LAFAYETTE, CO (BRAIN)—Howie Cohen and Rotor USA will no longer be distributing Rotor products.
After being a crucial element of the Rotor Components' introduction and growth in the U.S. market, Cohen felt that it was time to work on other projects both in the bike industry and personally.
Rotor Components, USA, of Colorado Springs, Colorado will assume the distribution duties and will be managed by Kervin Quinones. Quinones has over 10 years experience in the bicycle industry and has worked under Cohen’s direction at Rotor USA for the past year and a half; he has a vast knowledge of the technical Rotor products.
Cohen began consulting with Rotor-Spain more four years ago.
The object was to establish a traditional relationship for sales between Rotor-Spain and some major distributors in the U.S. and a few foreign countries.
"Because the Rotor products were innovative and untraditional, there was not enough demand from the cycling community and therefore there was no interest from any of the major distributors," Cohen said. "We decided that the best method would be for me to do the grass roots marketing in an effort to build the demand within the cycling community, which would create a demand at the dealer level, which would create a demand at the distributor level."
This decision required that Cohen start a new distributorship for Rotor sales to the cycling community and to dealers.
"I was well aware of what this task involved as I previously owned two different distributorships (West Coast Cycle-Nishiki and Everything Bicycles-Kuwahara)," Cohen said. "We (him and his wife Kay) operated the small Rotor USA Distributorship from a 1400 square foot room adjacent to our home."
As the Rotor products became more popular, other distributors became interested (namely QBP and Hans Johnsen Co), so distribution to dealers became more traditional and convenient.
"Kervin started working with us in early 2006 with the plan for him to take over the business," Cohen said. "He has done a masterful job at the marketing of the products and the communications with the factory in Spain (he speaks fluent Spanish). Kervin is young, well experienced and knowledgeable about the bike industry and specifically about the Rotor products. This was the correct time to make this change, for the benefit of all concerned."
Cohen can now be reached at (303) 828-0375 or howiebikeman@gmail.com.
Quinones can be reached at (719) 302-3437 or Kervin@rotorbike.com. —Jason Norman
