MEQUON, WI (BRAIN)—Hayes Bicycle Group (HBG) named Kurt Person general manager and vice president of its Hayes Bicycle Group division to replace Rhonda Kirkwood, who’s leaving the company on her own accord.
Kirkwood has led the bike group since 2001 as general manager and vice president. Kirkwood will remain with HBG for the short term to support the leadership transition.
Under Kirkwood’s leadership, HBG’s annual revenues increased more than 60 percent. Kirkwood managed the integration of three business operations into Hayes Bicycle Group that were acquired by HB Performance Systems between 2005 and 2007, including Sun Metal Products, Wheelsmith and Answer/Manitou.
“We are all truly going to miss Rhonda’s leadership and commitment to the company and its customers, but we also respect her personal decision to pursue other interests at this point in her life,” said Rand McNally, president and chief executive officer of HB Performance Systems. HBG is a division of HB Performance Systems, Inc.
Person (pictured at this year's Sea Otter) is now responsible for the overall operations of the division, which includes the Manitou, Sunringle, Wheelsmith, Hayes Disc Brakes and Answer brands. He will work out of the HBG corporate headquarters in Mequon, Wisconsin.
“Kurt brings more than 20 years of design/engineering and business management experience to the position from the automotive and brake industries,” McNally said. “We are pleased that he has joined HBG, and are confident that with the strong bike group team already in place, he will build upon the division’s past successes.”
Person’s most recent position was vice president of new business development at Northern Star Industries Inc, a leading truck equipment and electrical power equipment manufacturer, located in Iron Mountain, Michigan.
Prior to that he spent 16 years at Robert Bosch Corp., located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, where he held positions of increasing responsibility, from engineer to vice president in product development and project management of brake, chassis, and vehicle stability control systems and components.
For more on this story, be sure to read the May 15 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.
—Jason Norman
