Since our humble beginnings in 1994, Forgeline Motorsports has accomplished many great things. But the more we learn, the more we want to accomplish, and the more opportunity we see for continuous improvement. But seizing upon these opportunities for improvement has sometimes been agonizingly slow, for our small family-owned business. To accelerate the pace of improvement, and to realize the full potential available to our team, we're very excited to announce a new partnership with Lacks Enterprises of Grand Rapids, Michigan. This partnership will provide the immediate expertise and capital resources to allow us to perform at our true potential, delivering new products, higher quality, and better service.
The mutually beneficial partnership is structured to take advantage of the unique attributes of both organizations. Lacks Enterprises is ISO certified and an approved vendor to global automakers, providing Forgeline with an immediate in-road to offer our industry-leading, high-performance wheels to the original equipment market. Forgeline brings to Lacks a 30+ year history of wheel manufacturing, strong engineering experience, and well-established aftermarket relationships. And of course, our Carbon+Forged Series collection of hybrid carbon fiber/forged aluminum wheels will now utilize the proprietary carbon fiber barrel technology manufactured by Lacks.
The new partnership allows the Schardt family to retain minority ownership of Forgeline and provides a majority ownership stake to Lacks Enterprises. Under the agreement, all Forgeline operations will continue in Dayton, Ohio with no disruptions to our customers or to our team. Brothers Dave and Steve Schardt will continue to serve in their respective roles as Forgeline's president and vice president of sales, while Sherri Schardt will also continue in her current administrative role. And the new joint entity will now be called Lacks Forgeline, LLC.
“This partnership provides us with increased research and development investment and manufacturing capabilities, while Lacks gains access to our aftermarket customers and wheel manufacturing,” said David Schardt, president of Forgeline. “It truly is a ‘win-win’ with terrific growth opportunities.”
“For 30 years, Dave and I have built Forgeline by surrounding ourselves with great people,” said vice president of sales, Steve Schardt. “We view this as a big step for our company and are excited to see what we can accomplish together with Lacks Enterprises.”
“The Forgeline brand is very strong in the racing and automotive aftermarket communities, and we look forward to working alongside its talented team,” said Ryan Lacks, managing director of the wheel division of Lacks Enterprise, which will now include Forgeline. “This is the ideal fit between two family-owned, U.S.-based wheel manufacturers.”
“We see this as an injection of new business opportunity,” Lacks said. “We envision immediate growth and expect to add staff in Dayton and Grand Rapids.”
About Lacks Enterprises, Inc.
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., Lacks Enterprises, Inc. was formed in 1961. A Tier One supplier to the automotive industry, the company has grown to become a technology leader worldwide with diversified operations that provide complete turnkey solutions that rely on decades of experience in thermoplastic design, injection molding, chrome plating, painting, assembly, logistics and supply chain management. Lacks also provides global export and distribution capabilities.
About Forgeline Motorsports
Forgeline Motorsports is a Dayton, Ohio-based manufacturer of premium custom made- to-order automotive wheels for specialty vehicle builders, professional racing teams and enthusiast owners of exclusive sports cars and muscle cars. For more than 30 years, they have applied their racing experience and passion for motorsports toward engineering and building wheels which can withstand the extreme demands of sports car racing. With an unwavering commitment to strength and safety, Forgeline has earned a spot on some of the world’s fastest vehicles, including multiple world-record holding hypercars, those competing in IMSA, Pirelli World Challenge, Trans Am and virtually every road racing series in America.
Read the official press release here.
The mutually beneficial partnership is structured to take advantage of the unique attributes of both organizations. Lacks Enterprises is ISO certified and an approved vendor to global automakers, providing Forgeline with an immediate in-road to offer our industry-leading, high-performance wheels to the original equipment market. Forgeline brings to Lacks a 30+ year history of wheel manufacturing, strong engineering experience, and well-established aftermarket relationships. And of course, our Carbon+Forged Series collection of hybrid carbon fiber/forged aluminum wheels will now utilize the proprietary carbon fiber barrel technology manufactured by Lacks.
The new partnership allows the Schardt family to retain minority ownership of Forgeline and provides a majority ownership stake to Lacks Enterprises. Under the agreement, all Forgeline operations will continue in Dayton, Ohio with no disruptions to our customers or to our team. Brothers Dave and Steve Schardt will continue to serve in their respective roles as Forgeline's president and vice president of sales, while Sherri Schardt will also continue in her current administrative role. And the new joint entity will now be called Lacks Forgeline, LLC.
“This partnership provides us with increased research and development investment and manufacturing capabilities, while Lacks gains access to our aftermarket customers and wheel manufacturing,” said David Schardt, president of Forgeline. “It truly is a ‘win-win’ with terrific growth opportunities.”
“For 30 years, Dave and I have built Forgeline by surrounding ourselves with great people,” said vice president of sales, Steve Schardt. “We view this as a big step for our company and are excited to see what we can accomplish together with Lacks Enterprises.”
“The Forgeline brand is very strong in the racing and automotive aftermarket communities, and we look forward to working alongside its talented team,” said Ryan Lacks, managing director of the wheel division of Lacks Enterprise, which will now include Forgeline. “This is the ideal fit between two family-owned, U.S.-based wheel manufacturers.”
“We see this as an injection of new business opportunity,” Lacks said. “We envision immediate growth and expect to add staff in Dayton and Grand Rapids.”
About Lacks Enterprises, Inc.
Headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., Lacks Enterprises, Inc. was formed in 1961. A Tier One supplier to the automotive industry, the company has grown to become a technology leader worldwide with diversified operations that provide complete turnkey solutions that rely on decades of experience in thermoplastic design, injection molding, chrome plating, painting, assembly, logistics and supply chain management. Lacks also provides global export and distribution capabilities.
About Forgeline Motorsports
Forgeline Motorsports is a Dayton, Ohio-based manufacturer of premium custom made- to-order automotive wheels for specialty vehicle builders, professional racing teams and enthusiast owners of exclusive sports cars and muscle cars. For more than 30 years, they have applied their racing experience and passion for motorsports toward engineering and building wheels which can withstand the extreme demands of sports car racing. With an unwavering commitment to strength and safety, Forgeline has earned a spot on some of the world’s fastest vehicles, including multiple world-record holding hypercars, those competing in IMSA, Pirelli World Challenge, Trans Am and virtually every road racing series in America.
Read the official press release here.