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    1. #1
      Join Date
      Jan 2000
      Location
      Thousand Oaks California
      Posts
      10,028
      Country Flag: United States

      Ridetech Is Now Part of the FOX Team of Companies

      Ridetech is very proud to announce that it is now part of Fox Factory Holdings. Ridetech will serve as cornerstone for the new Fox Street and Performance division. Founded in 1996 by Bret and Sharon Voelkel as air ride Technologies, the company transitioned to the Ridetech brand name in 2010 to reflect expansion into coilover suspension systems. Innovation and technological development have always served as the driving force at Ridetech. Those areas will be expanded under Fox's ownership.

      Ridetech founder Bret Voelkel commented, “I could not be more excited for the entire Ridetech family! The compatibilities between Fox and Ridetech make this acquisition a perfect match. Fox shares our vision for innovation, technology and market leadership. I’m personally very excited about my new role as Director of Innovation for the Fox Powered Vehicles Group. We have some great new products coming for our customers!”

      Moving forward, longtime Ridetech/air ride Technologies Executive Vice President & General Manager, B.J. Elmore has been named to lead the company in this endeavor. Elmore had this to say about the transition, “I’m very excited about the opportunities, resources and brand equity afforded by our partnership with the Fox organization. We’ve worked very hard over the last several years to build a team of professionals that are hugely passionate about the automotive industry and its culture. With Fox’s added horsepower, Ridetech will set new standards for quality, performance and customer satisfaction in the automotive aftermarket. It’s truly my honor to continue to lead our team into the future.”

      Industry veteran Jim Cozzie also remains with Ridetech's leadership as Director of Business Development. “I am very excited about the teaming of these two, great industry-leading companies. Ridetech's management is passionate, forward thinking and will bring an expanded approach to the automotive aftermarket”, stated Cozzie.

      The company will continue to grow under the powerful Ridetech brand. Products will continue to be designed, tested and manufactured in Ridetech's Jasper, Indiana factory.

      Larry Callahan
      Founder/Administrator of Pro-Touring.com, G-Machines.com and HostMyJunk.com
      To advertise on Pro-Touring.com click here

    2. #2
      Join Date
      Apr 2009
      Location
      Michigan
      Posts
      322
      Country Flag: United States
      Sounds like a good arrangement for everyone. Hopefully the new synergies and economies of scale will help bring down prices for the end consumer.
      - Ryan

    3. #3
      Join Date
      Jan 2003
      Location
      Arizona
      Posts
      5,388
      Country Flag: United States
      So far.. so good. It's business as usual -- which is how Fox operates. They buy successful companies and take them to the next level. Fox has been one of ridetech's main vendors for years, so the chemistry is built-in. Anyone who runs our shocks already knows.. The strong ridetech brand is intact, as is the entire team. I'm excited to learn FOX as well as apply their resources and backing.
      Steve
      ________________
      Steve Chryssos

    4. #4
      Join Date
      Aug 2008
      Location
      jacksonville,fl
      Posts
      970
      Country Flag: United States
      All sounds like a good thing. First air ride stuff I looked into was bags, mounts, & looked like same p.o.s. Monroe shocks or something you buy from auto parts store yourself.
      Seeing the fox name branded to the shocks & shockwaves several years ago definitely made products look next level.
      Think it would be hard to find a professional dirt bike or off road truck racer that doesn't know who fox is.

    5. #5
      Join Date
      Jan 2019
      Location
      Colorado
      Posts
      53
      Country Flag: United States
      Seems like every really good small company gets gobbled up sooner or later into a faceless mega company.

    6. #6
      Join Date
      Dec 2010
      Location
      Fredericksburg, VA.
      Posts
      3,155
      Country Flag: United States
      My opinion of holding companies is not positive. I have seen far too many instances where a holding company comes in and buys up a viable target company and then runs it into bankruptcy. Remington is a good example.
      Steve Hayes
      "Dust Off"
      68 Camaro

      Given sufficient initial acceleration, even pigs can fly!

    7. #7
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      Central CA USA
      Posts
      6,108
      Country Flag: United States
      Fox started from racing and is a committed performance company with a great track record. Any company can suffer from bad leadership but Fox is doing very well.
      67 Camaro RS that will be faster than anything Mary owns.

    8. #8
      Join Date
      Jan 2019
      Location
      Colorado
      Posts
      53
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by TheJDMan View Post
      My opinion of holding companies is not positive. I have seen far too many instances where a holding company comes in and buys up a viable target company and then runs it into bankruptcy. Remington is a good example.
      Yes, investors will now drive business decisions. First thing they will do is nix any completing products between lines. Next step will be to transfer product production where ever possible to offshore. Fox already has the factories in Taiwan.

    9. #9
      Join Date
      Jun 2017
      Location
      Edgewater Co.
      Posts
      150
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by David Pozzi View Post
      Fox started from racing and is a committed performance company with a great track record. Any company can suffer from bad leadership but Fox is doing very well.
      Yes, Fox started out as Motoxfox back in the 70's and has had amazing growth with exceptional products, I ran their shocks racing MotoCross back in the day. I'm not surprised that they have risen to where they are.

