“It is true of the nation, as of the individual, that the greatest doer must also be a great dreamer.”
—Theodore Roosevelt

For millions of Americans, early childhood memories include being pulled in a red Radio Flyer wagon. Asked how Radio Flyer has remained an American icon in the face of technology and more sophisticated children’s toys, CEO Robert Pasin, grandson of company founder Antonio Pasin, responds, “The consumers of our products still need a tricycle, and their parents still need a wagon to pull them in.”

That’s not to say that Radio Flyer hasn’t evolved since Antonio crafted the first wagon out of his rented one-room workshop on the west side of Chicago in 1917. For decades, the company factory churned out steel wagons. Beginning in the 1990s, however, consumers began demanding plastic wagons because they included seats, seatbelts, cup holders, and other modern features. Production of Radio Flyer’s steel wagons plummeted. “We had to decide whether we wanted to be a manufacturer or not,” Pasin says.

Pasin and his brother Paul, Radio Flyer’s executive vice president, eventually decided that competing in the sophisticated plastic manufacturing business was not in the company’s best interests. “We’re a small company,” says Pasin. “We can’t be a world-class manufacturer in these various plastic molding processes. But we can be great at gaining consumer insight, being expert in outdoor active play, having a great design team, and partnering with manufacturers in the world that makes the most sense.”

Today, Radio Flyer’s 70 U.S. employees are engaged mostly in marketing, sales, and product development. Paul runs an office of 60 in China that focuses on quality assurance and supply chain but also does engineering and product development work.

Radio Flyer was named to the 2010 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing, private companies in America, with 19% growth over the past three years—most of it fueled by sales of tricycles, scooters, wagons, and other ride-on products, according to Pasin.

In addition to always thinking about new products, the brothers spend significant time crafting a transition strategy. They are the only family members currently involved in the business, but there is no shortage of potential successors. Pasin has four children, and Paul has two.

“We want Radio Flyer to remain a family business; we’re not trying to build it up to go public,” says Pasin. The brothers have written a family charter that defines the family’s values and the relationship between the family and the business. The charter includes a “participation policy” that determines how a family member can enter the business. “We have baseline requirements,” Pasin explains. “You have to graduate from college. You have to have worked and achieved success somewhere else. You have to go through a selection process. We don’t want family members in the business who aren’t passionate about it and who don’t have the skills for it.”

Member Facts
Company: Radio Flyer
Owner: Robert Pasin
E-Mail Address: NA
Address: 1615 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60707
Phone: 800-621-7613
Website: www.radioflyer.com
Chamber Member Since: 1999
Founded:  1917
Number of Employees: 130