CARLSBAD, Calif. (BRAIN) — Canyon USA now has 20 employees, with the hiring of new staff in the operations, sales and IT departments.
The company has brought on former Specialized manager Keith Hnatiuk as its director of operations, former Castelli USA sales manager Katie Araujo as inside sales manager, and international IT expert Malek Awar as IT manager. Canyon also has added eight inside sales agents and four bike mechanics recently.
"Whether it's Keith's insights, Katie's drive, Malek's technical support, or the diverse skills of the rest of the staff, we are setting up Canyon USA to be the best bike company," said Blair Clark, the president of Canyon USA.
Hnatiuk was at Specialized 15 years, where he served in a variety of roles doing forecasting, strategic planning and product line management. Prior to Specialized, he worked as an investment manager and as a controller. "Keith has a very curious analytical mindset which will serve us well as we scale. His depth of understanding of the business model and the market conditions make Keith a unicorn for us" said Thomas Baumann, the general manager of Canyon USA.
Araujo most recently led regional custom and team sales at Castelli USA,. Previously she worked in sales and marketing management roles at A-Line, SPY Optic, and Emerald Connect. She also is a racer who recently competed at the Ironman World Championships and the ABSA Cape Epic. "Katie is a competitor, the perfect blend of missionary and mercenary that we need to drive Canyon USA inside sales," said Clark.
Awar holds an Executive MBA degree from ESCP, a graduate business school with several campuses across Europe. He previously led all IT operations at Premiere Services and has been responsible for an IT Group of 75 people across 15 countries. "We are so grateful for Malek's contribution and he could not be more perfect for our US business needs," said Baumann.
