SHEBOYGAN, Wisc. — When driving down Playbird Road in Sheboygan, it's easy to miss the sign for Wisconsin Hydrographics.
It's a paint and print shop run by Barry Nelson, and according to him, his business is a best kept secret.
Nelson focuses on custom exterior designs for guns, cars, motorcycles and more, but he's has to fulfill a very special order recently: a bike frame for BMX athlete Cameron Wood, who's set to compete at the Olympics for the first time this year.
“Everything we do is made to last,” Nelson noted. "There was probably two dozen hours of hands-on labor to make it what it is."
The bike design was made to reflect the country and its rider — wood detailing for Cam's last name and stars and stripes for Team USA.
Watch: How a Sheboygan business owner's work will be highlighted at Olympics
“He is just a bolt of lightning. How somebody can peddle that fast — it’s mind boggling to watch him," Nelson said. "It was a really neat project to be involved with."
Nelson is no stranger to high-profile customers — A-list actors, musicians and major car brands.
“People will say, ‘Oh that’s so cool that you’ve done that! Who would have thought that here in Sheboygan Wisconsin?'"
But his art is the most important thing, and the Olympics are no different.
"I didn't think of the magnitude of it when I was designing it and creating it. I just wanted Cam to like it," he explained.
Nelson is a Marine Corps veteran and loves the country he served. There's an American flag hanging from the ceiling in his workshop.
“The Olympics is huge and we were lucky enough to be asked to be a part of it," he said. "Once Cam is standing on the gold medal platform and I can say, ‘Hey we did that,” I think it’ll sink in a little bit more.”
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