In his position as sales manager, he works in customer service and manages a team of 14 who act as liaisons between Canyon and its current and potential customers.

“I love biking to work every day and getting paid to talk about what my passion is,” Felipe said of his job

Acevedo didn’t start his career in cycling or even the action sports industry. Prior to working at Canyon, he worked at Nordstrom in Colorado in extreme winter weather. After realizing he wanted to move, he participated in the Carlsbad Marathon and ran past the Canyon Bicycles sprinter van. Post-marathon Acevedo said he was intrigued by the Canyon van so he found their website and applied for a job—the one he has now.

Although Acevedo’s discovery of Canyon in Carlsbad was unexpected, the company’s decision to locate in Carlsbad was anything but random.

“Carlsbad is a Mecca of mixed terrain, hills, mountains and beaches—it has everything,” Felipe said. “We couldn’t pick a better location to have Canyon Bicycles—it’s the perfect representation of our company.”

Canyon Bicycles sponsors the Belgium Waffle Ride in Carlsbad each year, which is an event like no other race that and draws people from all over the world.

“It is an epic day long race 130-140 miles that takes you through all the backroads of Carlsbad and North San Diego County,” Felipe said. “There are about 1,000 participants from all around the globe.”

Beyond the strategic corporate decision to operate in Carlsbad, the work-life balance and temperate climate make the area enjoyable outside the office for Felipe as well.

“You can’t find any other city as invested in bike lanes like ours. It is so inspiring to just look over your shoulder and see the golden coast,” Felipe said of biking in Carlsbad. “It is a dream for cyclists and motivates people to get outside.”

Second to biking, eating is Felipe’s other favorite activity to do in Carlsbad thanks to the multitude of burgeoning restaurants.

“After an active day, eating in the Village or at the local shops is the best way to refuel and recharge for the day,” Felipe said of his favorite things to do in Carlsbad.

Acevedo said he joined the Active Ambassador program to increase exposure of the high-quality lifestyle Carlsbad offers.

“Carlsbad is very under-the-radar and we would like to open the doors for people who are active, like to surf, bike, be outside and just encourage people to explore,” Felipe told us.

If you work in Carlsbad and want to become an Active Ambassador or know someone who demonstrates the Carlsbad spirit of Life in Action, learn more here.