      Joe

    10. #10
      Join Date
      Sep 2006
      Location
      Southern Indiana
      Posts
      4,699
      Country Flag: United States

      Uhhmmmm

      Quote Originally Posted by jlcustomz View Post
      All sounds like a good thing. First air ride stuff I looked into was bags, mounts, & looked like same p.o.s. Monroe shocks or something you buy from auto parts store yourself.
      Seeing the fox name branded to the shocks & shockwaves several years ago definitely made products look next level.
      Think it would be hard to find a professional dirt bike or off road truck racer that doesn't know who fox is.
      Actually according to Brett when I got my air ride for my 78 C10(actually made a 99% bolt on rear setup 3 yrs before Ridetech made it even better) the monroe made shocks were valved per Air Ride Technologies/Ridetech specs.
      Why spend more to make them look special and fancy, they made them functional.
      Lee Abel
      AFTERMARKET PERFORMANCE

      1977 Chevy Monza 2+2:Project "Cheap Trick"
      1978 C10 Long bed , On air and trailer puller
      2006 Buell Blast ,Just a bike to ride and for mileage
      1966 Caprice 4dr Sports Roof fact.327/now 350/SOON 454???? Project "II Old,,,ZERO BUDGET OR LESS CAPRICE!"

    11. #11
      Join Date
      Oct 2004
      Location
      Indiana
      Posts
      1,371
      After a few days of “decompression” from the intensity of a year long plus acquisition process, I think I can put together some thoughts.

      About 3 years ago Sharon and I decided we had taken ridetech about as far as we knew how, or even wanted to. We were profitable and still having fun, but after surviving 2 significant economic downturns, we knew it might be time to look for a big brother. Private Equity type goups were not considered because of the situations some of you have referred to above. We needed a group that mirrored ridetech, only with a larger resource pool. Fox wa the first and most obvious choice. They are a racing company filled with hotrodders right to the top. Incoming CEO Mike Dennison just debuted a 51 Hudson that won several awards this spring at the West Coast Goodguys shows.
      http://www.kennysrodshop.com/project...1_hudson_wasp/

      When Fox participates in a market, they dominate it, by a lot. The Bicycle, Powersports, and Offroad divisions have demonstrated this for years. They do that by developing and manufacturing innovative and durable products. The new Fox Street and Performance Division now contains Ridetech as the anchor company. Thats the kind of train I want to be on, not under.
      My new position is Director of Innovation for Fox Powered Vehicles Group. That includes not only Ridetech, but offroad and Powersports as well. That means I get to help develop all kinds of zoomy cool new products and technology...with no distractions from sales, production, marketing, HR, etc, etc, etc. I have won the lottery.
      What does this mean for Ridetech customers and dealers? Nothing except an increasing amount of cool products and exceptional technology. The show and race schedule remains the same...Smitty, Andy, and I are still running the Motorsports program with Fox/Ridetech as the major sponsor. You shocks still have a 1,000,001 mile warranty. The sun still shines!

      I rejected 2 significant buyout offers over the years, mostly because all they had to offer was money. For me, fun is more important than money. Fox has the whole package. If you think we’ve done some cool stuff the last 23 years...stand by!
      Bret Voelkel
      Director of Innovation Fox Powered Vehicles Group
      Founder/ Former Owner
      RideTech/Air Ride Technologies, Inc.

      How do you spell Impossible?

    12. #12
      Join Date
      Aug 2005
      Location
      Hamilton, NJ
      Posts
      4,291
      Country Flag: United States
      Good luck Bret and the ride tech team!
      Scott from NJ.

      Vent Windows Forever! ...

      Feather-light suspension, Konis just couldn't hold
      I'm so glad I took a look inside your showroom doors

    13. #13
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Bret,

      Best of luck to you and your family. I hope to catch up at some event this year (probably LS Fest) and enjoy some adult beverages!

      Andrew
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    14. #14
      Join Date
      Jan 2016
      Posts
      121
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by bret View Post
      After a few days of “decompression” from the intensity of a year long plus acquisition process, I think I can put together some thoughts.

      About 3 years ago Sharon and I decided we had taken ridetech about as far as we knew how, or even wanted to. We were profitable and still having fun, but after surviving 2 significant economic downturns, we knew it might be time to look for a big brother. Private Equity type goups were not considered because of the situations some of you have referred to above. We needed a group that mirrored ridetech, only with a larger resource pool. Fox wa the first and most obvious choice. They are a racing company filled with hotrodders right to the top. Incoming CEO Mike Dennison just debuted a 51 Hudson that won several awards this spring at the West Coast Goodguys shows.
      http://www.kennysrodshop.com/project...1_hudson_wasp/

      When Fox participates in a market, they dominate it, by a lot. The Bicycle, Powersports, and Offroad divisions have demonstrated this for years. They do that by developing and manufacturing innovative and durable products. The new Fox Street and Performance Division now contains Ridetech as the anchor company. Thats the kind of train I want to be on, not under.
      My new position is Director of Innovation for Fox Powered Vehicles Group. That includes not only Ridetech, but offroad and Powersports as well. That means I get to help develop all kinds of zoomy cool new products and technology...with no distractions from sales, production, marketing, HR, etc, etc, etc. I have won the lottery.
      What does this mean for Ridetech customers and dealers? Nothing except an increasing amount of cool products and exceptional technology. The show and race schedule remains the same...Smitty, Andy, and I are still running the Motorsports program with Fox/Ridetech as the major sponsor. You shocks still have a 1,000,001 mile warranty. The sun still shines!

