Phil Castle, The Business Times

Bryan Wachs went looking for a good bicycle rack. He founded what he expects will be a good bicycle rack business.

Wachs joined J.T. Westcott in starting QuikRStuff. The Grand Junction company manufactures bicycle racks based on the designs of Cal Phillips, an inventor and entrepreneur who created the popular Quik Rack carrier.

QuikRStuff sold the first 100 of its Quik Rack Mach2 in a matter of days. Wachs hopes production will soon begin to fill $290,000 worth of orders from customers who paid full price in advance for the racks. Ultimately, Wachs envisions annual production reaching 10,000 to 20,000 units.

Wachs has involved the Maverick Innovation Center at Colorado Mesa University and Business Incubator Center in Grand Junction in the venture and believes QuikRStuff could serve as a model for collaborative efforts that create startups and provide real world experiences for CMU students.

Wachs says QuikRStuff began when he was shopping for a bike rack. He was told to check out the 1Up Quick Rack developed by Phillips. Wachs says an internet search led him to Phillips and what was posted as an invitation to call him about licensing his designs and patents.

Phillips subsequently came to Grand Junction to consider potential partners and facilities to manufacture bike racks, but opted instead for a licensing deal, Wachs says.

Wachs brings to the venture his experience as chief executive officer of MySalesButler.com, an internet marketing company based in Grand Junction.

Wachs says he joined in the effort with  Westcott, who owns Intrawest Machine & Fabricating. Westcott brings to the venture not only a manufacturing facility, but also more than 30 years of metalworking experience in the aerospace, energy and outdoor recreation sectors. That includes a stint as a senior manufacturing engineer for Hamilton Sundstrand in Singapore.

Manufacturing bicycle racks will enable Intrawest to diversify its operation as well as keep employees on the payroll, Wachs says.

The new Quik Rack Mach2 incorporates the improvements Phillips has made to his bike racks over the last 20 years, Wachs says.

The Mach2 features a modular design that with add ons can carry up to four bikes. The rack installs on a hitch receiver in seconds without the use of any tools, he says.

The Mach2 can accommodate mountain bikes, road bikes and fat-tire bikes. But the rack also can accommodate the heavier electric bikes that are becoming increasingly popular, he says.

QuikRStuff manufactured a first batch of 100 Mach2 racks, but sold those in three days, Wachs says.

The company subsequently accepted payment for $290,000 in additional orders. Wachs says work is under way to acquire the machinery and ramp up production to fill those orders.

Customers are willing to wait, he says, because many of them use the 1Up Quick Rack and know the Mach2 rack will offer a quality product.

QuikRStuff received a $100,000 investment from the Greater Colorado Venture Fund at an event in which seven rural Colorado companies pitched for funding. Wachs is scheduled to pitch for venture capital at the Mountain Pitch Summit set for Oct. 28.

In the meantime, QuikRStuff has worked with the Maverick Innovation Center and Business Incubator Center on launching the company.

Wachs serves as entrepreneur in residence at the Maverick Innovation Center and enlisted the assistance of CMU students in engineering parts of the Mach2. A marketing intern has helped with customer service.

Wachs says it’s important to offer students opportunities to work for companies and gain real world experiences without having to leave the area.

“All these things just came together,” he says.

If everything proceeds as planned,  Wachs envisions annual production of Mach2 racks reaching 10,000 to 20,000 units. That would mean the addition of 25 high-paying jobs within five years, he says.

There’s also the potential for entering the European market, he says, although that likely would require a separate manufacturing facility in that region.

Encouraged by the response so far to QuikRStuff and its product, Wachs says he’s optimistic about the future. Now that he’s found a good bicycle rack, he says he’s looking forward to developing a good bicycle rack business.

For more information about QuikRStuff, visit the website at www.quikrstuff.com.