Zak Pashak, a 36-year-old in Detroit, is overseeing a bicycle manufacturing facility he opened in 2013. At that time, the bicycle manufacturing business was nearly non-existent. However, citing Detroit as being "a good spot for urban revitalization to take hold," Pashak now operates a 50,000-square-foot facility where workers test bikes that are destined for New York's Citi Bike bike-sharing program.
"It's a highly efficient machine, yet people have this complicated relationship with it," he told Bloomberg Businessweek. "A lot of people think bikes are for hippies or people who got a DUI, or for people who are poor and can't afford a car. Or they're for kids." Did you like this article? Could it have been improved? Please email feedback@benzinga.com with the story link to let us know!
Pashak's company is now on pace to churn out 10,000 bikes and employ 50 people in a city where new job creation is scarce to come by. His company is also expected to break even this year after investments from friends and family totaled around $4 million.
Pashak has a big vision for the future. He wants to expand and create a retail business after attracting several large corporate clients.
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