A small business in Skokie helps cyclists see and be seen.
Outbound Lighting’s 24,000 sq ft warehouse is a big jump from where Matt Conte started the company, in his basement.
The owner and engineer says the company currently sells five bike lights mainly through its website, as well as about 700 local bike shops across the country.
Most customers use their lights to navigate trails but Conte says some are road bikers.
“They actually need the light to see and that takes a big design change,” he tells us.
In the warehouse, employees assemble lights and with the help of a robot and assembly line to package them.
While some businesses get busy around Christmas, Outbound’s traffic picks up as daylight saving time sunsets.
“All hell breaks loose here essentially. We do about 25% of our revenue in the month of November alone.”
Outbound builds customer loyalty with a generous warranty and sending the lights pre-charged.
Over eight years, Conte says they’ve been lighting the way for 100,000 customers and hope to keep growing.
