* What: Lynskey custom bicycles
* Company: Lynskey Performance Design, now on Jim Snow Way off Lee Highway
* Website: lynskeyperformance.com
* Telephone: 499-5815
* Owner: Four members of the Lynskey family -- Ruby Lynskey and her sons David, Mark and Tim -- founded the business in 2006.
* What's special: The company builds custom titanium bicycles for customers interested in performance, durability and a unique ride.
* The origin story: The family got its start in industrial fabrication with a machine shop in 1962 in East Ridge. In 1996, the company stepped away from industrial work and focused fully on bikes, according to co-owner Mark Lynskey. In 1999, the family sold the business for a profit but decided to re-enter the market in 2005 and opened the doors as Lynskey Performance Designs a year later.
* How long does it take to make: A typical custom bike can take eight to 10 hours to fabricate, while an exotic custom bike can take 40 to 60 hours to complete.
* Where it's sold: Up to 90 percent of the company's output gets shipped around the world to a network of distributors.
* How long have they been making them: The company has been making custom bikes for about four years and introduced standard models with popular versions two years ago.
* Future expansions: The company will move to a larger location within weeks, where it will be able to take on additional employees to keep up with heavy international demand.
* Lessons of the trade: "The real business is sales and marketing, with a heavy reliance on technology," said sales manager Don Erwin, who has pioneered the use of advanced software to track every interaction with each customer.