Scott has been led by his passion for all things bikes since he was 4 years old when the training wheels first came off. After graduating from University of Vermont with a business degree, the mountains called and he put down roots in Jackson Hole, WY where he opened a one-man repair shop that turned into a Top 50 US bike shop. A stint as Mayor of Victor, ID, Executive Director of a local entrepreneur supporting non-profit, and a member of the faculty at Thaden School in Bentonville, AR are among the experiences that enrich his entrepreneur DNA and passion for change making. Just like a well adjusted headset, Scott keeps the Pedal Kids team steering in the right direction.
Jannine has been in the bike industry since the turn of the century but don’t let that fool you. Her stoke on and off the bike is higher than ever! Although her experience in bicycle shop inventory management is legendary, day to day Jannine helps coordinate and synchronize all the Pedal Kids moving pieces across both the programming and product aspects of the business. We call her the Crank because her energy really helps power the team!
Ben was born and raised in Northwest New Jersey, but has lived in Northwest Arkansas now since he was in High School. He has a strong passion for being on two wheels- both bikes and motorcycles- and has been riding since he was four years old. After nearly a decade of food service and working his way through his B.A. in Communication and Sociology as a first-generation student, he attended graduate school in Communication at the University of Arkansas.
Having experience in communications, Ben is well-equipped to tell the incredible stories of accomplishment and STOKE we see every day at here Pedal Kids! We call Ben the Geometry because he’s largely responsible for crafting the look, feel and design of much of our communication.
Originally from Northwest Arkansas, Betzy brings over a decade of experience leading teams, building programs, and developing leaders in the health, wellness, and recreation industries. Driven by a passion for helping others build confidence through movement, she was drawn to Pedal Kids’ mission of empowering youth through biking and all the personal growth that comes with it. For Betzy, combining her background in operations, marketing, and coaching with a purpose-driven organization felt like the perfect fit for her.
Outside of work, she stays just as active, whether she’s climbing, playing soccer, traveling, or hanging out with her partner and their two dogs. As a first-generation college graduate who grew up in a bilingual household, she has a deep-rooted love for connecting with people from all different backgrounds and is so excited to bring that community-building energy to the team.
We call Betzy “The Derailleur” because she loves helping teams navigate change, adapt to new challenges, and keep moving forward toward their goals.
Roger Donham is a certified professional powerhouse bringing 21 years of elite AR/AP management experience gained from his tenure at Corporate Walmart. His expertise is focused on ensuring compliance and financial transparency, with a passion for using meticulous data analysis to accurately tell the business’s story. This rigorous approach makes him indispensable to our financial health and operational efficiency.
A mission-driven leader, Roger is committed to leveraging his financial skills to support a company that is deeply passionate about helping kids and serving the community. When not managing our accounts, Roger enjoys downtime watching a favorite movie or exploring the trails around Tanyard Creek with his partner and dog.
Roger serves as our Office Manager, a role where he has quickly become an absolutely essential component of our operation, earning him the nickname: “The Chain.”
Ciara serves as the Family Experience Manager at Pedal Kids USA, where she helps shape the connection between families, programming, community, and brand experience. From supporting family communication and community engagement to storytelling, marketing, and program experience, her role centers around creating welcoming spaces where kids and families can build confidence, connection, and joy through bikes. With more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit, education, and outdoor recreation sectors, Ciara brings a deep understanding of community building, volunteer leadership, and impact-driven communication. Many know her from her work with local trail organizations, Bikeboom, All Bikes Welcome, community outreach initiatives, and the documentary Beyond the Ashes, all of which reflect her passion for creating more inclusive and accessible cycling communities. Affectionately known as “The Tread” for her ability to adapt and roll through just about anything, Ciara combines creativity, resilience, and people-first leadership in everything she does. Outside of work, she’s deeply involved in outdoor recreation and advocacy, spending her time cycling, rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, camping, and helping connect more women, kids, and families to the outdoors. Her background in trail sustainability, community partnerships, volunteer development, and storytelling makes her a natural fit in helping grow Pedal Kids USA’s mission of sparking connection, confidence, and wellness through cycling.
Originally from the UK, Natasha brings a touch of British humor to the team. She leads coach training, development, and support across our programs. Natasha grew up riding bikes, playing soccer and generally being outdoors. Her two-wheel passion is a lifelong love affair with BMX!
With 15+ years in education, youth programs, and coaching, Natasha has deep roots in the Arkansas cycling community. She has helped grow cycling across the state through initiatives like Kids Bike Arkansas, NICA, IMBA and local community planning—always focused on creating inclusive, confidence-building environments for kids.
Natasha thrives on a good cup of tea and a spreadsheet, earning her nickname “The Power Meter” for her love of data and ensuring every coach is equipped to create positive, engaging, and safe experiences for young riders.
Kansas City has always been home, but life has taken Reagan around the world while bringing her back to the place she loves most.
