Ard Kessels

Founder @Kogel Bearings

El Paso, TX, US

Within our brand Kogel Bearings we develop and produce high quality ball bearings and components for bicycles.I oversee product development, production, sales, logistics and marketing through our small team of experts.After a successful start-up in 2014, Kogel has come a long way. From one man with a vision in a 5x10 foot storage unit to a team of up to fifteen members, shipping products to 66 countries last year and supporting the best athletes in the world. We have the rainbow jerseys, Tour de France stage wins, world hour record and Olympic medals to show for it. When the gap at the finish line requires a photo finish, we like to believe that the bearings made the difference.My job is to protect Kogel\'s mission to inspire cyclists to reach their full potential with superior components. We achieve this through our core values:* Integrity* Transparency* Expertise* Precision* Aspiration.My leadership style focuses on trust in our amazing team members, following two guidelines:* you never have to ask for permission to be amazing.* If you have to ask if this is good enough, it probably is not.