested heavily in both product development and infrastructure. Touring the facility, you notice two things: the company’s commitment to product innovation and testing (the company has the only UCI-certified wheel-test centre in North America) and its commitment to providing staff with a comfortable working environment that supports healthy lifestyles. As an example of that commitment, Trek runs programs for employees that subsidize nutritious lunches and provide incentives to staff for riding to work. The facility has a full gym with spin bikes and offers staff health classes.
Trek manufactures all their Madone 6 and 7 Series on-site, along with Domane 6 Series and Speed Concept 9 Series, as well as the Project One custom paint program.