From the simple idea more than a decade ago, to now celebrating a remarkable milestone of $50,000, our Special Olympics Polar Plunge campaign has evolved into a transformative movement within our community of riders, thanks to your generous support.
Your contribution is more than a donation; it’s a beacon of hope, creating smiles and triumphs for athletes involved in the Special Olympics. Together, we’re fostering inclusion and empowerment, turning dreams into reality.
Thank you for being a crucial part of this incredible journey. Your kindness is changing lives, one donation at a time.
After amassing more than 7,000,000 views on YouTube, Lil Pros Tour returns to its MOST VIRAL FILM ever… Welcome back to Unit 23 in Scotland. Join the crew as we check in with all of the kids again, years later, growing up fast and continuing to progress BMX stronger than ever…
Happy Holidays to all of you and your families, it has been an extremely challenging time worldwide, however, we are very thankful that we have this amazing unreleased footage from before the pandemic in our archives to remember all of our great times together, and look forward to the day that we can all celebrate like this on our bikes again… Cheers to our futures, 2021, and a whole new year full of opportunity!
BIG THANK YOU & APPRECIATION to Mark Ducat and Kieran Riley for their kindness to organize this memorable celebration with the entire family back at Unit 23 and Loch Lomond, and to Matt Nicklen, Stephen Murray, Seth Murray, and Mason Murray for an incredible road trip through England straight north towards the Highlands of Scotland.
Filming: Dustin Grice Editing: Doug Griess
This video is the Sequel to Lil Pros UK BMX Tour BONUS EPISODE: Pregaming in Scotland at Unit 23 Skatepark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vPWnSXPBlU&ab_channel=DustinGrice
“Something is definitely in the water here in Scotland when 12-year-olds have no problem doing flairs and 360 double whips… From 6 to 14 years old, the riding and Scottish accents from this session will keep you pumped for next weekend’s Lil Pros UK BMX Tour 7-9 Feb 2014
Riders: Anthony Duffy, Kieran Riley, Paul Friel, Mark Ducat, Cormack, Dylan Austin Special Thanks: Unit 23 Skatepark in Scotland, Dot, Michelle, Jason Phelan, Kriss Kyle, locals Sponsors: @totalbmx @linkfoundation @bmxplusmag @bmxlifeapp @staystrongbmx @ridetcff @entitybmxshop @fatbmx @danscomp Host: Dustin Grice”
“For me personally, learning to build websites has built myself a foundation that changed my entire life. Since college I’ve worked remotely on projects for myself and various clients while traveling to dozens of different countries around the world… Life is anything you are willing to learn and create. I look forward to helping kick start and motivating you on your own foundation and visions.”
This online video course is intended for individuals who are interested in creating an additional income stream, pursuing self employment to work remotely from home, exploring a brand new career change, entrepreneurs starting a new small business, professionals wanting to polish their web portfolio, or even simply wanting to help a friend or family member build a website.
(Simply click this link at 7pm this evening to join us, you may need the password below as well)
Meeting ID: 939 3579 6001
Password: tcff2020
One tap mobile: +19292056099,,93935796001# US (New York) +13017158592,,93935796001# US (Germantown)
New Video: Memories while Moving The Factory
Premiering this evening during our Happy Hour, we will take a look at the last 2 weeks of packing up at The Factory and all of the riders and families who stopped in for one last session.
Special Thank You
One year ago today as we scrambled to pack everything up, we want to give another huge thank you to all of those who took time out of their lives during to help make this next big step possible for our facility.
80+ Hours Doug Griess Dustin Grice
60+ Hours Kenny Short
40+ Hours Alex Hiltunen Kyle Heaser
20+ Hours Carson Rietschel Joe Westby Jack Westby
10+ Hours Reed Bleymeyer Dani Bleymeyer Timo Boya Tom Haugen Cody Reinert Matt Peterson
5+ Hours Butch Lehman Brianna Hansen Paul Pankonin Stephane Pannier
1-5 Hours Jay Schlie Zimmer Family Nick Edlefsen Blake Schwartz Trevor Crawford Kayla Szafraniec Jim Drews Colton Walker Robert Jara Nick Lucas Akshay Biyani
Any New Updates?