      I rejected 2 significant buyout offers over the years, mostly because all they had to offer was money. For me, fun is more important than money. Fox has the whole package. If you think we’ve done some cool stuff the last 23 years...stand by!
      Looking forward to more great products for more makes and models! (Fox/Ridetech HQ shocks in a coilover kit for my 2011 MINI Cooper S would be amazing!) Love the products for the Chevelle but would be great to run them on the late model daily driver/track day car as well! Thanks for all you do for this gearhead community to keep it growing, Bret!
      Chris Johnson

      '66 Chevelle Malibu

    15. #15
      Join Date
      Dec 2010
      Location
      Fredericksburg, VA.
      Posts
      3,155
      Country Flag: United States
      I completely understand Bret and Sharon's motivation for selling ridetech. At some point we all get burned out and just need to make a lifestyle change. Now the future of ridetech is in someone else's hands and we can only hope they have the same focus going forward. Personally, I have never owned or used any FOX product so I have no direct experience with them. But after seeing this announcement and being somewhat familiar with Ridetech's product line and quality, I was curious about the stock so I did some research on FOX Factory Holding Corp. and I have since added it to my stock watch list. I anticipate the RideTech acquisition will boost the FOX stock price so I'm probably in the market now to buy FOX stock. In case anyone is interested, the stock ticker is FOXF.
      Steve Hayes
      "Dust Off"
      68 Camaro

      Given sufficient initial acceleration, even pigs can fly!

    16. #16
      Join Date
      Jul 2011
      Location
      Nashville/ Tampa
      Posts
      724
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by stab6902 View Post
      Hopefully the new synergies and economies of scale will help bring down prices for the end consumer.
      I predict zero chance this will happen, even after Fox sends production over to Taichung.
      Selling out/up/whatever is totally understandable though, you can't just keep doing the same thing over and over. Onward and upward (and if things take a turn there are plenty of other brands). Life goes on.
      https://www.instagram.com/gen_v_lt1_chevelle/


      Do not buy anything from Frankie's Used Auto Parts. Ever.
      Chevelle ̶a̶l̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶e̶d̶ L92/200-4r now Gen V LT1 and T56- https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...nvertible.html

    17. #17
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Why is everyone convinced that Fox will all of a sudden go overseas?!
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

    18. #18
      Join Date
      Jun 2010
      Location
      Deployed
      Posts
      3,280
      Country Flag: United States
      Prices go down with pure competition. With mergers, oligopolies, monopolies...prices tend to go up. It doesn’t matter if the product can be produced cheaper, that just means more profit for the manufacturer. Fox really eliminated a competitor...that’s it. They now produce the product how they see fit. There’s no competing company selling the same product...I wouldn’t count on the transition being seemless consumer. Warranties...customer service will change.


      Quote Originally Posted by chuckd71 View Post
      I predict zero chance this will happen, even after Fox sends production over to Taichung.
      Selling out/up/whatever is totally understandable though, you can't just keep doing the same thing over and over. Onward and upward (and if things take a turn there are plenty of other brands). Life goes on.
      1970 Camaro/DSE build


      Are you driver enough? Maybe....come on blue!
      https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...71#post1147371

    19. #19
      Join Date
      Jul 2011
      Location
      Nashville/ Tampa
      Posts
      724
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by andrewb70 View Post
      Why is everyone convinced that Fox will all of a sudden go overseas?!
      What do you mean all of a sudden? They've been in Taiwan for years.

      https://www.instagram.com/gen_v_lt1_chevelle/


      Do not buy anything from Frankie's Used Auto Parts. Ever.
      Chevelle ̶a̶l̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶f̶i̶n̶i̶s̶h̶e̶d̶ L92/200-4r now Gen V LT1 and T56- https://ls1tech.com/forums/conversio...nvertible.html


    20. #20
      Join Date
      Apr 2001
      Location
      The City of Fountains
      Posts
      15,971
      Country Flag: United States
      Quote Originally Posted by chuckd71 View Post
      What do you mean all of a sudden? They've been in Taiwan for years.
      Why is that necessarily a bad thing? We live in a global economy and we use foreign made parts daily.
      1970 GTO Version 3.0
      1967 Cougar build
      GM High-Tech Performance feature
      My YouTube Channel Please Subscribe!
      Instagram @projectgattago
      Dr. EFI
      I deliver what EFI promises.
      Remote Holley EFI tuning.
      Please get in touch if I can be of service.

      "You were the gun, your voice was the trigger, your bravery was the barrel, your eyes were the bullets." ~ Her

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