Shifting Gears: Living Life By Bike with Tom McMullen and Rapha
10/16/23 • 31 min
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Tom McMullen for a rousing conversation about Rapha’s role in Bentonville’s exceptional bike culture. Tom is the Managing Director for North America at Rapha, the world’s finest cycling clothing brand, which relocated its North American headquarters from Portland, Oregon, to Bentonville, Arkansas, a few years ago. Throughout the episode, Tom and James discuss Tom’s recent move from London to Bentonville, Rapha’s expansion into mountain bike apparel and living life by bike in Bentonville.
Show Notes
(0:53) Introducing Tom McMullen and Rapha
(4:38) Living Life by Bike in Bentonville
(7:18) Rule of Three
(11:50) Tom’s Impression of Bentonville
(17:55) Tom’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(20:00) Tom’s NWA Favorites
(23:34) Rapha’s Future
(25:18) The Importance of Visiting Bentonville
(27:39) Light-Hearted Questions
(29:38) Closing Thoughts
Links
Bentonville Economic Development
Quotes
“Bentonville is a manifestation of living life by bike...I’ve visited Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, and then after that, [it’s] probably Bentonville in terms of cities that you genuinely live life by bike. And that’s about recreation, but [it’s] also about transport, leisure with family and friends, and being able to get around. It’s a blueprint in my eyes for mobility and society going forward—that the bike becomes a key component for getting around, for having fun and living everyday life.” - Tom McMullen, (4:52)
“Someone moved from Los Angeles and said that there’s more going on from an investment point of view in Bentonville than there is in other cities around the world. So I think it’s been a pleasant surprise [to] me that it’s not just a sleepy town. In Northwest Arkansas, there’s loads going on, and it’s very diverse, which has been amazing.” - Tom McMullen, (12:33)
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell sits down with Tom McMullen for a rousing conversation about Rapha’s role in Bentonville’s exceptional bike culture. Tom is the Managing Director for North America at Rapha, the world’s finest cycling clothing brand, which relocated its North American headquarters from Portland, Oregon, to Bentonville, Arkansas, a few years ago. Throughout the episode, Tom and James discuss Tom’s recent move from London to Bentonville, Rapha’s expansion into mountain bike apparel and living life by bike in Bentonville.
Show Notes
(0:53) Introducing Tom McMullen and Rapha
(4:38) Living Life by Bike in Bentonville
(7:18) Rule of Three
(11:50) Tom’s Impression of Bentonville
(17:55) Tom’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(20:00) Tom’s NWA Favorites
(23:34) Rapha’s Future
(25:18) The Importance of Visiting Bentonville
(27:39) Light-Hearted Questions
(29:38) Closing Thoughts
Links
Bentonville Economic Development
Quotes
“Bentonville is a manifestation of living life by bike...I’ve visited Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, and then after that, [it’s] probably Bentonville in terms of cities that you genuinely live life by bike. And that’s about recreation, but [it’s] also about transport, leisure with family and friends, and being able to get around. It’s a blueprint in my eyes for mobility and society going forward—that the bike becomes a key component for getting around, for having fun and living everyday life.” - Tom McMullen, (4:52)
“Someone moved from Los Angeles and said that there’s more going on from an investment point of view in Bentonville than there is in other cities around the world. So I think it’s been a pleasant surprise [to] me that it’s not just a sleepy town. In Northwest Arkansas, there’s loads going on, and it’s very diverse, which has been amazing.” - Tom McMullen, (12:33)
Previous Episode
Healthcare’s Frontier: Attracting Global Medical Innovations with Jeff Stinson and HealthTech Arkansas
Summary
In this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Jeff Stinson for a compelling conversation about Bentonville’s unique culture and how it helps businesses thrive. Jeff is the Director of HealthTech Arkansas, which is driving innovation for Arkansas health systems through internal innovation programming and accelerators for medtech, healthtech and therapeutics that attract accomplished startup founders from around the world. A long-time leader in the Arkansas entrepreneurial ecosystem, Jeff recently relocated to Bentonville, where he gets to live, in his words, a charmed day-to-day experience. Throughout the episode, James and Jeff discuss how HealthTech Arkansas is facilitating healthcare innovation by focusing on clinical engagement, Northwest Arkansas’s rising whole health sector and Jeff’s life transformation in Bentonville.
