Bozeman’s historic Bon Ton neighborhood is quiet when Carl Strong walks across his yard around 7 a.m. to clock in at his backyard bicycle manufacturing shop, Strong Frames.

The short walk, usually made with coffee in hand, returns Strong to where he began making bicycles 20 years ago. Strong’s grandmother used to live in the house and let him set up a small shop in the corner of the garage while he raced competitively and attended Montana State University.

The years between then and now saw Strong and his wife, Loretta, with whom he runs the company, steadily build their business. But as it grew, the company pulled Strong across the spectrum from craftsman to businessman.