Our most recently proposal was submitted for a property with the City of Minneapolis, not far at all from our original location. However, due to the pandemic and recent events affecting our city and country, nearly everything seems to be put on hold.
The timing of our move out one year ago today, might have actually been that blessing that we were hoping for… And as hard as it was at the time, it may have put us in a much better position to survive in the future as we all figure out how to navigate through this pandemic.
The odds of The Factory moving into a new facility and suddenly being hit by the pandemic, would have likely suffocated the entire project. We are already seeing small businesses and parks starting to shut down, even as of today with our dear friends in Indiana at The Kitchen Bike Park. Our hearts go out to Brett and Bill Banasiewicz and their local riding scene. Their last day of operating is unfortunately today, exactly one year after The Factory was evicted.
Our show team has still been operating to help cover the ongoing monthly bike park storage and general operating & insurance costs, however amidst the pandemic, just about every single event for 2020 has been canceled. We cross our fingers that new opportunities will arise in the near future, so that we can continue to cover all of these monthly costs with absolutely no income, or taking on more loans.
The best part is, we do still have a fully complete bike park safely in storage. All we need is a long term affordable indoor place to set it all up again…
How Can I Help?
Connections with Properties Simply Contact Us at any time. We are still exploring all possible long term options, including more warehouses in the cities, properties outside of the cities, even pole barn style options of town as well with less restrictions where we could even have our own dirt jumps… Just like the Minnesota’s legendary “Green Acres” skatepark in Monticello nearly 20 years ago.
Anything is possible… Our bike park is completely mobilized & ready to go when the time is right…
Fill Out The Online Survey As always, we need as much support as possible, and your feedback is extremely helpful as we continue moving forward. Our ongoing Online Survey is still available for those who have not filled it out.
Is The Factory still worth pursuing? What ramp was your favorite? Would you be interested in committing to your own long term lease on a property with The Factory’s equipment? These are all questions in the survey collecting feedback from our local riding community…
Support by Purchasing Our Apparel Our Ride Minnesota and Ride Brand Apparel for all 50 States & Countries is all still available for purchase online, now with a more complete selection of products than ever including brand new face masks and patch hats. You may even be interested in, or want to tell a friend about Fish Brand, Hunt Brand, and more from Life Brand.
We are also offering Free Shipping below…
Let Us Donate a 3D Printed Face Shield On Your Behalf Use Code “COVID19MaskSupport” for Free Shipping on any of our apparel products above, and on your behalf, we will donate a 3D Printed Face Shield Mask to the Hennepin Healthcare Foundation. We 3D Print these shields from home around the clock, and are quickly reaching 500+ shield donations. Your generous contribution to support our First Responders and Healthcare Workers will be added to our project support list on this page.
Simply leave a note upon checkout to remain anonymous, no problem at all…
Make a Direct Donation
Some individuals have reached out over the past year about making a donation. Donations towards our ongoing bike park storage and general operating & insurance costs, or even our 3D Printing supplies & materials can be made directly to The Factory here.
Thank YOU.
We look forward to seeing you for our online Happy Hour tonight at 7pm!
About The Factory Bike Park:
“Back in 2010, only a few of us walked alone into a very small and completely empty warehouse space in Northeast Minneapolis with one idea in mind, to simply ride our bikes together in our own hobby facility at the convenience of our own time, family, and work schedules.
Over the years this turned into a movement that has become absolutely infectious… Families, kids, and riders of all ages. We ride. We learn. We build. We fall. We encourage. We motivate. We get back up. We focus. We try again. We work together. We perform. We innovate. We’re not scared to try something new & we never give up. We’ve created lifelong friendships, and lifelong memories. The goals, the achievements, the experiences, and the opportunities that have evolved around The Factory have changed our lives and will live with us forever. It’s just amazing to think about what we have all created together because of action sports. Words will never describe how grateful we are for your continued support.
