Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!

"King" Karl to leave the industry

When Tim started this collaboration he asked if I had anyone in mind that I'd like to invite. Karl Wiedemann from Pedro's was the first person I thought of and, luckily he took us up on the invitation to become a Krew member. I call him "King Karl" because he's just so darn good at what he does! Every time I turn around I see Pedro's stuff in magazines, on the web, at trade shows - everywhere! All of that is a result of Karl's hard work.

I've, personally, been lucky enough to work with Karl on a few projects and have enjoyed every minute. He's also one of the best people in the industry to bounce ideas around with; we've done it often and, usually, I come out the wiser. You don't find that everywhere, in any industry.

But, after "9 years and 3 months..." at Pedro's, Karl has decided that he needs a little change. And change it will be - he's moving to a retail giant! He'll be working at Decathlon USA as their Marketing and Business Development Manager. Big, fancy title, huh? Which probably means there is a lot of work associated with it. But, if anyone is up to the challenge it's King Karl.

The bummer about the whole thing is that he'll be out of the bicycle industry where he's been a voice above the crowd. He will certainly be missed. Somehow, I don't think that Karl will leave the love of cycling that is in his heart, though. He is a guy that rides every day at lunch - you don't do that just because you work in the industry (take it from someone who doesn't ride at lunch!), you do it because you are a cyclist at heart.

All the best in your new adventure, my friend.

Posted by Donna Tocci at 4:39 PM