Kona Bicycles announced January 19 that it has been bought by the Kent Outdoors group, an Ohio-based company with a portfolio of outdoor brands including Arbor Snowboards, HO Sports, and Connelly Skis.
Ken Meidell, CEO of Kent Outdoors, said “Working with Kona fulfills a dream of mine, and I can’t wait to help bring more iconic bikes to cyclists all over the world.” Meidell is a lifelong cyclist who has previously led outdoor brands like Dakine, Outerbike, Outdoor Research, and Cascade Designs.
Kona’s founders Dan Gerhard, Jake Heilbron, and Jimbo Holmstrom—will be staying on in their roles and Kona said it would be keeping all its staff and offices.