PORTLAND, Ore. (BRAIN) — Industry veteran Ed Rae, who in July joined Danish cargo bike brand Triobike as its U.S. agent, died Sept. 23 at his home because of a cardiac issue. He was 68.
According to Triobike CEO Sammy Eisinger, Rae’s doctor said the probable cause was atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. “This was totally unexpected, and he was on the phone to the last minute,” Eisinger wrote BRAIN in an email.
He is survived by his sister, Kathy Fairchild.
Rae previously was the North American agent for Urban Arrow for nearly four years, and before that was North American agent for Brompton for eight years.
“Ed reached out to Triobike to explore how we could work together,” Eisinger said. “We quickly realized that Ed was something special. He had a passion for the bike industry. He was both commercially and technically very knowledgeable. He had built a strong network of U.S. dealers who trusted him. It was clear that Ed was very ethical and really had the interest of the dealers doing any business. He challenged the strategy as he only wanted to be part of the business if it was a win-win.”
Eisinger said Rae’s market knowledge was an asset that will be missed.
“Ed also has a wealth of knowledge about the world in general and he was open and curious. He enjoyed working with global bike brands and understood the cultural differences between the different markets. And he enjoyed traveling and working closely with the manufacturers to educate them on the U.S. market conditions. … We had put together a strong plan with Ed's help and we'll continue that — now with Ed as part of the team in spirit.”
