BMX is an interesting sport because it’s constantly evolving and changing. Trends, styles and riders drive the party bus and brands are constantly trying to keep up with the demands and innovations needed to keep things going in the right direction and for the fun to never stop. Over the years, brands have come and gone, have risen to the top and fallen to the bottom of the barrel and single products or team additions have brought brands back to life… Hell, there are even brands that have killed their selves off just the start over and come back stronger than before.
Recently I was talking with Mark Owen about some of the changes going on with some of the brands that Sidewall carry. Mark mentioned some big changes going on with Coalition that really caught my attention. One of the big things he mentioned was that Coalition’s creator, Greg Walsh, would be coming back on board to handle all aspects of the brand once again. Mark then mentioned that they would be dropping an all new website and a bunch of new products soon.
We decided it would be a good to drop a Q&A about all the changes going on with the brand with Greg and Mark to go with the launch of their new website, new products and new direction. So, let’s see what they have cooking…
Greg Walsh
Photo: Aaron Burto
All right, so let’s kick this off from the start since I’m sure a few of the younger kids might be new to this. When did you officially start Coalition? Did you have anybody else involved with owning the brand? Care to tell us a little bit about your background?
Greg: Coalition started in early 2004 just a few months after my split with Primo and Tip Plus. As far as ownership, we borrowed some money to get rolling and everyone we borrowed from was a big part of the brand, but we owned it ourselves.
It seemed like a slippery slope to do it any other way.
I’ve ridden BMX for a long time- 25 years- and began working in BMX simply by helping run a shop here in Rochester, NY. We established a good selection of bike parts in a really good skate/ snow shop, and it helped the culture and awareness around here develop at a time when it was really small. When Zack Phillips decided to make Kink a real brand (1997) I started working there- sales, team and product development- there was lots of work to do but it was exciting watching the brand grow based directly on work I did. I went on Road Fools 2 in 1998, met Brian Castillo, and when a job opening came up at Primo/ Tip Plus, he called me. I went to Long Beach for 3 days and moved there 3 weeks later in January of 1999.
The situation at Primo and Tip Plus could really be an entire interview in itself.
When Brian and La left to start Volume/ Demolition, I was misguidedly upset with them, but it was only because I hadn’t yet seen clear the ways of the “corporate” world. Short story: we made a LOT of great people a LOT of money during my time with Primo and Tip, helped develop and expand some of the best brands in BMX, and following the path that Ian Morris and Stu Dawkins had laid with Seventies in the UK, based a distribution company around a community of rider-owned brands and an image of its own. “Tip Plus” became a “brand”, and did really well. Primo followed suit, and for a few years, it was really, really strong. I learned though that when a foundation is questionable and sketchy, it doesn’t matter what’s built on top. Lesson learned!
We also ran some events, (La Revolution) I have a clothing line called “Hell on Earth” that we keep fucking up but somehow people still support it, we owned and ran a retail store for a while that sold records, clothes, BMX, books, etc., we published a BMX trade magazine for a minute when ‘BMX Business News’ went out, we ran a commercial screen printing business that worked almost exclusively with BMX, skate, and fitness… Want me to keep going?
Where are you guys currently based out of? Have you guys done any moving lately?
Greg: We are based out of OKC, Oklahoma (Sidewall Distribution) and Rochester, NY.
I moved back to Rochester in mid 2008 from Long Beach. Don’t ask why, because I still can’t tell you.
So over the last few years, Matt Colisch has been the face of Coalition. You recently decided to step back into the light a bit more and have a little more presence with the brand again. Why did you hang out behind the scenes for so long?
Greg: Matt jumped in at a critical time, and did a really great job at hustling all aspects of the brand. Working satellite with someone is tough- Mark is in OKC, Matt is in Cali, I’m in NY… and he was still able to help us get the brand back on track.
I backed away a bit because I had become really disenchanted with the “business” aspect of BMX, and it was ruining the aspects of BMX that were most important to me. My relationships within the industry were strained, we had a few distributor shake-ups that all but ruined our financial stability, and I felt like I had unintentionally joined the “rat race.” There were a million brands (…though even less than there are now!), and it seemed to me that it was becoming a really fickle, flavor of the month type industry just as skateboarding had become years earlier.
I love BMX, and I am proud of many of the things we’ve done with Coalition, but at the time I teamed up with Mark, I really sucked at running the brand. Backing away from it allowed it some new life, allowed me to watch and enjoy as a spectator for a bit, and it was a good decision.
Sneak peek at Coalition’s new High Riser stem. Note: All sneak peeks are computer renders.
Who is helping you keep things going with the brand these days?
Mark: Moving forward we have several different game plans in place to keep everyone involved with all aspects of Coalition. Utilizing the strengths from riders, in-house employees, Greg and other great people we know will allow Coalition to grow in ways the old system did not allow. We have Jake Hamlin helping out with new product, Jeff Wescott, Tammy McCarley and other team riders will be pushing the social media marketing and video editing. We have several notable freelance graphic designers along with Sidewalls inside graphic designer pushing the visual side of things. For team manager we are changing things up a bit. With every team rider having direct access to Greg and I, we feel that the Coalition team riders are responsible enough to hit us up with whatever they need. Allowing the team riders contact Greg or I direct will help better keep our fingers on the pulse.
What is a typical day like running the brand? You are also a teacher, right, Greg? Care to talk a little bit about that as well?
Greg: As far as day-to-day operations the guys at Sidewall handle it expertly. They are great at logistics- and that is something I am terrible at. I was good at running a big brand with other people’s money, and am good at running small brands with my own- as Coalition started growing it got much harder for me to run it properly.
