A Corning Distinguished Associate

By Natalie Cagle

When you’re planning a bike ride in Kansas in the middle of Summer, it better be early. The heat and humidity are no joke. Fortunately for me, I planned a ride with the Garmin Fitness Marketing team, who are pros when it comes to knowing the best time of day, and routes to ride.

We met outside Garmin HQ in Olathe, KS at 0600. With the sun still rising, we headed out for the rolling Kansas countryside. As you would expect with people who work with GPS for a living, our route was carefully planned to showcase some of the Garmin employees’ favorite spots to ride and some beautiful scenery that really showcased the Kansas prairie.

I had forewarned my riding companions that we would be stopping for photos and videos in advance. I’ve learned the hard way that if you’re going to do this on a ride, it’s best to disclose it ahead of time, otherwise you could find yourself alone out in the middle of nowhere. On the flip side, this was the marketing team I was riding with, so it didn’t really require explanation. 

Alongside the fields of wheat, corn and sunflowers, I learned the story of how Garmin began and the journey to where they are today. The story had similarities to Corning’s own history. Both companies helped pioneer an industry, and both have made significant impacts on the world through the technology they create. Like Corning, Garmin continues to innovate, and their engineers never stop improving upon their products. I learned that in the Garmin Fitness division, many of the engineers are athletes, “living the product.” The features and even small nuances that can make a big difference in their wearables stems from the engineers’ own experience with the device.

As the sun climbed into the sky, we had plenty of opportunities to see how Corning® Gorilla® Glass with DX/DX+ helps decrease glare on our Garmin wearables. This same composite that we recently announced can also be applied to smartphone camera lens covers. You can learn more about the science behind how this works by watching this video. As a triathlete, I can attest to the fact that it really does make a difference. (But you don’t have to take my word for it, check out the Tweet someone tagged us in).

In total we went 42 miles, and despite getting up early, the heat started to climb so we ended our ride near the water.

As an ingredient brand, and the industry leader in glass technology, Corning Gorilla Glass has the privilege to work with Garmin plus many other brands and industry leaders in mobile consumer electronics. Corning’s commitment to our customers is a part of our core values. Understanding what’s important to our customers’ customers, and company culture, is part of that commitment which is why I was honored to be along for the ride.

Natalie is the Digital Marketing Manager for Corning® Gorilla® Glass. When she’s not doing mom things for her kids, or convincing her dog not to be lazy, or nerding out on digital stuff, she rides her bike, swims and runs…and when she’s feeling particularly nutty she does all three in a triathlon.