Scott has been led by his passion for all things bikes since he was 4 years old when the training wheels first came off. After graduating from University of Vermont with a business degree, the mountains called and he put down roots in Jackson Hole, WY where he opened a one-man repair shop that turned into a Top 50 US bike shop. A stint as Mayor of Victor, ID, Executive Director of a local entrepreneur supporting non-profit, and a member of the faculty at Thaden School in Bentonville, AR are among the experiences that enrich his entrepreneur DNA and passion for change making. Just like a well adjusted headset, Scott keeps the Buddy Pegs team steering in the right direction.
Originally a chef from Dundee, Scotland, Simon relocated to the States in 2011 to start a new
adventure with his American wife. Working his way through the South before relocating to
Bentonville in 2019, he opened BlakeSt as the Executive Chef. Simon has worked in kitchens for
the past 20 years, gaining invaluable experience and knowledge.
With his other two passions in life being family (two young kids keeping him on his toes) and
the great outdoors, Simon decided it was time to hang up his apron and follow another career
path. NWA re-ignited his passion for mountain biking which began in youth in the rugged
Scottish terrain. He has joined the Buddy Pegs team as the Chief of Staff and is bringing his
management, leadership and systems experience to keep the team rolling.
Jannine has been in the bike industry since the turn of the century but don’t let that fool you. Her stoke on and off the bike is higher than ever! Although her experience in bicycle shop inventory management is legendary, day to day Jannine helps coordinate and synchronize all the Buddy Pegs moving pieces across both the programming and product aspects of the business. We call her the Crank because her energy really helps power the team!
Neal loves to go out and log big miles but his favorite rides are when he’s out trying to keep up with his 2 young boys. When you come to one of our programs, you are are sure to be welcomed by Neal’s infectious smile and enduring STOKE for all things bikes!
Sonny has a deep passion for riding bikes and connecting families to the sport he loves so dearly. Coming to us from the beautiful city of New Orleans, Sonny has a long history of retail management including running his own kayak store and rental operation. Whether on the water or on the trails, Sonny knows first hand the importance of getting out for adventures in the natural world.
Kyle is a seasoned bicycle mechanic and rider who cares deeply about passing along his knowledge to help raise up others and support their cycling journey. If your bike needs repaired, come see Kyle. You’ll ride away with a freshly tuned bike and a whole lot of knowledge.
Cody was born in an old house on top of a mountain in Mountain View, Arkansas. He grew up playing by the Buffalo National River and riding his bike on the backroads of what would become part of the Arkansas High Country Route. He didn’t get his license to drive until college and even then he preferred to use his old Rockhopper to get around. Cody received his Masters degree in the Art of Teaching and taught elementary PE for 6 years in South Arkansas. Once he realized that many of his students weren’t going outside anymore or riding bikes at all, he knew he needed to move his wife Sidney and 4 kids to NWA to join the Buddy Pegs team and SAVE THE WORLD! Cody enjoys being silly and loud like a bicycle bell and spending time with his family outside.
Bob Berky is a passionate cyclist and our head writer and voice actor fo The World of Buddy Pegs podcast. Bob is also an Obie Award-winning performer, teacher, and master of clown arts. Performing in major theatres and theatre festivals throughout the world, he received a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival for his one-man show Foolsfire; he was also recipient of the Kennedy Center’s New American Plays Award for his two-man play, Cooking the World and the Sarrett National Playwriting Prize for The Redness Of The Woodpecker.
Michael Clarida is a 17+ year veteran professional illustrator and concept artist who has done illustrations and concept work for Disney, Universal Studios, Coke, Hard rock International, Pixar, Lucasfilm, Warner Brothers, DNC, NASA, Discovery channel, and the U.S. Army just to name a few. Oh, and Buddy Pegs! His specialty is in consumer products but he has a vast love for character art and concept work with a focus on story telling. Especially bicycle story telling!
Kathleen Hanson grew up riding horses and bikes with her family in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley. After documenting her childhood in drawings, Kathleen knew she was destined for a life surrounded by art. She briefly diverted into a forestry career but was soon drawn to life in the Tetons where she was lucky enough to be able to integrate her love of the outdoors and outdoor activities with her art. Kathleen loves to illustrate, be it architectural renderings, graphic design, marketing, landscapes, or children’s books – although the latter is her favorite, not least because it offers an outlet for all the fun and silly images in her head! Together with her sister Meghan, Kathleen provides high quality illustrations, renderings, and graphic design to a wide variety of clients. When not drawing for fun or for work, you can find Kathleen outside hiking, running, skiing and riding her bike with her husband Steve!See more of her work at hansonillustration.com
Tobie DePauw lives in Madison, WI with his wife Anna and three kiddos, Lily, Mason and Sage. He’s juggles a full-time job as Chief of Story at blackriver.cc and a part-time job running his own bookbinding business. Yes, bookbinding! Tobie was at the helm of North Central Cyclery in Illinois for over a decade where he spent his time building community, hosting events and working to get more people on bikes everyday.
