Silver, Mordecai wrote:
> http://tinyurl.com/
>
> Trek's Burke: How I did it
> Tue Aug 8, 2006 9:17 AM ET
>
> By Leigh Buchanan
>
> (Inc.com) - The first Trek bikes, manufactured 30 years ago in a barn in
> Waterloo, Wisconsin, were cult items, appealing to purists who would no
> more ride their fathers' Schwinns than drive their fathers' Oldsmobiles.
> But Trek had no brand strategy or money to advertise, and in the early
> years it wobbled badly. Richard Burke turned things around by
> positioning the company to ride the rising interest in competitive
> cycling. Today Trek -- still in Waterloo, now employing 1,727 people
> worldwide and producing annual revenue of $600 million -- is the largest
> bicycle company in the United States and the second largest in the
> world. [...]
Thanks for posting that. As a former Trek frame builder it brings back memories. I only met Burke a few times, but he was always amiable and though he knew only a little about bikes he was willing to defer to those that did know. We were a little concerned when John Burke signed on as a sales rep, but it soon become clear he was dedicated and enthusiastic about it.
--
-John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA