When an urban neighborhood holds a beloved street festival, space becomes scarce — and less space-efficient transportation options become a much worse way to get there.
In case you haven’t heard: Don’t lock your bike to one of the orange Biketown racks. If you do the City might cut your lock and impound your bike. Why? Because those racks are only for Biketown bikes.
After docking stations were installed last week they were almost immediately used by people looking for a place to park their own bikes. The issue forced the City to post a relatively aggressive tweet that was picked up by the local media. After that dust-up we asked the city if there was any city code that specifically covered this issue. There is.
As Oregon legislators start talking about the statewide transportation bill many hope to pass in 2017 (look for some reporting on that soon), others are starting to think locally, too.
We’ve heard from various sources recently that some people in the Portland area are looking toward November 2018 as the right moment for a region-wide bond measure for transportation. The idea is to create a burst of new money for public transit, roadways, biking and walking.
How much of each, you ask? Those negotiations would probably get underway over the next year.
Job Title *
Buyer
Company/Organization *
Velotech
Job Description *
Velotech is looking for an experience Buyer for it’s e-commerce and store front cycling retail business.
The position is full time with medical, vision, dental, 401k, and PTO benefits.
JOB OVERVIEW: Works under the supervision of the Director to manage merchandise categories. Includes maintaining optimum stock levels, increasing gross margin and inventory turn, and managing vendors. Emphasis is placed on communication with cross-functional teams to maximize customer service with the ability to effectively prioritize and multi-task with extreme attention to detail. It is expected that this role will groom the high performing employee into a Senior Buyer position as business needs dictate.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
• Manage inventory and stock levels and communicate status between vendor and Company on a routine basis.
• Forecast and order replenishment and seasonal stock based on product history and vendor performance to maximize sales and minimize out of stocks
• Meet and maintain department KPI’s
• Shop and analyze the competition to understand trends, pricing opportunities, marketing concepts, and the customers’ perspective.
• Research and evaluate suppliers based on price, quality, selection, service, support, availability, reliability, production and distribution capabilities, and the supplier’s reputation and history
• Study sales data and inventory levels of current stock to develop strategic purchasing plans
• Liaison with Receiving, Accounting, Customer Service, and Marketing for assigned category products and issues.
• Manage New Product Set up across all assigned categories with the assistance of the Purchasing Coordinator
• Keep abreast of competitive pricing and market conditions and communicate changes to marketing and retail organizations as appropriate
• Meet and provide progress reports for all projects/deadlines as assigned
• Curate website appearance and discounts for all SKUs within assigned categories
• Consistently and aggressively challenge vendors for opportunity buys and better terms, co-op, rebates, discounts and freight rates.
• Follow all rules and guidelines set forth in the Company Employee Handbook
• Assist department in other duties and special projects as needed.
• Maintain a regular and punctual work schedule as agreed upon with Director
MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS:
• Four+ years Purchasing, Procurement, Buying experience.
• Proficient in MS Word, Excel, and data entry.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• BA/BS degree preferred.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:
• Strong knowledge of road and/or mountain bike products and lifestyle.
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to multi task with changing/conflicting priority levels
• Strong relationship building, communication (both verbal and written), and presentation skills.
• Desire to provide stellar customer service for both internal and external customers
• Strong time management and organizational skills
• The ability to problem-solve and present ideas and solutions
• Keen analytical and decision-making skills and the ability to accomplish objectives.
• Solid command of retail math, including understanding of calculations for OTB, forecasting, gross margin, inventory turn, and ROI.
How to Apply *
Please apply by clicking on link below:
This week’s Monday Roundup is brought to you by the Brompton Urban Challenge, a citywide adventure game/ride coming to Portland this Saturday July 16th. All bikes (and humans) are welcome and all proceeds benefit BikePortland!
Here are the bike-related links from around the world that caught our eyes this week:
Ready, set, Pokemon Go: Nintendo’s new “augmented reality” game has taken over streets worldwide. Expect many interesting headlines in the days and weeks to come.
Parade threat: An anonymous float at a Columbus parade depicted an SUV-bike crash and carried a handwritten sign saying “I’ll share the road when you follow the rules.”
Longevity advice: The oldest U.S. resident, Goldie Michelson, died at 113 in Massachusetts. “I never used a car if I could walk,” she said. “One of the great joys of life was when I sold my car.”