Welcoming More Women into the Cycling Industry: Giant Bicycle National Sales Manager, Steph Allen

Steph Allen, National Sales Manager for Giant Bicycle, sat down with Brian Rawlings, Senior Business Development Executive at Workstand, to describe her entry into the cycling industry. A bike-shop job led to three years as a demo driver, where she enjoyed helping people—particularly women—discover cycling and learn basic repairs. Giant later hired her in sales, and she advanced from account executive to regional and then national sales manager. Allen said her early shop colleagues made it comfortable to learn, despite her being the only woman on staff. She has felt supported at Giant, but acknowledged that women’s experiences vary. She said she receives far fewer applications from women than men for sales roles, and suggested that some women may not apply because they do not see themselves represented or assume they will face barriers. The conversation addressed what shops can do to be more welcoming to women as employees and customers. Allen recommended evaluating the workplace through the question of whether one would want a daughter, wife, or sister to work there, including considering language and materials displayed in the shop. Allen said she does not see her role as needing to lead or speak for other women; she aims to perform her job well and be available to support female colleagues. She named women in the industry whose work she admires, including leaders at People for Bikes and the NBDA, shop owners, and people who teach cycling and repair skills. Discussing the industry’s future, Allen said shops and brands need to adapt to changes in how consumers shop and advertise, clarify what they do well, and plan for the future. She also emphasized that growing participation in cycling can benefit the industry broadly, and that businesses should make sound decisions without treating one another as adversaries. If you have questions for Steph or Brian, leave a comment or email them to podcast@workstand.com and we'll get answers! Keep up with features and new releases https://workstand.com/help/release-no... Be sure to ask your questions in the comments so we can answer them in a future episode. You can also email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent, and we look forward to hearing from you. Find us on LinkedIn: Brian Rawlings - Senior Business Development Executive -   / brian-rawlings-56b1431b   Mark Still, Sales Manager -   / rmarkstill   David Martinez - Key Accounts Advisor -   / david-martinez-52413320a   If you're a current Workstand website client with questions about any topics we discussed or about your website, email mark.s@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 117. If you are not currently a Workstand website client and have questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com, and we'll gladly show you around.