The Chattanooga-based American Bicycle Group will show off its Litespeed (LS) titanium road, gravel and mountain bikes on the lawn of the White House next Monday as one of the U.S. manufacturers invited to participate in the 3rd annual "Made in America" Showcase.
The event is hosted by President Donald Trump to highlight a business from each state making American-made goods. The invited businesses will display their products and, as he has done in the previous showcases, Trump is expected to review the products and meet with some of the company representatives.
For a product to qualify for the showcase and be called "Made in the USA," the product must be "all or virtually all" made in the United States, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
"It's an honor to be selected to the showcase because it's only one company per state," said Peter Hurley, president and CEO of the American Bicycle Group (ABG) and one of three company officials who will be at the White House for the 4-hour showcase. "We feel that Litespeed is worthy of the invitation because it started a revolution in handmade titanium frames that vastly improved performance for serious cyclists."
It will be the second consecutive year in which a Chattanooga business will represent Tennessee in the annual showcase of American-made goods. Last year, the Chattanooga Bakery Co., showed off its Moonpies on the State Floor of the White House while other products were displayed on the south lawn.
Peter Hurley, CEO of LItespeed, stands in American Bicycle Group's showroom while speaking about the company's new Amnicola Highway location on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016.Products to be showcased this year range from sandwiches, to wool blankets, to firetrucks.
"We want to build, create, and grow more products in our country using American labor, American goods, and American grit," Trump said in an announcement of the showcase. "When we purchase products made in the USA, the profits stay here, the revenue stays here, and the jobs - maybe most importantly of all - they stay right here in the USA."
ABG launched production of its Litespeed titanium bike line in Chattanooga 33 years ago and the company moved to a larger facility in 2016 to expand its production of its Litespeed, and Quintana Roo brands, and the introduction of a third brand, Ocoee Bikes. The 48,000-square-foot facility on South Creek Road off Amnicola Highway houses operations for manufacturing, assembly, painting and corporate offices and has more than 40 employees.
The company's leadership in the use of titanium in bike design was acknowledged in 2009 when NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory asked Litespeed to collaborate on the design and manufacture of the landing leg system for the Mars land rover 'Curiosity.' Litespeed bikes also were recognized with Bicycle Guide's "Best of Cycling" Award two years ago and won the Eurobike design award (Archon Ti) and was inducted into Bicycling Magazine's "Gear Hall of Fame" for stellar design past and present.
Contact Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6340.