SEYMOUR, Ind. (WDRB) -- A bicycle company that landed Mark Cuban as an investor on the television show Shark Tank is moving its operations to Indiana.
The new Guardian Bike factory in Seymour is still coming up to speed, but there are already walls and walls of boxes filled with bike parts meant to revolutionize the way kids stay safe while riding.
This photo dated June 8, 2022, shows a row of boxes of parts for bicycles inside a warehouse being used by Guardian Bikes in Seymour, Ind. The company is moving its operations from Irvine, Calif., to Jackson County, Ind. (WDRB photo)
Currently 1,200 bikes are about to be assembled in Guardian's Seymour, Indiana warehouse.
"We’re going to push for about 12,000 bikes in here," said Sam Markel, Guardian's vice president of operations.
That's 10 times as many bikes that are currently at the warehouse in Jackson County where the bikes are being assembled. Guardian Bikes is temporarily using the building to assemble its bikes from parts that are shipped from China.
"Right now we're buying bikes six months in advance just because of the slowdown of the ports and everything else," Markel said.
It's the bikes' Sure Stop braking system that sets their design apart from other bicycles, and that design is what caught the attention of businessman Mark Cuban on the show Shark Tank in 2017.
This photo dated June 8, 2022, shows a closeup view of the "Sure Stop" braking system on bicycle built by the Guardian Bike company in Seymour, Ind. The company is moving its operations from Irvine, Calif., to Jackson County, Ind. (WDRB photo)
"It’s a patented system," Markel explained. "So when you use the one lever brake, it actually brakes the rear brake and also applies pressure to the front brakes, so it prevents head-over-handlebar accidents which a lot of children get hurt from that."
This photo dated June 8, 2022, shows a bicycle being assembled inside a warehouse used by Guardian Bikes in Seymour, Ind. The company is moving its operations from Irvine, Calif., to Jackson County, Ind. (WDRB photo)
The company is currently based in Austin, Texas, but has recently set up shop in Seymour thanks in part to incentives that include a $235,000 tax abatement and a $100,000 loan from the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp.
"The timing played out where they needed to be in production immediately with the logistics," said Jim Plump, the executive director for the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp.
But after only a few months, Guardian Bikes is planning to build its own $7 million facility in Seymour that will employ up to 100 workers. And the parts would be sourced from the U.S., not China.
Markel says the factory will need skilled workers.
"It’s not just a regular manufacturing job," Markel said. "We are looking at higher-skilled automation, robotic welding, robotic assembly."
Right now only children's versions of Guardian Bikes are being built, and they are available online only. Bikes for adults are in the works, and will most likely be available after the new Seymour facility is complete.
This photo dated June 8, 2022, shows a row of children's bicycles inside a warehouse being used by Guardian Bikes in Seymour, Ind. The company is moving its operations from Irvine, Calif., to Jackson County, Ind. (WDRB photo)
For now Markel is happy to be "building a safe bike for children -- it's a really neat opportunity."
Guardian hopes to have its new facility up and running in the next two years.
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