Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Bicycle Shop in Barre is one of Orbea’s most successful partners in the United States and selected to attend this year’s Key Partner Presentations in Bilboa, Spain in June. Orbea is the world’s largest employee-owned cooperative and second oldest bicycle company in existence. Vermont Bicycle Shop has been a partner with Orbea since 2016, and in just three years has become one of the most successful dealers of Orbea bicycles in the Northeast.
“We strive to be a community-focused bicycle shop,” said Darren Ohl, owner of Vermont Bicycle Shop. “We prioritize friendly service and work to be an inclusive shop where everyone is welcome. Our ability to combine big-world experience with small-town service is one of the key reasons Vermont Bicycle Shop was selected to attend Orbea’s Key Partner Presentations in Spain this year.”
“It’s an honor to be asked to present at the Key Partners gathering, and I’m excited to see what Orbea has in the works for 2020,” noted Ohl. “They’ve been an employee owned business for more than 50 years and their bicycles are made by hand in Spain. The other U.S. partners asked to attend are much larger shops. It just goes to show that small-town local bicycle shops can have big-world impact.”
When Darren opened Vermont Bicycle Shop in downtown Barre in 2016, he brought with him working experience from both the largest single location bicycle store in the country and the largest independent bicycle dealer in the country. Ohl is an internationally recognized and UCI certified bicycle race mechanic and when the shop opened he was the only Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association recognized bicycle mechanic in Vermont. Since their opening, Vermont Bicycle Shop has donated more than $10,000 to community organizations, hosted community cycling events, and provided discounts to people engaged in community volunteer work.
For more information about Vermont Bicycle Shop, visit: www.vermontbicycleshop.com or email Darren Ohl at [email protected]