Bob Margevicius – Senior VP of Specialized

A strange journey through difficulties

Business partners with a special bond

Bob owns several championship signets from mountain bike races, which got him the nickname “Big Ring Bob”. He is a professional biker with true enthusiasm for cycling, who is also the best witness to the Taiwan bicycle industry and the growth of Velo for over forty years. An American phrase says that the characteristics and qualities of a person can be viewed from the friend this person keeps. Bob values consistent integrity, kindness, and honest partnership.

Bob remembered when he first met Velo’s founder Stella, Ms. Yu Tsai-Yun. He was in his twenties and green to the industry. Since Stella had been the only woman in the bicycle industry where men dominated, naturally she left a deep impression. Forty years ago, the Taiwanese bicycle industry had just started so when suppliers attended exhibitions in the States, including Stella, they were all strangers to the place and did not know how to go from the airport to the hotel where they were staying. Bob volunteered to let everyone cramp into his van and thus embarked a strange journey. “Over 10 people including Stella were all in my car, some even sat on the floor of the van. There was a fan in the car ceiling. As we were on Highway 101, the ceiling where the fan was somehow flew away, leaving a big hole in the car. Everyone was stunned. I calmly parked the car, gesturing for everyone to stay put, then ran and got back the ceiling of the fan. Had the highway patrol found over 10 Taiwanese in a van with a broken ceiling, I would have been suspected as a human trafficker and thrown into jail.” Bob laughed as he remembered. Little did he know that such an embarrassment would lay the foundation of cooperation for him and Velo for the next forty years.

No mission too impossible

Bob marveled at Velo’s strong execution

Bob shares a deep friendship with Stella both business and personal. However, in sharing the drive for mutual encouragement into a grinding force in business has tested the wisdom and ability of both in problem solving for many years. “The courage and passion of Stella has been pushing Velo towards excellence. Their team continues to evolve from appearance to function enhancement and design of the saddle. The most important value of Velo under her guidance besides innovative technology and craftsmanship is the great ability in completing the mission. There is no mission too impossible in Stella’s faith. Once I told Stella that I had a crazy idea of designing a saddle in Titanium blue with a unique drawing. I told Stella this idea at 5pm. Amazingly, she showed me the design sample the next morning.” Bob stressed that he had never encountered such execution and determination on other teams.

Stella and the Velo team have a strong passion and longing to complete missions. These are the qualities that have never changed since Velo was founded forty years ago. Bob bluntly says that the competition in the bicycle industry is fierce and he has the obligation to provide users with the best products, therefore, he often demands different materials and designs. His demands present as challenges to Stella and Velo; sometimes they even have to make difficult decisions. But Stella and Velo keep their promises and complete the missions over and over again. These challenges also push the development of bicycle saddles to the peak.

King of ideas, Bob glimpses the coming of a new industrial revolution

Technology, innovation and speed decide all

Looking at the new trends, Bob considers that a new wave of industrial revolution is underway. Many new technologies and new materials such as 3D printing and the use of digitalized production shall expedite the speed of localized production, and speed will be the key element of the bicycle market in the next decade. The rising of new production bases such as China, Russia and Asian countries, the ever-present-internet and the use of new media, getting closer to consumers’ market shall be the trend. And the younger generation will bring freshness and new challenges into the bicycle industry. “I would like to see the new generation join this industry. We laid a good foundation, but the new generation is not afraid to make changes and bring new faces to the industry. I am certain that the Velo team and I will be partners forever because we share a young and curious heart that welcomes all the changes and challenges from the new generation.” Bob never hesitates and has strong confidence in going into the future with Velo.

Interviewed at Tempus Hotel Taichung, Oct. 2017.