CEDAR PARK, Texas (BRAIN) — Fallbrook Technologies, the manufacturer of NuVinci continuously variable planetary drivetrains, has hired Rick Soberanis as its "chief accelerator of sales and business development" for bike North America. Soberanis started working with Fallbrook's NuVinci bicycle division on Feb. 2.
Soberanis has held strategic leadership roles with Fortune 500 companies including Kraft Foods, Levi Strauss and Nautilus. Soberanis also founded Accelerator Business Solutions, a sales and marketing firm that focuses on providing strategic leadership to emerging brands poised for expansion.
Fallbrook's cycling products are now used by more than 60 major bicycle brands throughout Europe, and Fallbrook recently added three positions in the European market to support its growth there. In North America, the NuVinci N360 is distributed through independent bicycle shops, online retailers and REI. In his new role with Fallbrook, Soberanis will be working with current distributors, as well as focusing on additional distribution channels and OEM relationships for the NuVinci N360 drivetrain and its Harmony auto-shifting system.
"NuVinci sales are already poised for steady increases in North America," said David Hancock, Fallbrook's executive vice president responsible for the bicycle division. "Rick’s valuable background in category and channel management, combined with his attentiveness to customer needs, make him a strong addition to our North America bike team."
Soberanis will work from Portland, Ore., where he lives.
