LAGUNA HILLS, CA (BRAIN)—Currie Technologies new director of sales Jack Gresmer has been a busy man for the last month—hitting America’s open roads to engage retailers on the company's e-bikes.
“It was my idea,” Gresmer said of his Currie U.S. retailer tour that he took a break from to visit BRAIN headquarters yesterday.
It makes sense that it was Gresmer’s idea, since he was brought on board this summer to “recruit dealers in the IBD.”
Gresmer embraces the challenge of informing U.S. retailers on Currie’s e-bikes. The American IBD, unlike its European counterparts, has been slow to embrace e-bikes.
“I always like working for the underdog,” Gresmer said.
For Gresmer, who had spent the four years previous as president of NiteRider, Currie was a “pretty good fit” moving forward. This was in large part due to Gresmer’s strong relationship with Currie president Larry Pizzi and vice president of sales Rob Kaplan, forged while the three worked together for Brunswick/Mongoose.
But there was also more to it than that. “I’ve always been fascinated with this category,” Gresmer added.
Gresmer admits there was a steep learning curve in working for an e-bike manufacturer. “It’s a very different category,” he said. “Customers are different. Product is different.”
Since Gresmer came on board Currie has upped its independent rep force to 17 individuals, which has helped spread the word at the IBD level. Gresmer’s road trip has also helped along those same lines.
“The dealers I’ve talked to are really honest [about what they think about e-bikes both good and bad],” Gresmer said.
—Jason Norman
