Pump it up

You know the drill.

You get yourself all jacked up about going on a nice, long bike ride and several miles into the journey you have the definite sense that your bottom is on fire.

From there on out it's goodbye to joy and hello to pain.

Enter Don Heppner, 62, president, chief executive officer and purveyor of Air Rider Seats Inc.

"For comfort, there is no other product on the market like my bicycle seat," Heppner said. "It really works."

The Whitefish entrepreneur has been in business since October 2004 when he purchased a patent from Flathead resident Kelly Wheeler for the manufacture of the Air Rider Seat.

"I was intrigued with the product and design," Heppner said. "We manufacture four different-sized seats and they fit everything and everyone from exercise bikes to the casual comfort rider to the large three-wheeler to mountain bikes to road bikes."

Prices for the Air Rider range from $70 for the relatively skinny Ridge Runner model to $90 for the deluxe, 13-inch-wide Limo. The Limo, which fits exercise bikes and three-wheelers, accounts for more than half the company's sales.

The basic raw materials for all Air Riders are plastic, foam, coil springs, rivets and sealable urethane fabric.

And, of course, air.

The secret, Heppner said, is in the bladder.

"You can inflate the bladder or deflate the bladder with our hand pump," he said. "One end of the pump puts air into the bladder while the other takes it out.

"We've redeveloped the seal on the urethane bladder since we bought the patent. Once you get your seat where you want it, it will definitely stay that way."

For his first year in business, Heppner kept to a conservative business plan: He marketed exclusively on the Internet and averaged selling three seats a day.

"We wanted to go about it right - the way we set up our strategy," he said. "And, so far, all our feedback has been very positive. Most of our customers are in the age 40-and-up category."

His manufacturing operation, which is run by his son-in-law, Cory Kelsey, is located in the rear of Heppner's five-acre property. Everything made on site is immediately shipped out, so this is not a walk-in operation for local bike enthusiasts.

Last week Heppner took his seats to Las Vegas for the Interbike International Bicycle Expo - a trade show that advertises itself as "North America's largest and most comprehensive trade event for the bicycle industry."

With 1,000 exhibitors and 21,000 wholesalers and retailers in attendance, the Expo was an excellent format, Heppner said, in which to expand his marketing program.

"Right about now is when we'll find out whether we'll have to hire some new employees to keep up with the orders," Heppner said, referring to the potential success of his trade-show efforts. He said from now on out he plans to do three to four trade shows a year.

Over the past year, several stores and bike manufacturers have approached Heppner asking to sell his bike seats. One scooter manufacturer wants to offer it as an option on its product.

What Heppner wants is for his business to pay for itself. His first year, he took in $60,000 - while spending $80,000. His dream for the future: a half-million annually in sales.

"When I first went into this business, I asked myself, 'Can I make money on it?' My second question was: 'How much can I afford to lose?'

"I wanted to make sure I had a back door to get out if it flopped."

Heppner was raised on a wheat and cattle farm in Plentywood - a town of 2,000 residents in the northeastern corner of the state - and graduated from Montana State University with a degree in business administration. He started his professional life in retail at Montgomery Ward. From there he entered the insurance world and did everything from training and supervising employees to auditing and inspecting.

Thirteen years ago he settled on being a real estate appraiser in Whitefish. These days, he said the appraising business takes more of his time than he would like.

"I'd love to cut back on it and devote more time to my bicycle seat business. We've got everything in place now and are ready to expand."

On the Net: airriderseats.com

Reporter George Kingson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at gkingson@dailyinterlake.com