All photos by Chris Whatron

Who is Matt Coplon? Hopefully you know the answer already, but if you don’t, he is the go-to guy at Profile Racing. He handles sales and team manager positions for Profile and Madera, along with doing anything else that needs to be done at Profile Headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida. He’s also lead singer in the band Light Yourself on Fire and is in the process of getting a Graduate Degree. Between work, music, and school he still finds time to ride his bike frequently and be one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.—Brett Rohlfing





How long have you been riding and what got you into BMX in the first place?
I’ve been riding since Thanksgiving of 1989. I was sitting on my grandmother’s couch eating green beans and mashed potatoes when someone switched the channel to “Rad” (oddly enough the feature movie that night). I couldn’t believe what I saw: Cru Jones, Rex, Rod, and Bart Taylor picking up girls while riding their bikes. I was 13, had little friends, and girls wouldn’t talk to me, so I thought getting a bike would do the trick. I had an old Kent that I bought from a department store, painted it camouflage, and became the bunnyhop champion of my neighborhood. It did land me plenty of lifelong friendships—unfortunately it didn’t allow me to pick up any girls.

How did you wind up working at Profile and what were some of your first duties there?
Jeff Harrington and I were really tight—he handled the team and the in-house distribution from 1998 to 2001. Right around 2001, Jeff decided that he wanted to move to Binghamton, NY to work for FBM. At this point I had just finished my degree and I was debating a job between managing a skatepark and working for the Hartford selling Insurance (both I didn’t want to do). Luckily, Jeff asked if I wanted to fill his position. And although I was reluctant at first, I went in anyways to see what it was all about. Jim Alley hired me that day: accepting the job here was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made.

First duties?
One of the first things Jeff showed me was a very rushed explanation of how to build a cassette hub. From years of experience, that is something I explain to a new hire at least a couple days in. Needless to say, my mechanical ineptitude and Jeff’s lack of patience didn’t work out too hot. A hub that takes me about three minutes to build now was probably taking me twenty in the beginning. It was frustrating to say the least.
Besides that, I would have to build crank boxes—hundreds of them—which is actually therapeutic.

What are some of the best parts of your job?
Handling the team for sure. Being able to assemble a team of my friends, to travel with them, and to have them help promote a product I believe in. It’s a pretty amazing responsibility. Giving input into product development and seeing it come out of the machine within days. That never ceases to amaze me. Being able to have a hand in the creation of a new brand (Madera) and seeing it grow.

What are some of the worst parts of your job?
The hour drive to work. The hour drive home. All the gas I waste in the commute.

How do you handle team selection for Profile and Madera?
I was actually thinking about this last night. It’s funny how much it has changed from my beginnings here. To start, I try to keep the team as consistent as possible. That being said, most of our guys have ridden for us for years and have a vested interest in what goes on. So nowadays, it works kind of like the senate: our riders pitch out an idea of someone who they are stoked on. We talk about it, discuss it with some of the other guys, and decide from there. The additions of Greg Smee, Jared Eberwein, and Chris Gille for Profile as well as Bill Politis, Josh Eilken, and Jeff Kocsis for Madera worked that way. All those dudes were kind of voted on by the team and it ended up working out perfect.

Is there any chance an old-fashioned “sponsor me” tape would ever work?
Probably not. Personality is such a big part of promotions. I’ve had too many experiences with helping people out who have turned out to be just plain salty. A good rider is a great thing to come by. But having an amazing personality is what we really look for. You can’t catch personality from a sponsor me tape.

How important would you say the team has been to getting Profile to where it is?
Very, especially over the past couple years. Our current teams are super proactive: they travel a ton and are very approachable, are very willing to help us promote product, and are always quick to get on the other end of an e-mail or phone call to relay input on product and promotional decisions. Communication is key. Overall, the team is our eyes and ears. We can’t thank them enough!

Any big trends you see coming for BMX products?
Looks like the 80’s are back: V-bars, Profile retro products, “power-bend bars,” V-necks, mustaches, big beards, really short shorts, plastic pedals, and mag wheels.What do I see in the future? I can only hope jelly shoes come back right when bear trap race pedals are released. That would make a sweet combo. Looks like what’s old is now new. It’s not a bad thing, why re-invent the wheel when you can pull some flat tires out of the BMX closet, fill ‘em up with air, and behold something brand new again. It’s pretty sweet.