As of May 2019, due to uncontrollable circumstances, The Factory unfortunately can no longer continue to operate in the location where we originally started nearly 10 years ago, and we are actively exploring new locations.
To every member and every rider & parent who has ever join us for a session, and every event who has supported us over the years, Thank You. The Factory truly is an unexpected Dream Come True.”
This morning more than 100 kids are waking up to brand new toys Thanks to YOU!
Giving back right where it all started…
2019 4th of July Free Bike Giveaway
Hundreds of kids & families participated in our Free Bike Giveaways throughout 2019, and dozens of winners kickstarted their passion to RIDE with a brand new bike Thanks to YOU!
Sharing smiles, dropping jaws, and opening eyes in more ways than ever…
2019 Special Olympics Polar Plunge with Ride Brand Volunteers
Mixing local talent with motivational messages, and working with many amazing partners have led to experiences we never imagined would be possible, including raising more than $15,000 for Special Olympics Athletes Thanks to YOU!
Making dreams come true…
2019 X Games Enduro Course with Ride Brand Volunteers
We all dream of Riding at X Games… This year that dream became even more of a reality as X Games allowed our local community to come together, contribute, form, and execute a brand new concept completely open to the public with general admission to actually “Ride at X Games.”
And of course, our indoor facility…
2019 Youth Strider Race
Back in 2010, only a few of us walked alone into a very small and completely empty warehouse space with one idea in mind, to simply ride our bikes at the convenience of our own time, family, and work schedules. Over the years our mission turned into a movement that has become absolutely infectious… Families, kids, and riders of all ages. We ride. We learn. We build. We fall. We encourage. We motivate. We get back up. We focus. We try again. We work together. We perform. We innovate. We’re not scared to try something new & we never give up.
Our facility is currently in-between moving locations, and we have a new survey online looking for your feedback:
Time to get the crew back together! Our 9th Annual Toys For Tots Holiday Party Downtown Saint Paul.
Join us at The Show Art Gallery in Lowertown on Friday December 6th from 6-9pm… The perfect hub for everyone to connect again & enjoy all the holiday festivities downtown.
Every Toy Donated Receives a FREE Product Raffle Ticket!
Enjoy Light Refreshments, Rice Park Holiday Lights, Pop Up Art Show, European Christmas Market, and Union Depot.
“The Show Gallery Lowertown is a nonprofit art space which seeks to create accessibility in the arts and unite artists of all abilities. Our programming includes 10+ exhibitions annually, community fundraisers, special events (performances and live music), workshops, and classes.“
There has officially been No Factory now for 2 Full Months… It feels so odd to even think of that after so many years. Here is the latest news with our Property Search…
After touring dozens of properties, The Factory has now moved forward with leasing five (5) different buildings throughout the Twin Cities, however after many long and extensive weeks of time invested into each property individually, all have left us unsuccessful.
The very first property we began to move forward with leasing, Building Number 1, was right off 169 & 694 and turned us down due to the owner not being open to our type of use with the space. The second property, Building Number 2 was in a similar area, however as we starting moving forward another larger business came in and took more space than we could afford.
The next area we looked at was further south off 394, not far from 3rd Lair. This property, Building Number 3, was very open to us and our type of use, however as we started moving forward with a lease, the city required us to have sprinklers installed. The sprinkler cost was explored, and seemed reasonable at the time, however then city required us to build a third restroom in the space. We were now looking at six figures out of pocket before moving in to make this space up to code for us, so we decided to move on.
The next property, Building Number 4, was also in this same area, and was already sprinklered for us, with ADA restrooms ready to go. It looked very intriguing. As we started moving forward with everything at this property, the city eventually required us to add a 4’ high handicap ramp up to the entrance. This ramp would then span out back & forth more than 50’ so that it is legally not too steep. After receiving quotes from architects & contractors to do this, we started considering it. The city then eventually told us that this area is in a flood zone, and that we would have to now hire an engineer to show them where our new handicap ramp structure built in this existing flood zone, would now be flooding the water elsewhere onto other nearby properties when flooding… The property owner and The Factory both decided to move on. Thankfully with all the rain this summer, we’re glad this one did not work out.
