Continental Battery is pleased to announce a partnership with Bright Way Group. Bright Way is a battery company specializing in SLA and powersport batteries that is located in the Northeast Dallas area and supplies products throughout North America. Founded in 2009 by legendary battery man Randy Hardin, Bright Way has been on a consistent growth path since the founding. Randy, who started in the battery business in 1982 first with Interstate, has been a central figure in the SLA market when he led UPG on their growth from nothing to over a 150 million dollar company, ultimately taking the company public. After stepping out of the market for a few years, Randy returned and has built a great team of go-getters with combined 100+ years of experience that have positioned Bright Way as a preferred supplier in the SLA market nationwide with powerful international sourcing capabilities.
Eric Royse, CEO of Continental said "We are excited to make an investment in Bright Way. They have great products, great people, and they will help Continental to get closer to the manufacturing source in a segment of the battery market we serve that we want to do better in. This partnership with Bright Way will help Continental to better serve some of our key growth initiatives, such as; the battery specialist programs; and major account initiatives. Bright Way is well positioned with key customers that will be a great opportunity for synergy with traditional Continental products."
Randy Hardin, President of Bright Way Group said of the partnership "When we started the Universal Group in a garage one of my first customers was Jim McCann and Continental. When I started over again with BWG in 2009, my very first customer was Jim McCann and Continental so it seemed a perfect segway into the next chapter of my life and BWG to partner with Continental and Eric who shares a lot of the same values as myself and Jim."
Eric also added "Bright Way will continue to be a supplier to Continental and to operate autonomously and independently. Randy, Steve, Susan and team will continue to run Bright Way and to be a supplier of other battery specialists and will be at an arm's distance from Continental. The investment in Bright Way will allow them to continue to expand and grow independently and continue on the path they have been on for 10+ years. We are excited to welcome the BWG team into the Continental family, albeit as a distant cousin, but still family nonetheless. Thank you to Randy, Susan, Steve, and others for your hard work to get this partnership done and looking forward to your future growth."
Randy added: "My hope is to continue to grow the relationships we have developed for the past 38 years for many more to come. With new financial strength we are positioned to continue our growth on strong footing and we look forward to supporting the growing Continental network of companies and others. This partnership will be good for all of our customers and supply partners."
Look for other exciting product and sales channel innovations as this partnership develops over time and be sure to checkout Bright Way and Continental Battery.