With work, school and a touring band, do you find time to ride very much these days?
I actually had to take this semester off school due to an overly hectic traveling schedule with the team, the band, and travels with my lady. So that’s one less thing I’ve had to do over the past couple weeks. Regardless, staying busy puts my riding on a schedule. I might have less time to ride, but when I do (about four days a week), it gets me motivated and I definitely push myself much more. It ends up making riding much more enjoyable. For years, all I did was work and then ride almost every day when I got out. That monotony ended up coming close to burning me out a couple years ago.

You have been with Profile for a long time, have you seen it all business wise or are there always new issues coming up?
Kevin Porter says that there are two sides to me: “Regular Matt” and “Business Matt.” Most of the time you’ll find one or the other, but if you’re lucky, you might be able to meet both. I definitely take work seriously, but I think that comes from having a lot of pride in what we do here and genuinely enjoying my job. I wake up every morning looking forward to going to work. I think that’s where Business Matt comes into play: I make sure things get done. The problem in the past was that “Business Matt” would come along on road trips. I used to get pretty wound up if things didn’t go correctly; being places at a specific time, riding enough, getting enough footage, shooting enough photos, etc…Over the past couple years, I’ve learned the hard way that that is not what trips are all about. The goal is to have a good time being together as a team. As long as you’re having fun, things will come naturally…having a good time with your friends while meeting new friends is the best way to promote anything. So over the past couple years, when Profile and or Madera trips go down, Matt goes along and “Business Matt” stays at the factory.

What was behind the decision to start a whole new brand for the few no-frills versions of profile products that Madera offers instead of just selling them under the Profile name?
We wanted to do a product line that was less expensive for us to produce. Less expensive production equals a less expensive MSRP for the end user. We didn’t want to do it under the Profile name and make it seem that we were making “cheaper” products. Instead, we put our heads together and designed a line that was much simpler aesthetically. All that intricate machine work on the Profile line adds up. As an example: A Profile hub shell takes 7-1/2 minutes to run, a Madera v-2 shell takes five. More time equals more money. In essence, Madera is an American made alternative comparable in price to the Taiwanese brands.

What are some things you have been proud of since you began working at profile?
I’m proud of our riders for sure. I’m really stoked on those guys and extremely thankful for everything they do. I’m definitely proud of the work force here in the shop. It’s amazing how much stuff gets done with a very small amount of people. Madera in general, because I’ve watched it from the very beginning. And I can’t pinpoint any product because everything that comes out of the machines I’m pretty proud of. Recently, I’m most stoked on the new Mulville “Push” stem. Light, clean, and simple. I always get really amped when our riders have an endorsed product released.

Is it true that the Profile shop now has am original 80’s RAD! movie poster signed by the actor that played Cru Jones?
This is factual. It’s in Charlie’s office (Promotions Manager). Not sure where he got it, but that’s one of the interesting things about it: It just showed up one day. Unfortunately, Bill Allen (Cru Jones) did not sign it…it’s too bad we didn’t have it at Interbike, I’m sure he would have been stoked to put pen to paper. The Profile factory is like a museum. Lift up a box anywhere and you’ll find something interesting. I found some Fusion cranks from the early 90’s the other day. I’m waiting for the day when I open up a secret door and Gary Ellis speed jumps out wearing sunglasses and wielding a Kentucky Waterfall.

Thanks, because you can’t thank people enough:
Jim and Nancy Alley for all their support. Charlie Fernandez, Grant Carter, Tracie Mae, and Christian Henrich for making the day to day happen smoothly. Jack Gay and the machine shop crew for belting out product from the machines and Corey Alley for his detail in design. Extra special thanks to all of our riders for their support and commitment! To Chris Wharton for taking these photos and always being down to shoot. And I personally want to thank Mark Mulville for prank calling me every day, Chad Degroot and UGP, Ralph at Animal for the best pegs and tires, Brian and Beloe, Adi for putting 2 and 8 shirts on my chest, Torsten and Country Bikes for my frame, The Skatepark of Tampa for being great to our local riders, and Forrest Roberts and Matt Arnold for motivation. And of course, thanks to all of you for supporting Profile and Madera.