IRVINE, Calif. (BRAIN) — A Texas retailer whose employee completed the 1 millionth Shimano S-TEC training module has won a trip to Japan to visit the component giant's factories.
Jake VanderVaate of Cadence Cyclery in Highland Village, Texas, won the golden ticket to Japan for himself and shop owner Chad Plumlee. The two leave in October to visit the firm's main factory at its global headquarters in Sakai City, Osaka, along with a group of independent bicycle dealers invited by the firm.
The facility was completed in late 2014 and incorporates an earthquake-resistant seismic isolation structure as part of a building design that also contains noise and vibrations generated during forging operations.
Shimano's North American retail education manager, Dave Arnauckas, said, "Jake is just like many of our site's users: an employee at a great shop that enthusiastically trains on S-TEC. He just won himself and his boss the most special prize in the history of S-TEC, maybe even Shimano's history."
S-TEC rewards regular visitors to the site with prize drawings every month for completing video training. Occasionally, users win all-expenses-paid trips within North America to big races or industry events. The site is currently offering a VIP trip to the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Va., where Shimano will provide neutral race support. Details on the World's trip can be found on the site's discussion forum.
