Pleasant Valley, MO (Feb 3, 2022) – Chamois Butt'r is growing its Kansas City staff to seven, with the addition of Aaron Apel. Aaron joins the Chamois Butt'r operations team to work directly with Chamois Butt'r Chief Operating Officer, Curt Shelman. "Aaron will focus on implementation of organizational and strategic initiatives that will include product development, consumer and retailer relations, event support, and helping manage North American and International distribution for the brand entering its twenty ninth year in business."
Aaron brings Chamois Butt'r his experience as a race promoter, professional trail builder, USA Cycling Race Mechanic, State and National lobbyist on behalf of cycling infrastructure, independent bike shop owner, (Big Poppi Bicycle Co, Manhattan, KS), and most recently as operations manager at Gravel City Adventure & Supply Co, Emporia, KS, for the past three and a half years. Aaron, along with his well-rounded skills as a small business owner/operator, brings his personal cycling experiences in MTB, gravel racing and more recently with bike-packing. Aaron's deep industry relationships, leadership track record and personal riding interests will be valuable to strengthening Chamois Butt'r consumer insights and operational efficiency as the brand continues to search for ways to improve every mile spent in the saddle.
"I have known Aaron for 7 or 8 years now and he seems to have a great relationship with every cyclist and industry person that he interacts with," said Curt Shelman. "Aaron, with his experience as an IBD owner, brings insight that we have not had in our organization, the lens of a small retailer into the industry and how our product interacts or is perceived by retailers and their customers. Spending the last 3 years working in Emporia, he's also been at the epicenter of the gravel expansion in cycling, so he gained great insights to the growth of the industry as gravel riding matured. We are excited to add Aaron and his wife Melanie to the Chamois Butt'r family and the Kansas City community."
"While nothing can replace living and working in the gravel riding capital of the world, and the day-to-day energy that face-to-face interactions provided at the IBD level by serving riders, I am excited to join the passionate, entrepreneurial minded team at Chamois Butt'r," said Apel. "From the moment Curt and Steve described where Chamois Butt'r has come from and where they want to go, I saw a company that cares for their customer. A team that is interested in real solutions and innovation in an ever more complex cycling market. From distribution relationships to the end user experience Chamois Butt'r cares and that is a company foundation that I can emphatically champion."
If you want to keep up with what Aaron is up to, follow his adventures on Instagram. Stay up to date on all Chamois Butt'r news by following along on social where the brand posts monthly giveaways, promotions, and breaking athlete partnerships and new product information.
About Chamois Butt'r
Chamois Butt'r was developed in 1993 via collaboration between a physical therapist and avid cyclist Steve Mathews and an experienced and passionate group of pro cyclists, physicians, and chemists. In the years since its launch, Chamois Butt'r has evolved from an individual product into a full suite of offerings developed to suit the individual preferences of a wide range of athletes, disciplines, and conditions including anti-chafe cream and solid forms as well as skin and kit cleansers. The Chamois Butt'r line is featured on the shelves of most U.S. bicycle retailers and also distributed internationally. For more, please visit chamoisbuttr.com.
