T. Kenji Sugahara
Dave has hit the nail on the head.
Please support those who support us- and as mentioned, when you go
there tell them why you're there!
Each time I stop by a supporting store I always mention the cycling
piece and I also encourage friends to go there! (Most recently Bob's
where I picked up a lot of 10 Grain)
It also holds true for bike race sponsors. For example, when I raced
out in Elkhorn last year, I made efforts to stop by stores that were
sponsors, bought some things and most importantly said "thank you".
Sponsors are part of our community- and without them, we wouldn't have
such a great racing scene.
Spend money locally- and see it come back.
Thanks!
k-
2009/3/31 Brian Engelen :
> I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to thank Bob at Bobs Red Mill
> for sponsoring our Cross races. I think he really appreciated hearing from
> me and it made me feel good too.
>
>
>
> Brian
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
> Behalf Of Todd.Dye@CH2M.com
> Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 3:53 PM
> To: obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Open Letter from River City Bicycles
>
>
>
> And to add to that,
>
>
>
> Not only should we be supporting the businesses that support OBRA and our
> races, but we need to let them know it when we do. I have to imagine that
> it is darn near impossible for a shop to track who comes in the door and why
> unless they ask or you tell them.
>
>
>
> Being from Corvallis, River City isn't exactly a local shop for me, but I
> can say that I've been in there and spent money a few times (and have
> received excellent service), and I can guarantee I never would have gone
> there if I hadn't heard about them through their sponsorship of OBRA and
> word of mouth through OBRA chat.
>
>
>
> Same goes for other businesses that sponsor races, teams and OBRA. Last
> year I had a bunch of work done on my car and bought a car from Capitol
> Subaru. I never would have done that if I hadn't heard about them through
> their sponsorship of a race team. I let them know on one of those customer
> satisfaction surveys that I specifically went to their dealership because of
> their support of a cycling team.
>
>
>
> Filling out a customer survey seems like a good way to get word back to the
> management that make the decisions on where to invest their
> sponsorship/advertising dollars.
>
>
>
> The more we let the sponsors know when/why we are supporting them, the more
> likely they are to realize the return on their investment and continue to
> provide that support.
>
>
>
>
>
> Todd Dye
>
> Pacific Power Blue Sky/Fullcycles.com Race Team
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: obra-bounces@list.obra.org [mailto:obra-bounces@list.obra.org] On
> Behalf Of Kevin
> Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 3:20 PM
> To: obra@list.obra.org
> Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] Open Letter from River City Bicycles
>
> Tough times indeed. If we don't support our local bike shops then doors
> will close, and events they sponsor will disappear. What good is "saving" a
> dollar or two on your purchase if a good percentage of the rides/races you
> enjoy are gone? The "wrench" who's employed there might not be there the
> next time you need him!
>
> Support your local bike shop!
>
> Kevin
>
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> What is happening in Kevin's corner of the bike world?
> http://the-whir-of-spokes-in-air.blogspot.com
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> --- On Tue, 3/31/09, Murray, Candi P wrote:
>
> From: Murray, Candi P
> Subject: [OBRA Chat] Open Letter from River City Bicycles
> To: obra@list.obra.org
> Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 2:49 PM
>
> Dave asked me to post this for him. You can respond directly to him
>
>
>
> Candi
>
>
>
>
>
> Open letter to OBRA members
>
>
>
> Having just passed our 14-year anniversary, I have spent some time
> reflecting on River City Bicycle's position in Portland and the biking
> community. I'd like to thank all of you for the support that you've shown
> River City over the last fourteen years. While we are proud of what we've
> done so far, we would not have been able to give back to the community in
> the many ways we have if we did not have the support back from the bike
> community.
>
>
>
> One of the things I am proud of is the long-term relationship we have
> maintained with many biking organizations around Portland. Many of these we
> started at the early beginnings of the store such as Team Rose City, John
> Benenati's B.I.K.E. Cyclisme' program, and Emerald Velo, and have since
> expanded to the Vancouver Specialized/River City team, Sorella Forte', the
> River City shop team, Hammer Velo, and Rapha Racing. We have also maintained
> long-term sponsorship with some great OBRA events, the Mt. Tabor race
> series, Tuesday Night PIR (and now Monday Night), Oregon Mountain Bike race
> series, Alpenrose track series, and the River City Cross Crusade Cyclocross
> Series. There are probably some others I'm forgetting at the moment. The
> total costs of these programs to River City exceed $50,000 annually.
>
>
>
>
>
> Racing sponsorship is a very tricky proposition for businesses. This should
> be obvious to any fan of the sport, considering the revolving door of trade
> teams that come and go at every level. From my perspective, it can be a very
> difficult expense to justify at times, particularly if one just looks at the
> numbers or at the direct return on investment. But for River City, what we
> count on most to justify our continued support of racing sponsorship is the
> fact that each and every one of you is considered to be the expert on bikes
> to all of your friends and acquaintances, and that you will suggest to them
> that River City is, indeed, a good bike shop, and worthy of their business,
> whether or not we support your specific team or event. We do our best to
> live up to the recommendations that we get from our good customers, and are
> constantly improving what we do and how we do it. We have a very high
> caliber of staff here, true bike shop professionals who take their jobs as
> seriously a
> s you take yours. As the bike industry gets more technical and complex every
> year, we are able to maintain a high quality of staff for many years, some
> almost from our inception. This should be considered an asset to the biking
> community, as I'm sure most, if not all of you, have had bike problems that
> have had to be fixed by an expert.
>
>
>
> To conclude, I would like to thank you for continuing to support not only
> River City Bicycles, but also all of the sponsors of Oregon bicycle racing.
> This is a difficult business environment for everyone and we all need to
> recognize who we count on for support. So when you are thinking about that
> next bike related purchase please consider that the internet company or
> national chain that may offer a perceived lower price is doing so without
> the service or contribution to OBRA and our local biking community that we
> all benefit from and enjoy. We all vote with our wallets, and we all decide
> what is important to us in the long run.
>
>
>
> To the road,,
>
>
>
> David Guettler
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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