RALEIGH, NC (BRAIN)—Eastern Bikes has promoted Bryan Byrd to national sales manager.
Byrd has worked for Eastern for a little more than a year, previously working as a sales manager for an industrial supply distributor.
Byrd is responsible for future growth of the Eastern Bikes dealer base and serving the nation’s dealers through Eastern's sales team. This change will alleviate some responsibility from Eastern Bikes’ original rider/owners Mike Corley and Jon Byers. The further development of Eastern’s dealer programs and sales strategy will flow through Byrd and the sales team, allowing Byers and Corley to focus on brand development both domestically and abroad.
As part of an initiative that began one year ago, Eastern Bikes has recently implemented a new ERP system to improve its service levels and improve the total purchasing experience for dealers. This transition forward to a more efficient distribution company with strong customer focus was completed with the assistance of one of the nation’s leading automotive distribution consultants.
One of the key initiatives that Byrd is pushing forward is Eastern’s move toward online ordering capability.
“We hope to have many of our dealers and international distributors Web order ready as of September and really see this as a huge opportunity for both our valued dealers and for Eastern Bikes. The time savings for dealers, as well as the ability to order at their convenience should prove invaluable, especially during what should be an exceptionally busy holiday time. On our side of things, the online ordering capability should free up time for our sales staff to go after some great opportunities in the marketplace,” Byrd said.
Byrd’s passion for bicycles runs deep, as a BMX racer for many years and as more of a street rider for the last 10 years. In recent years, Byrd also competed regionally in Dual Slalom and Downhill MTB racing.
“I cannot express how excited I am to help elevate Eastern Bikes position as a BMX brand and as a go-to distributor. Eastern has been constantly improving for years now and we’re really gaining focus and renewed energy with these changes. There’s a lot more to come from Eastern Bikes," Byrd said.
Eastern has also relocated its Landis, North Carolina-based distribution center to a larger, more modern facility. The goal with this change is to be able to operate much more efficiently while filling more orders faster and focusing on order accuracy.
