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 Family Champion 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!
Emily’s love for the outdoors brought her from Texas to the beautiful state of Arkansas. Emily is always steering the retail world in the right direction and is dedicated to staying on track! If she’s not helping out riders in the store, you can catch Emily riding with her own kiddo Peyson!
Sean’s STOKE plays into both his biking and computer world! His love for biking grew as he rode through Bella Vista as a young teen while watching Bentonville grow into the mountain biking capital of the World! We call Sean the Gear Shifter, because you can often find him helping in each part of the Buddy Pegs world. When you come into the store, Sean is dedicated to helping your kiddo grow as a biker!
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. Kyle is the lube because without him, your bike won’t run smooth! You’ll ride away with a freshly tuned bike and a whole lot of knowledge.
Mickey is pretty new to the world of biking, but she absolutely loves the rush of adrenaline and endorphins after a good ride! Originally from Atlanta, GA, Mickey moved to NWA shortly after completing her education there. After graduating with both her B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from Oglethorpe University and Emory University, respectively, Mickey knew she wanted to use her knowledge and understanding of culture and inequality to be connected with the community to create real positive change. We call Mickey The Hub because she keeps the wheels of Buddy Pegs’ programming moving smoothly, and is always working hard with coaches, community partners, and kids & parents to provide our community an opportunity to find a love for biking.
Originally from Sedalia, MO, and previously living in the DFW area, Andy has lived in Kansas City for almost three years now. Andy has been right at the intersection of biking, athletics, and education for most of his life! After finishing his undergrad and graduate work at Missouri Western State College & Middle Tennessee State University, respectively, Andy spent time as a Strength and Conditioning coach at both the college and professional sports level. Andy loves biking because it has helped him in so many ways; physically and emotionally. “Every time I throw a leg over my bike, I feel like a kid again!”-Andy. We call Andy The Hub because similar to Mickey in NWA, Andy keeps Buddy Pegs rolling smoothly in our newest region, Kansas City!
Ben was born and raised in Northwest New Jersey, but has lived in Northwest Arkansas now since he was in High School. He has a strong passion for being on two wheels- both bikes and motorcycles- and has been riding since he was four years old. After nearly a decade of food service and working his way through his B.A. in Communication and Sociology as a first-generation student, he attended graduate school in Communication at the University of Arkansas. Having experience in communications, Ben is well-equipped to tell the incredible stories of accomplishment and STOKE we see every day at here Buddy Pegs! We call Ben the Geometry because he’s largely responsible for crafting the look, feel and design of much of our communication.
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.