I help with design and marketing, and will be more involved again moving forward.
I run a gym called “Wolf Brigade” here in Rochester. It is an old-school style strength, conditioning and martial arts club, and it is great.
The last few months things with Coalition have gone pretty silent. From my understanding that was a bit of the plan since you guys have been doing some revamping. Can you tell us about what some of these changes you guys have been making are?
Greg: We have been talking for a while about how cluttered the industry is and how much work needs to go into simply “keeping up”. Since I’m not relying on the brand for income and we can better benefit the team, Sidewall, and the buying public by simplifying and doing what we’re good at- bold, iconic graphics, simple, progressive product, and conveying a real identity- that is what we’re going to do.
We’re going to trim the product line considerably, simplify sales structures, change our requirements of the team, and ultimately pull in the reigns in enough ways to make the brand fun to work on again. Mark has so many solid brands at Sidewall, and I want Coalition to be one of them. We lost part of our identity and direction when our focus became a little too much about growth and money. Those things are great, but if the brand is just another pebble on a beach, who fucking cares?
Jeff Wescott
What are some of the new goals and plans you have set for the brand? When can we expect to start seeing some of these changes popping up?
Mark: The main goal is to create an environment that lets the brand, team riders, products and supporting riders grow in a way that benefits everyone involved. From there our goals are supporting the team riders as much as we can and completing a product line that is Coalition. We also are working on expanding the soft good line which Coalition was known for. We are also offering a direct link for those customers that support Coalition with an online store that will feature the complete line of hard and soft goods. Coalition product will still be available for purchase from local and online retailers as well. We also have plans to offer special edition clothing that will only be available via the Coalition online store.
Some plans we already have in motion, but the complete game plan will take some time; be reassured we are done playing catch-up with the “rat race” and refocused on getting Coalition back to kicking ass!
What is the plan for the product line? Do you guys have some fresh goods in the works? Could you give us a run through of the product line for 2012? Any hints at what’s coming for 2013?
Mark: Thanks to Jake we have several new products. We also will improve some of the current product. Short list of product we are working on is: new team grip, top load stem, Pivotal Seat, hub guards for the current hubs, and sprocket with several other products still to be confirmed. Along with the hard goods we are also putting together a summer and winter line of soft goods.
We are hoping to have the product sooner than later, but with making sure we have a solid foundation things are going to move a little slower than we all like. We’re shooting for a Fall release for hard goods with soft goods starting next month.
Sneak peek of Coalition’s new Team sprocket that will be available soon.
Have you guys made any changes to the team at all? Who all is representing the brand in 2012?
Mark: There have been a few changes..
Pro Team will be: Tammy McCarly, Jeff Wescott, David Grant and Mikey Babbel
Flow Team being: Jake Hamlin, Greg D’Amico, Garrett Nillson, Paul Cvilevich and Matt Colisch
Vets: Long time supporter Joe Riley (still waiting to hear back)
David Grant
Are you looking to make any new additions? What kind of advice do you have for the riders out there looking to ride for Coalition?
Mark: Right now we are focused on supporting the current team as much as we can. Once we get the new foundation set, we will rely heavily on the team to help drive who will be on the team. We have another project in the works, but too early to give details.
As for advice to riders that are looking to join the Coalition army. We will be looking for those riders that are true supporters. We do not want any fly by night riders. We don’t have time for that crap. If you are solid, truly into the brand and believe what Coalition stands for then please send us your info.
Greg: A mistake we made that we don’t want to make again is overextending ourselves to a large team simply because we are stoked on someone as a rider. If we did that, our team would number in the hundreds! We’re going to keep it tight, redevelop the brand, and THEN add…
Do you have any plans for the team this summer? Trips? Filming? Demos? Anything like that?
Mark: Tammy is getting ready to spend two weeks with Jeff Wescott and David Grant. We are working with Mikey on a trip to OKC, TX next month. The guys have some great plans and we are giving them creative leeway to do what they do best: ride, film and edit. We’ve got a few other things in the works but still working on final details.
Tammy McCarley
Let’s say a rider is looking to pick up a Coalition stem. How should they go about picking one up? Are you guys available to most shops?
Mark: Very good question. As mentioned above, Coalition will have an online store that riders can buy from if they wish to support Coalition directly. There are a handful of online retailers that care all or part of the Coalition product also, Dan’s Comp, Empire BMX, Albes BMX, Sidewall Action Sports just to name a few. If a rider wants to find out if there is a local shop they can visit SidewallDistro.com dealer locator to search for a local shop in their area.
What kind of a warranty do you guys offer these days? Who should somebody contact if they are having problems with one of your products?
Mark Owen: Coalition offers a 90 warranty. If a customer has an issue, they can contact us direct via our website or contact Sidewall Distribution. Find out more details at Coalition website.
How should a shop or distributor get ahold of you guys to get your products in their stores and warehouses?
Greg: Please call Sidewall Distribution! Visit sidewalldistro.com, or call at 1-866-528-4130.
The new Team grip due out soon.
Let’s say somebody has a general question about the brand. Who should they contact?
Mark: If someone has any questions they can contact us via Coalition website.
Is there anything I missed you want to add?
Greg: Mainly just a thanks to everyone that has supported Coalition, and especially those that have continued to support it during the ups and downs of the past few years. We still hear from people all the time asking for product, shirts, logos to use on their desktop or Facebook… and we appreciate all of it.
The few that support you when you’re down are far more valuable than the many that support you when you’re up…
