SOAR Communications Signs 12-month Contract with Ritchey Design Inc.

December 06, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Business News
DRAPER, Utah – Dec. 6, 2007 – SOAR Communications announced today that it has signed a 12-month contract with Ritchey Design Inc, creators and manufacturers of Break Away travel bicycles, cycling components and accessories. In addition, Ritchey owns a second brand, Syncros which is aimed at the Enduro, All Mountain and Freeride market.

Under terms of the agreement, SOAR Communications, a full-service marketing communications agency, will provide Ritchey / Syncros with public relations and marketing communications services and products to promote its business efforts under a 12-month contract that came into effect on Nov. 1, 2007.

“SOAR Communications has an extensive history in cycling-related communications and was easily our first choice when finding a company to run media relations and marketing efforts for Ritchey / Syncros,” said Steve Parke, Ritchey Design USA’s general manager and vice president of marketing. “Our confidence in SOAR is high, and we are eager to see what we can accomplish in elevating our brands through this new relationship.”

Northern California-based Ritchey Design was founded by mountain bike pioneer and product innovator Tom Ritchey in 1974. The company is best known for its technical merits through attention to detail during the product design phase, resulting in high-quality, reasonably priced road and mountain bike components.

SOAR currently represents multiple companies and corporations within the cycling industry including the Interbike OutDoor Demo and International Bicycle Expo, Delta 7 Sports, Blackbottoms Cycle Wear, Slipstreamz and non-profit organizations Bikes for Kids Utah and Trips for Kids. Chip Smith is the president of SOAR Communications and previously spent 10 years with bicycle industry leaders Shimano and Specialized in various marketing communication and sales positions before joining SOAR in 2005.

“Ritchey Design represents many facets of the cycling world, including design and production of mountain, road and cross bicycle components plus accessories partnering in the sponsorship of several international cycling teams,” said Smith. “Our business relationship with Ritchey is already underway and we are excited about the marketing communications and media opportunities that lie ahead.”

SOAR Communications is a leading sports marketing communications agency based in Draper, Utah, and was founded by David Politis, who also heads Politis Communications (a long-time strategic communications and public relations agency focused on serving technology clients). Politis formed SOAR Communications as a subsidiary of POLITIS, LLC in 2004 to provide marketing communications services to the sports, outdoor, athletics and recreation industries, thus the moniker SOAR. In addition to its clients in the cycling industry, SOAR Communications also provides marketing services to the Health+Fitness Business Expo, Redwood Parks Lodge Company and RIM Hospitality, to name a few.

About SOAR Communications
Utah-based SOAR Communications (www.soarcomm.com) is an innovative strategic marketing communications agency focused on the sports, outdoor, athletics, recreation and sporting goods industries. A subsidiary of POLITIS, LLC, SOAR Communications was formed in 2004 and provides its clients with a variety of communications disciplines including advertising, collateral development, database-marketing, graphic/web design, public/media relations, investor/financial/analyst relations and sales support programs.

About Ritchey Design Inc.
Northern California-based Ritchey Design was founded by mountain bike pioneer and product innovator Tom Ritchey in 1974. The company is well known for its technical merits through attention to detail during the product design phase, resulting in high-quality, reasonably priced road and mountain bike components. Under its Fit Logic philosophy, Ritchey Designs offers a wide range of “cockpit” components (handlebars, stems and seatposts) that help riders custom fit their bikes for a more efficient, comfortable, and enjoyable ride. Ritchey Designs also offers a complete line of innovative products ranging from headsets to tires for professional racers and the serious weekend rider, as well as its line of “Break-Away” travel bicycles for traveling cyclists. Sister company Syncros offers a broad range of components aimed at the Enduro, All Mountain and Freeride markets. For more information about Ritchey Design, please visit www.ritcheylogic.com. For Syncros, please visit www.syncros.com.

# # #