We are learning more & more about commercial real estate by the week. And as properties continue to fall through, greater properties eventually seem to rise… This keeps making us believe that all of the previous properties are not working out for a good reason, and that we need to take our time with this big decision.
The next property we started moving forward with leasing, Building Number 5, turned into what we thought was the perfect property… The location was absolutely amazing in between Minneapolis and Saint Paul, right off 35W in Roseville. Highway access was prime. Brand new white walls and white ceilings, beautiful restrooms, a massive parking lot, completely sprinklered & ADA ready, even air conditioned, and an official entrance/sign for The Factory. Best of all, the price was the second lowest compared to the properties above. Everything was starting to turn around & get very exciting. After two weeks we agreed upon the terms of working together, followed by another two weeks later, our new lease for The Factory had been completely written up. We were going over our insurance requirements, visited the property many times, and finally had asked our attorney to review the lease. The building’s commercial broker even called stating “We have a deal!”. Shortly after we received our $1,182.50 bill for legal fees, and the lease was much more prepared to help protect the future of The Factory. We were very excited to continue moving forward, until the building called and said they had unfortunate news… They stated that this is not how they normally do business, and that a larger company had approached them with an offer in the same space that they couldn’t refuse. This was devastating news. Our legal bills are now adding up, and completely useless.
We are now back to square one. That is what it feels like anyway. This has not been an easy process. However still, the best part is, we have a complete bike park all packed up & ready for our new home, we just need a place to put it. We still continue to explore all options at this point. Please reach out if you have any leads on building space, land, any open areas that may be open to what we love doing most in life.
Here are our Basic Property Requirements:
We have been looking at the 7,000 sq ft range for amount of space
18-21’ clear ceiling height
Sprinklers & ADA Handicap Access seems to be the requirement with most cities
Within or around 494/694 is best, slightly more to the west side of the cities if possible, compared to further east due to member locations
The Factory Explores a New Location, with One Massive Final Celebration Jam This Saturday… Followed by Dozens of Stunt Shows & Free Bike Giveaways at Scheduled Events All Summer Long…
The Factory Explores a New Location, with One Massive Final Celebration Jam This Saturday May 25th, 2019
Due to uncontrollable circumstances, The Factory unfortunately can no longer continue to operate in the location where we originally started nearly 10 years ago, and we are actively exploring new locations.
We are throwing one last massive session on the main box jump area of the park this Saturday, which will include filming our very last tricks in this building, and interviews sharing our favorite memories from over the years.
Please spread the word…
The Final Factory Celebration Jam Before Moving
Saturday, May 25th Beginners & Kids 1-3pm Advanced Riders 3pm-6pm
$10 for Non-Members
All admissions go directly to help support the costs for our big move. After this very last massive celebration session, the rest of our ramps will begin to come down immediately and moved into semi trailers for transportation next week.
Hold On, What Just Happened? The entire property was suddenly sold to a new owner, who now has their own vision for the property. There was hope that we could continue in their new vision, as we already experienced a change in property ownership a few years ago, however after eviction notes were issued to tenants we now see extreme risk in not having our indoor facility available for next winter. We have until May 31st to exit the property and sincerely apologize for the very short notice, this is not an ideal situation for anyone.
Okay, So Now What? Our Team at The Factory has been extremely pro-active in finding a new home for us to continue what we’ve worked so hard for. These past 10 years have been an absolute dream come true, and we’ve written a story that we also feel is also ready for this big new step into our next decade together. As we look at new properties, there are so many very exciting things to look forward to, including a building that actually has property management, a non-leaking roof, our very own finished & clean restrooms, an actual parking lot, possibly even our own sign & store-front, all in a much more inviting location.
