Three's the Charm For Barrington Ironman

Family man, ironman, businessman.

Vinu Malik of Barrington is engaging, enthusiastic, and down to earth as he discusses his successful company, Fuel Belt, headquartered in modest surroundings at 267 Water St., Warren.

Malik is the son of two doctors. His father immigrated from India and his mother from the Philippines. He grew up in Attleboro, Mass., where sports featured largely in his life with his two brothers.

Malik was an avid tennis player, skateboarder, skier, and runner, which ultimately resulted in his competing in dozens of triathlons, including the prestigious Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii, which Malik has finished seven times.

After obtaining a B.A. in history and economics from American University in Washington, DC, Malik moved to Cambridge, Mass., where he continued to train. It was while out running one day that Malik realized how dissatisfied he was with both his race times and the hydration belt he was using.

Malik designed a better belt, one that “wouldn't chafe.” He used his experience with two prior start-up companies, one in software and one in media/marketing technology, to launch Fuel Belt in 1997.

Malik moved to Barrington in 2002 on the recommendation of his brother, chiropractor Michael Malik. He grew his business from a living room loaded with only his original four-bottle belt design to a range of 120 products for endurance-sports enthusiasts.

“Barrington is beautiful,” said Malik, praising the town for its great cycling, swimming, and running opportunities and the friendliness of its people and the community spirit. Fuel Belt is one of the sponsors of the Bayside Family YMCA triathlon, where 110 athletes compete.

“It's clearly a great environment to raise kids,” he said.

Which is a good thing for Malik and his wife, Ann, as they recently welcomed their third child, Vinu, now 3 months old. Vinu Jr. has two older siblings, Jasmine, 4, and Indira, 2, and often accompany mom and dad to work.

The original intention had been for Ann not to be involved with the company, said Malik, but her qualities were hard to pass up. She serves as the CFO and COO of the company.

“She is what you'd call All-Star material,” said Malik. “She's detail-focused, and I'm marketing focused, so we make a good team.”

Malik appreciates the irony of being someone who is partial to individual sports, and now finds himself heading up and being part of a great team. He has 11 full-time employees, and more than 20 independent sales reps.

Running your own business is “a lot of work,” Malik said.

“There's a lot of risk involved in any start-up, any endeavor,” he said. “Anyone considering starting their own business needs to think a lot about the commitment.”

For Malik though, it's really about the life he is able to enjoy with his family and his employees.

His office space overlooks the Warren River and the waterfront Barrington homes on the other side. His family enjoys Barrington Beach and the East Bay Bike Path, and he and his employees, who also think of themselves as family, all lead very active lifestyles.

That's exactly how Malik wants to keep it.