Show Notes
(0:54) Introducing Jeff Stinson and His Connection to Bentonville
(4:41) HealthTech Arkansas: An Innovation Catalyst
(11:21) The Benefits of a Virtual Accelerator
(13:32) BioAR and SymBiosis’s Affect on Bentonville
(16:37) HealthTech Arkansas Success Stories
(18:59) The Benefits of Being in Bentonville
(27:39) Jeff’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(31:34) Fun Questions with Jeff
(36:03) The Future of Healthcare Innovation
(42:31) What’s Next for HealthTech Arkansas?
Links
Bentonville Economic Development
Quotes
“The thing that makes us different is that we built our entire program around clinical engagement. So we think we are one of, if not the only, program in the country that guarantees hospital pilot projects and clinical trials for startup companies.” - Jeff Stinson, (5:25)
“We present [our cohort] to our clinical trial sites here in the state of Arkansas and facilitate those clinical trials, and really it’s a great way for us to bring these advanced therapeutics into the state...Too many times, when Arkansans want to participate in these advanced clinical trials, they have to go get on a plane and go to Houston or Dallas or Chicago. So to the extent we can bring more of those into the state, we’re increasing access to care for Arkansans.” - Jeff Stinson, (10:24)
“What I have found moving to Northwest Arkansas...the accessibility is unbelievable. The people that I can meet with and talk to here who are in a position to move the needle for us—there’s no way you could have better access than you can in Northwest Arkansas to people who can make a difference in what you’re doing.” - Jeff Stinson, (20:35)
“[Moving to Downtown Bentonville] has been the most transformative thing in my life. I feel like when I walk outside every day, people sprinkle fairy dust over my head. It’s just a charmed day-to-day existence. ” - Jeff Stinson, (23:30)
“[Bentonville] could not be a more magical place. The friends I’ve made here in four or five months—it’s just fantastic...It’s just a really great place to embed yourself in the social scene, meet people and make friendships.” - Jeff Stinson, (29:47)
Next Episode
From the State Capital to the Mountain Biking Capital: Greater Bentonville's Role in Arkansas's Growth and Prosperity with Secretary Hugh McDonald
Summary
On this episode of The Bentonville Beacon, host James Bell is joined by Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald for a fascinating conversation about the state’s economic growth initiatives and the role Greater Bentonville plays in the state’s success. The Arkansas Department of Commerce’s mission is to champion economic opportunities through strategic initiatives and an equitable regulatory environment that attracts and grows businesses, safeguards consumers, enhances workforce quality and energizes the state’s infrastructure, creating a better quality of life in Arkansas. Throughout the episode, James and Secretary McDonald discuss Arkansas’s diverse economy, the importance of supporting its small businesses and entrepreneurs, the state’s booming outdoor recreation industry and much more.
Show Notes
(0:57) Introducing Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald
(3:23) Arkansas’s Diverse Economy
(6:43) How Bentonville Can Inspire the Rest of Arkansas
(9:28) Supporting Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship in Arkansas
(15:14) Arkansas’s Booming Outdoor Sector
(19:25) Workforce Development
(23:00) Economic Development Initiatives across the State
(26:17) Creating a Unified, Prosperous Arkansas
(31:38) Secretary McDonald’s #Because Bentonville Story
(34:12) Closing Questions
Links
Bentonville Economic Development
Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald
Arkansas Department of Commerce
Quotes
“If you look around the state [at] all the activity that’s been happening. Northwest Arkansas—it’s been a twenty-plus year phenomenal story of growth, from Fortune 500 companies entrepreneurs.” - Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald, (5:21)
“Quality of life is just as important to be able to attract the right kind of talent, no matter where you are in the state. And I think the Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas [area] probably recognized that sooner than most folks in Arkansas. People talked about it all over the state, but you guys actually did it and made it a concerted strategy and put a lot of resources behind it.” - Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald, (7:46)
“I’ve always supported regionalism. Whether you’re in Little Rock, Northwest Arkansas or Northeast Arkansas, you cannot do economic development right if you’re focused on your boundaries.” - Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald, (26:57)
“Let’s try to bring down our barriers. Don’t get sidetracked with artificial boundaries, but break down silos. Work together in a partnership. Find, collaborate and solve big problems. You just can’t solve big problems if you’re doing it by yourself. You’ve got to find partners to do big things.” - Arkansas Department of Commerce Secretary Hugh McDonald, (37:05)
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