Those experiences have given Reagan a broader perspective, a sense of adventure, and an appreciation for helping kids discover what they’re capable of.
As Mom to a young son, she understands the importance of building confidence, resilience, and a strong sense of community.
She believes some of life’s best lessons are learned on two wheels and loves helping young riders build confidence, independence, and a lifelong love of cycling.
Colin’s dad nicknamed him “Stonehenge” during his band days, and it stuck over the years. He compares his shop role to a bike chain—connecting moving parts to turn energy into forward momentum. Colin began in grocery retail as a Whole Foods buyer sourcing products customers loved before shifting into vendor sales and distribution. After moving to Northwest Arkansas, he entered the bike world by volunteer-coaching his nephew’s NICA team. This led to coaching with Pedal Kids USA and joining the shop in December, inspired by their mission to get 20 million kids on bikes. Colin’s favorite part of the job is pairing families with the right bikes and programs to build kids’ confidence, skills, and lifelong love for riding. Outside work, he has played bass in a Chicago heavy metal band since high school, reuniting whenever he goes back home. After 20+ years through life’s highs, lows, marriages, and kids, his bandmates have become more like brothers.
Originally from St. Louis, Ben spent over a decade in Houston before he and his wife found the perfect opportunity to move closer to family in Northwest Arkansas. He first learned about Buddy Pegs through their parts distributor, where he stumbled upon co-founders Scott and Jannine’s children’s books all about bikes. Joining the team felt like a natural fit, allowing him to turn his passion for cycling into a purpose-driven career.
Outside of work, Ben loves taking road trips, exploring the local trails, and diving into any outdoor activity he can find around NWA. He is also a passionate animal advocate with a huge heart for rescue work, having fostered over two dozen animals to help them find their forever homes.
We call Ben “The Stoker” because, just like the rear rider on a tandem bicycle, he brings the steady, dependable power behind the scenes that keeps our entire team charging forward together!
Our Founders, Scott and Jannine Fitzgerald, have a passion for steep adventure. Their adventures started on bikes, skis, and snowboards, but these days their ‘steep adventure’ is found in parenting and making the world a better place through cycling.
Steep adventure is all about trying something new, pushing beyond your comfort zone, and realizing the rewards of taking reasonable risks in life. It’s also about having positive impact.
2002: Scott and Jannine started a one-man bicycle repair shop in Jackson Hole, WY, and grew it into a Top 50 US bicycle retailer. While running Fitzgerald’s Bicycles, they saw the positive impacts bicycles have on people of all ages, and communities as a whole.
2014: Scott and Jannine write their first children’s book called B is for Bicycles which was successfully funded on Kickstarter. Buddy Pegs was born! From that launch pad, Scott and Jannine began creating a world of original story telling podcasts for kids from their personal experiences running a local bike shop and raising a family. Have you heard the World of Buddy Pegs?
2015: They sold their bicycle shop to embark on a new steep adventure to inspire families across the country to adopt cycling as their favorite family activity and focus on Buddy Pegs full-time!
2017: Scott and Jannine write their second picture book Taking The Lead, also successfully funded on Kickstarter. By creating adventurous stories and experiences for kids, and their parents, Scott and Jannine introduce families to how the bicycle really can be a simple solution to the world’s most complex problems. And a lot of fun!
Out of the stories came something even bigger – insight into what else parents need to help their kids fall in love with bicycles. After meeting thousands of parents at book shows, bike races, and children’s festivals, it became clear that bicycling was lacking what every other sport has: a framework of coaching.
Why can preschool kids join a baseball team but not a bike team? Why is it so easy for parents to sign their kids up for soccer but not for bike riding? The truth is, the way we teach kids how to ride a bike has not evolved and the steady decline in participation proves it.
2018-2019: Scott, Jannine, and their 8 year old son, move into a 24′ RV and travel the country pulling a trailer full of kids bikes, ramps, cones, and stuffed animals. The goal: develop the first comprehensive model for youth cycling education starting at 2 years old. The couple worked diretly with hundreds of families across the country.
2019: The Fitzgerald family relocates to Bentonville, AR to contribute to incredible effort being put forth to create the world’s first model cycling community. Buddy Pegs launches year round programming for Preschool and Elementary age kids across NW Arkansas.
2022: Buddy Pegs expands into Kansas City as the first expansion market.
2023: Buddy Pegs continues to expand programming in Arkansas and Kansas City while laying the ground work for online classes and the next market, Dallas-Ft Worth, TX.
2024: Buddy Pegs branches off Pedal Kids USA- same company, same HQ, but solely focused on programming- and a name better suited to contain all the incredible momentum the entire Buddy Pegs team has generated over the last many year. Onward!
Buddy Pegs Family Bike Shop sells Bikes, Helmets, Gloves, Pads, Tools, and everything you need to begin your kiddo’s biking career! We carry the top kid’s oriented biking brands across the United States to help your kiddo get from never ever to shredder in no time! Begin shopping more than 100’s of products below!
