Steve Hawley will step down as President, effective October 15, and will now be solely focused on long-term strategy and business development with CEO Ed Barrett. Sylvain Caya will become President of Hawley-Lambert and oversee all day-to-day operations. Mr. Caya has been President of Lambert for nine years. In addition, a new position will be added in the US for a VP Commercial who will lead the company’s commercial functions and build upon the company’s strategic brands.
The group will keep operating under the name of Hawley in the US and Lambert in Canada. However, it will continue operating on the backend as one entity: Hawley-Lambert.
“For 31 years I’ve been an owner operator and worked ‘in’ the business,” said Steve Hawley. “It’s time for me, as an owner, to work ‘on’ the business. By turning over all day-to-day operations to others, I will now be able to focus on high-level projects and strategies for a marketplace that is changing very quickly.
“We recognize that the largest growth opportunity for Hawley-Lambert is in the US market. As an owner, I want to maximize this growth opportunity, and now is absolutely the right time to make this change. For the past 5 years, our partnership with Lambert has allowed us to become a national distributor by opening a west coast warehouse in Nevada. In addition, it has enabled us to partner with many new exclusive brands, such as Look, Catlike, Northwave and Tacx. Sylvain has great leadership skills and business experience. I am confident that he will guide the Hawley team forward in the US market and continue to build upon our success. Not only is this a great opportunity for the business and our vendors, but it’s also a great opportunity for the careers of our staff and the benefits for their families.”
Ed Barrett, CEO of Hawley-Lambert, commented: “Steve has done a fabulous job building Hawley into the company as it is today. Our mantra is “Think globally, act locally.” In an industry in which the big players are getting bigger, we need to think “globally” when we talk to our vendors, support their marketing strategies, and implement new technologies. At the same time, we need to keep acting locally to provide great service to our 5,000 retailers and build strong relationships with them through our 60 account managers and sales representatives.”
Sylvain Caya added: “One of our goals as a combined entity is to share best practices and focus on technology to make it easier to do business with us. One example is our new web site, which will be launched in January. This will make our product search much easier-with improved navigation and better product content. We will also be going live with a new ERP in January, which will merge all inventory, finance and operations onto one common platform. Another goal is to keep being a strong brand builder by leveraging our sales and marketing efforts in both countries, providing a turnkey solution to grow our partner brands in North America. We will also open our 4th DC in Spring 2016 to provide next day delivery to our Northeast retailers. All of these initiatives are a testament to our commitment to our retailers and to continue the striving for excellence culture Steve has fostered.”
About Hawley-Lambert
Hawley-Lambert is a leading North American distributor for the bicycle industry with a combined 100 years of experience and innovation. The company has the largest IBD reach in North America and services over 5,000 retailers with 60 sales representatives. Hawley-Lambert has facilities in Lexington, SC, Sparks, NV and Levis, Canada.