BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — After nearly 15 years in Little Rock, Arkansas, Orbea is moving its U.S. offices and operations to Boulder this month.
"We believe that Boulder's incredible cycling culture and progressive landscape align perfectly with our goals as a brand and a company," said USA General Manager Nick Howe. "Moving here puts us in the position to take our customer and dealer experience in the USA to the next level."
The company said Boulder offers a pool of talent and a community that echoes Orbea's 181-year home in Northern Spain.
"Just like the Basque Country, Boulder is a hotbed of innovation, education, and culture," said Orbea's Global Sales Director, Gonzalo García de Salazar from his office in Mallabia, Spain. "With its mountain-focused culture, and incredible love for cycling, we knew this would be the perfect place for our march into the future in the U.S. market."
Orbea said Boulder's central location will help provide better dealer support and customer care.
"Little Rock has been a wonderful home, and deciding to move certainly wasn't easy," continued Howe, "but we saw the opportunity to be in a center for cycling, technology, and culture in the U.S as something that we couldn't pass up. We see this as a launching pad for the future, and the perfect place for us to show off Orbea's innovative, passion-driven, and beautiful cycling soul for tomorrow and beyond."
Orbea's move will begin the second week of May with the transition completed by the first of June.
Parker Degray, Orbea's USA marketing manager, said the company was not disclosing how many employees would relocate to Boulder, but that Arkansas employees were offered positions there. He said the company would not have a warehouse in Colorado as it ships to U.S. dealers from Europe.
Asked if the move was inspired by the political climate in Arkansas, where the governor has recently signed several anti-transgender laws, Degray told BRAIN, "I mean we've been there a long time. I'm not going to say it did or it didn't but Colorado aligns with what we want a lot more for the brand in the future."
Orbea's Boulder offices will be at 4820 63rd Street, in Boulder's Gunbarrel area.
