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Stromer opens new US headquarters separate from BMC

Published March 4, 2016

SAN DIEGO (BRAIN) — Swiss e-bike brand Stromer, which shared U.S. sales and marketing resources under the same roof with owner BMC since 2012, has opened a new U.S. headquarters in San Diego separate from BMC and brought aboard a new general manager and sales director.

“We are still within BMC Holding, but one year ago we started with the process of separating all the sales, marketing and finance between BMC and Stromer, and USA was the last puzzle piece in the whole organization to be separated,” said Tomi Viiala, vice president sales and marketing at Stromer. “So each has their own identity globally for Stromer and BMC, but it’s still the same ownership on the legal side.”

The move comes as Stromer sees strong potential for growth in the U.S. e-bike market.

“Recent U.S. Census reports that the rate of bike commuting has a larger percentage increase of any other commuting mode,” said Tomi Viiala, vice president sales and marketing at Stromer. “As more and more cities introduce bike-share systems and networks, the need for innovative bicycles beyond merely pleasure will continue to grow, and that’s why we are 100 percent committed to strengthening our operation in the U.S.”

In February, Stromer promoted company veteran Markus Eggimann to general manager in the San Diego office. Eggimann previously was Stromer’s head of product management for three years and was a BMC product manager for 12 years. Before that, he worked for Scott Sport.

“Markus has worked with BMC and Stromer for more than 15 years and understands not only the U.S. bike industry but the Stromer philosophy,” Viiala said.   

One of Eggimann’s first duties was hiring Jim Holleman as U.S. sales director. He joined the company March 1.

Holleman has more than 30 years of sales and management experience in the ski and bike industries with such companies as Salomon, Time Sport, Look Cycle and Raleigh. In those years he has cultivated strong dealer relations, which will be important in his new role, Stromer stated.

The new San Diego office is located just north of downtown San Diego near the regional technology center of Sorrento Valley. Staffed by 12 employees, it houses Stromer’s U.S. warehouse, showroom, customer service, internal sales, marketing, and operations and logistics.

 

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