Davin Wheel Company Spins Full Circle With Unprecedented
Rim Enterprise
It’s 2002 NBA all-star weekend in the city of
brotherly love. The light is red and traffic halts to a stop, including
the big, body “Black Magic” toned S500. The driver is
charismatic, yet composed -- for he recognizes the magnetism encompassed
around him. Everyone’s pointing at the allure of his 22’s
which continue to gyrate like propellers in the wind. “Sweet!”
I thought. Could they have been a set of the well-acclaimed Davin
Wheels?
Immaculate conceptions are the manifestations of immaculate minds.
Three such minds formed a business alliance, dubbed Davin Wheel Company,
back in 1998 with the idea of instilling maverick concepts and hot
wheel designs into the style-driven automotive market. In 1999 the
partners moved forward with their inspiration, “continuous motion
rims” commonly known as “spinners.” By 2001 the
luxury wheels were introduced to an encore of enthusiasts at the LA
Auto Show.
Based in Providence, R.I., Davin’s founding fathers, Ian Harman,
CEO; David Fowlkes, President and COO; and Hank Seemore, CFO met and
became good friends while working at Reebok International. They all
shared common business interests and decided to form an alliance.
The product idea wasn’t difficult because Fowlkes -- also the
company designer -- had already conceptualized the freespin technology
in 1993 while working on a school project at the Minneapolis College
of Art and Design. His creative energy is stimulated by the world
itself, including fashion, automotive, culture or by an aviation museum
even. “I may take the design of a watch or a phone and incorporate
it into that of a wheel,” adds Fowlkes. Additionally, being
located on the East Coast is an added incentive to Davin because they
have access to NY fashion which has a major influence on trends.
  
Costing roughly $14,000 a pop, Davin’s wheels are as soulful
as Yolanda Adams and have inspired the likes of Roy Jones Jr., Redman
and Allen Iverson. To keep the brand exclusive, Davin outfitted something
like 500 to 600 vehicles in the last three years. Its Revolution line
is considered the “top shelf” of the brand. For mass market
appeal, 2004 will mark the beginning of a broader branding campaign
with Streetspin by Davin, which has fitments for 125 vehicles.
Thus far, the Davin brand has been extremely successful - as sales
have doubled each year. According to Harman, “To be successful
at this game, you must dictate style rather than chase it. Too many
companies in this industry look around hoping to find something cool
and then copy it.” Yet, even with the counterfeiters, Davin
doesn’t see themselves vying against the competition because
Davin is just Davin. Conversely, things may have been a little rosier
if not for that unfortunate misunderstanding with Sprewell Racing
during an MTV interview. Davin’s name was edited out of the
final cut of the show and Sprewell was given credit in just about
every rap song you hear. “It was one of the best things and
worst things that could happen to us,” wholeheartedly states
Fowles. “It gave great recognition to the product but not enough
to the brand.”
Moving forward, Davin will continue to stabilize growth by using
their “4 ps” management system which intertwines product,
people, process and profit. To keep yours spinning check out www.davinwheels.com.
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