Chris Miller, longtime owner of Steamboat Springs, Colo. Moots Cycles, has sold the company to Brent Whittington, a former executive officer for a Fortune 500 telecommunication company. Whittington, who is an avid road cycler and mountain biker wants the company to make a smooth transition, so the headquarters will remain in Steamboat Springs, and the president and employees will remain in order to ensure a seamless transition.
As Chief Operating Officer at Windstream Holdings Inc., Whittington, 44, oversaw the company’s engineering, sales and service, information technology, network operations and enterprise marketing. From 2005 to 2009, Whittington served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Windstream. Whittington has been a leading provider of digital technologies solutions to the oil and gas industry and he also serves on the board of trustees of The Nature Conservancy of Arkansas.
“I’m very pleased to pass the Moots torch to an individual who possesses both a true love of cycling and a great depth of business experience,” said Miller. “Brent embodies everything we were looking for in the new Moots owner. The energy, skill set and business experiences he’ll bring to Moots will continue to keep Moots a strong industry brand and certainly signifies a bright future for the company.”
“It’s incredible for me to have this unique opportunity to own one of the most respected cycling brands in the industry,” said Whittington. “I’m excited to help the Moots team continue to develop their innovative designs as the brand prepares to celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2016. Maintaining its high quality standards, focusing on its handcrafted heritage and helping to support its talented team will be my main priorities as we embark on the next level of growth and service with our customers, dealer partners and distributor partners worldwide.”
The sale is effective immediately. Financial terms were not disclosed.
