Charting the Course for Strategic Sports

Like many University of Washington alumni Norman Cheng (BA 1988) credits his time in the classroom with providing the skills to build his business. But Cheng says he also learned some of his most valuable lessons in an unexpected location on campus.  

“I was bussing tables at the Hub,” Cheng recalls in an interview from Hong Kong, where his company— Strategic Sports Limited—is based. “And even though it wasn’t the most glamorous of jobs, it taught me how to work with colleagues. Today, my job has many functions, but it is still all about working with people.” 

Cheng co-founded Strategic Sports with his father, Dr. Philip Cheng. Today, he serves as Managing Director. 

Over three decades, the company has grown into one of the world’s leading helmet manufacturers for all kinds of sports, from cycling to water sports. Cheng oversees all aspects of the business, which spans eight countries and has more than 4,000 employees. 

Fashion and Functionality 

One key element of the company’s success was the Cheng family’s decision early on to handle every aspect of production internally. From material sourcing to product testing, Strategic Sports employees do it all. 

“We started as just an assembler,” says Cheng. “Very quickly there were quality issues in key components that impacted our delivery. We realized the only way to manage this was for us to do the production in-house.” 

Safety is at the center of Strategic Sports’ business. The company owns and operates the largest privately held safety laboratory in the industry, where engineers conduct rigorous testing of helmets to ensure its products provide the utmost protection. 

Cheng explains that while safety is the company’s highest priority, many consumers think of their products in terms of fashion as much as functionality. 

“In our industry, safety is a given,” he says. “Nobody gets on a bike in the morning and thinks, ‘Oh, I’m going to have an accident.’ So, you have to get the rider to want to put the helmet on. As a result, we put considerable effort into the style and color of our helmets.” 

 Cheng and his team can also create custom helmet designs. He has produced several UW-themed helmets as one-of-a-kind gifts. Dean Frank Hodge wore a Strategic Sports helmet on his recent ride through the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

Paying Tribute to Marie Cheng-Wang 

The success of Strategic Sports has positioned Cheng to give to the Foster School in other ways. Cheng made a six-figure donation to name a meeting room in Founders Hall in memory of his mother, Marie Cheng-Wang. 

Cheng’s mother was born in China and was forced to emigrate to Taiwan when the communist regime took over in 1949. She earned a law degree and was a lifelong believer in the power of education to transform lives. 

“The meeting room named after my mother looks out to a field,” Norman shared. “I hope that when you sit in that room and look out the window, you see that calm, bringing you a sense of peace. I walked through the building with my daughter last summer and pointed out the name plaque. It honors a person who cared about education and cared for others. And that is something the world needs today.”