We recently connected with Chad Plumlee and have shared our conversation below.

Chad, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

I have always been passionate about cycling and used it for training in a previous life racing motocross! After graduating from The University of North Texas, I spent over 10 years in the medical industry until 2011 when I started the 1st Cadence Cyclery shop in downtown McKinney. It was going to be a second business but I quickly found myself spending more time at the shop and eventually turned to this as my primary job. It was a steep learning curve as I had never worked at a bike shop prior, but the work was rewarding and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. To this day, my wife Terri calls it my midlife fraternity house! I had a vision of how I wanted the culture of the shop to be and I hired extraordinary people to make that a reality. Ultimately, I wouldn’t change a thing and feel blessed to be where I am today!

Chad, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Growing up in Sherman, TX I spent most of my youth at the local bike shop in downtown, which plays a part in the vision I have for Cadence Cyclery today. Our mantra is “experience modern cycling with old-school service”, which I think the focus on high level customer service is lacking in society and missing from some bike shop experiences. We want to make sure every customer has the same next level of service whether they are coming in for a kid’s bike or their $10,000 dream bike. I think this is what separates us from other bicycle shops and has been vital to our success. We strive to have the white glove type experience, which includes a full service coffee bar at all locations. We also offer certified technicians to handle your bicycle service along with highly trained staff that are experts on not only our brands as well as competitors. We keep this consistent message and knowledge across all three DFW locations. One of the things I am most proud about is the cycling team, which we use as a resource for new cyclists to grow within the sport, as well as experienced members to challenge themselves. Information on joining the team can be found below

https://www.cadencecycleryteam.com/

You can keep up with the exciting team activities through our Facebook page below

https://www.facebook.com/CadenceCycleryTeam/?show_switched_toast=1&show_invite_to_follow=0&show_switched_tooltip=0&show_podcast_settings=0&show_community_transition=0&show_community_review_changes=0

We recently relocated our McKinney location to the historic W.O.W building in downtown. This building is perfect to showcase why Cadence Cyclery is different and we recently won The Historic Project of the Year Award from the city of McKinney! This move more than doubled our showroom and allowed us to improve the shopping experience, including a new Retul Bicycle Fit room and expanding the Wattage Coffee Shop lounge upstairs. The building even has an elevator! Please stop in the new downtown McKinney location or any of our DFW stores and experience the Cadence Cyclery difference!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The Covid pandemic was definitely a time when our business changed and we had to adapt! At the beginning of the pandemic I was worried about the sustainability of our business and the jobs of our staff, however we quickly found out that being an “essential business” allowed us to remain open and we actually thrived during this time. We had to alter our approach and actually increase our ordering while adhering to the Covid guidelines. It sounds cliché but it was unprecedented times, as we had lines outside the doors and customers were on edge which made for tense times inside the stores. Our staff did an amazing job adjusting to new guidelines and handling these challenging times.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Shortly after we opened I met Damon Williams through an employee and he started coming in on weekends to help us out after working his corporate job all week. I was immediately impressed with his passion, intelligence, and work ethic. He had incredible industry knowledge and became vital to the direction I wanted the shop to go. After a few years I persuaded him to leave the corporate world and join the team full time! As they say, the rest is history and we wouldn’t be where we are without his direction and guidance. It is tremendous to run a business you have a passion for with someone who shares the same vision!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cadencecyclery.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cadencecyclery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cadencecycleryofmckinney
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chad-plumlee-196464132/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp9hZOeVZsmEZ8dqo5IJHAg
• Other: https://www.facebook.com/CadencecycleryLakeside/?show_switched_toast=1&show_invite_to_follow=0&show_switched_tooltip=0&show_podcast_settings=0&show_community_transition=0&show_community_review_changes=0 https://www.facebook.com/cadencecyclerykeller

Image Credits
Lee McDaniel Ann Hiner