David Hart

It's also wise, if you can, to spend some $$$ in cities like Baker City and
shops like RCB. It can make a difference for the race organizer as it's a
reason for the city to grant permits. If the city or business benefits from
racers, they will want you back.

Bob's Red Mill has gained my loyalty to add to Kenji's note. They will be
around to sponsor cross for a while which is really nice.

David

On Wed, Apr 1, 2009 at 11:04 AM, T. Kenji Sugahara wrote:

> 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 Bob’s 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
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > DISCLAIMER:
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> contain
> > information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure
> > under applicable law. If you are not the addressee you are hereby
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> > that you may not use, copy, disclose, or distribute to anyone the message
> or
> > any information contained in the message. If you have received this
> message
> > in error, please immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete
> > this message.
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--
david hart