The following is my conversation with Steve Smith. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, he's among the most accomplished and interesting people that I've met in the cycling business. In addition to being a hardworking and genuine guy.
Steve started his career at Nike in Oregon.His dream job was working for Nike, and after 10 years with the swoosh, he decided to pull up roots and move himself and his wife to Europe. I asked him why he did this. He said, he just wanted a new adventure, to discover something new. And where he landed was at Manifattura Valcismon in Veneto, where he went on to help the Cremonese family to reacquire the Castelli brand.
From bankruptcy, they took it literally to the moon because it's become among the top brands in the cycling clothing business. I'm really fortunate to know Steve throughout my career, and I'm really, really excited to share his story with all of you in the cycling world.
00:00 - 02:30: Introduction
- Brief overview of Steve's career trajectory
- Introduction to the podcast
02:30 - 07:45: Early Life and Cycling Beginnings
- Growing up in Boring, Oregon
- Early cycling experiences
- First race bike and Campagnolo components
- Education and interest in French
07:45 - 15:30: Nike Years
- Starting at Nike in 1990
- Working in sales operations
- European assignment in Amsterdam
- Product line management for cycling footwear and sandals
15:30 - 21:15: The Big Move to Italy
- Decision to leave Nike and move to Europe
- The conversation with his wife about relocating
- Learning Italian and preparing for the move
- Connection with Tim Maloney leading to Manifattura Valcismon
21:15 - 28:00: Early Days at Manifattura Valcismon
- Initial role with Sportful
- The challenges of working in a small Italian family company
- Learning the cycling market and Italian business culture
28:00 - 35:45: The Castelli Acquisition
- The 2004 purchase of Castelli
- Initial strategy and involvement with the US market
- Repositioning the brand back to its performance roots
- History of Castelli and Maurizio Castelli's innovations
35:45 - 42:30: Product Innovation at Castelli
- Developing aerodynamic cycling clothing
- The creation of the GABA jacket
- Working with team Cervelo Test Team
- The importance of the product development team
42:30 - 48:15: Distribution and Marketing Evolution
- International distribution strategy
- Dealing with online retail and discounting
- Changing landscape of cycling apparel distribution
- Impact of COVID on inventory and the supply chain
48:15 - 54:00: Marketing and Communication Strategy
- Evolution from print to digital marketing
- Sponsoring professional teams
- How pro cycling's influence has changed
- Applying Nike marketing experience to Castelli
54:00 - 60:00: Life in Italy and Final Thoughts
- Becoming integrated into Italian culture
- Reflections on 20+ years in Italy
- Family company dynamics
- Looking toward the future
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