Searching for a New Location Dozens of new properties have been toured, however finding our new home has been no easy task. We have a very unique use of space and requirements, and we have been running into many unforeseen challenges with property owners, commercial brokers, building architects, engineers & surveyors, fire departments, and city councils. Multiple new leases have already fallen through due to various reasons. Warehouse referrals at this point are extremely appreciated.
What About Memberships? We want everyone to know that we will always move our facility forward with our members best interest in mind. Since day one at The Factory, memberships have been based on our signed lease. After May 31st, if The Factory has no signed lease, all memberships will be put on hold. Once we have warehouse space and a new lease is signed, memberships will continue. Best-case scenario we have a new location by May 31st, however in an absolute worst-case scenario, if no lease is signed, and we have no new location for The Factory by the end of our current pre-paid memberships on September 31st, members will then receive a refund for their un-used pre-paid months of membership back to May 31st. This also applies to month-to-month members as well.
Moving Forward It is extremely important that we stick together as a team during this challenging time, which will help provide the best possible outcome for the future of our indoor facility. When we really start thinking of our next decade together, it is also very hard to imagine our existing space being realistic… There are many issues that we are ready to move on from. We can have it so much better, and we truly feel that this is a blessing in disguise…
This timing to move could not be any better, and there would be no better way to celebrate 10 years than a brand new location…
If anyone does have a warehouse referral in mind, or would be interested in being a part of our Factory Move Team below, please reach out directly to Factory Co-Founder Dustin Grice via email at [email protected]
Thank you again for your continued support, and patience as we continue paving this exciting path that has led us here today.
The Factory would not exist without you.
Let’s get through this next big step, and RIDE for another decade together…
The Factory Move Team
Would LOVE to include you too!
This is the biggest step that The Factory has ever encountered, and we would love for you to be a part of this exciting new experience with us. It is not every day that a community has their own indoor bike park…
No matter what your availability is, even an hour or two of help makes a huge difference… All of our ramps are being loaded into semi trailers to be moved mid next week. Incredible teamwork & progress has been made so far…
This is exactly what The Factory has always been about.
We would like to give a HUGE Thank You to all of those who have stopped by so far this week to show their support to help contribute to this next big step for The Factory…
Cody Reinert Matt Peterson Doug Griess Alex Hiltunen Tom Haugen Kenny Short Jack Westby Joe Westby Reed Bleymeyer Dani Bleymeyer Carson Rietschel Stephane Pannier Paul Pankonin Kyle Heaser Kayla Szafraniec Nick Edlefsen Isaac Zimmer Chase Zimmer Justin Zimmer Jessica Zimmer Akshay Biyani Butch Lehman Blake Schwartz
How Can You Help Too?
Helping On-Site This Week: Wednesday May 22nd 3-9pm Thursday May 23rd 3-9pm Friday May 24th 3-9pm Saturday May 25th (No Moving, Final Jam & Film Day!)
Helping On-Site Next Week: Sunday May 26th 9am-9pm (Sunday will be a BIG TEARDOWN DAY… Lots of Help Needed, Bring a Drill!) Monday May 27th 3-9pm Tuesday May 28th 3-9pm Wednesday May 29th 3-9pm
Simply text Factory Co-Founder Dustin Grice when you’d like to join! 952-200-7732
Helping Remotely via Donation: Moving is not easy, especially in a commercial environment. Many people have also reached out offering to contribute to our move via a donation. We have included a button below if this is something that interests you. If you would like to keep your donation completely anonymous, please leave a note with the contribution and we will keep your name completely anonymous moving forward.
Summer is what shuts down indoor parks like The Factory. Everyone wants to ride outdoors, so we had to figure out a way to keep our doors open. Proceeds from our shows & events go back into The Factory every summer to keep our doors open and fuel the development of the next generation of athletes.
We even give away a brand new bike to one lucky kid at many of our events!
TOTAL BIKES DONATED: 250+
Check out our 2019 Tour Schedule below, and visit www.MegaJumpShow.com for videos and more information.
Brand New Spring Apparel!
Support The Factory All Year Round Turn your white logo below into any custom color…
