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Meet the Team: Q&A With New Hisun Hires

Hisun has been on an upward trajectory lately as the company retools for the future. To that end, the company recently brought on some industry veterans to fill key positions as it gears up for growth. We asked the team members what brought them to Hisun and what they liked most about their new environment. 

The following is a Q&A with the new hires on the Hisun team:

Jamie Cheek – VP of Operations

How long have you worked for Hisun?  

8 mos

What caught your eye about working for this company? 

I was impressed by the company’s commitment to the growth and development of its employees, products and reputation.  

How many years have you worked in the powersports industry?  

20 plus years

Do you ride motorcycles, ATVs and/or SxS’s? 

Yes. I currently ride dirt, SxS and street

Which vehicles do you own? 

Ducati Desert Sled, Kawasaki KX450, Kawasaki KX250 (my kids ride Husky, KTM, Honda 50, Yamaha 50, Honda Ruckus, and SxS)

How would you describe the company culture at Hisun? 

Friendly and Diverse 

Do you spend time outside of work hours with co-workers or is it strictly business? 

Mostly business  

If you could do one thing to improve the powersports industry, what would you do? 

The industry should make the youth market more affordable to enter.   

Can you tell us one of your favorite memories from your time in the industry? 

Riding Ducatis across the Israeli desert, then hitting the Dead Sea for a refreshing swim.

——

Tim Calhoun – Director of Parts and Accessories

How long have you worked for Hisun?

2.5 months

What caught your eye about working for this company?

 I wanted to grow my UTV knowledge and challenge myself with a new role. Hisun’s growth over the last two years has been phenomenal and I have watched as other powersports industry colleagues had made the move to Hisun. I think this company is poised to move to the next level in powersports.

How many years have you worked in the powersports industry? 

 36 years

Do you ride motorcycles, ATVs and/or SxS’s?

Motorcycles, dirt bikes, and SXS, I avoid ATVs as they and I do not necessarily agree with each other… I cannot confirm nor deny an incredible ATV get-off…

Do you spend time outside of work hours with co-workers or is it strictly business?

I have spent some time with coworkers outside of the company but being newer I am still settling in here. I think there are great people here at Hisun, it is just a company in transition and with the list of Powersports veterans we have added recently we are all striving to improve policies, customer service, response, and reliability with our dealers going forward. We have a lot of room for improvement, but that is the opportunity, to build the operation to be better stronger and faster, and more reliable as we go forward.

What are some of the fondest memories you’ve made so far at the company?

It has been great to introduce the Hisun brand to some long-time industry friends as I build out the Hisun catalog of accessories. It is exciting to develop some Hisun fitments and products with some well-known brands to elevate the types of accessories we will begin to offer going forward with Hisun. The creative aspect of developing products is really refreshing for me. It is a challenge to seek out products that have not been introduced by other OEM’s and to create products that haven’t existed previously in this sector. Getting to know the great staff that make up our sales, customer service, and marketing teams, and other departments have been great as I love working in a large team environment and we have some great people in key positions here at Hisun.

If you could do one thing to improve the powersports industry, what would you do?

Motivate more people to find or rekindle their passion for riding or driving Powersports vehicles, but more importantly to reach out to people curious about motorcycling or ATVs/UTVs and introduce them to it with a ride, mentoring, or simply a great conversation. We have recognized substantial growth these last two seasons, and we need to make every effort to continue expanding ridership and growing our industry. The opportunity is in front of us, and it is our responsibility as Powersports professionals to do all we can to continue this growth and expansion. I have enjoyed a great career these last three and a half decades and want to do all I can to ensure that those coming up behind me and other long-time industry veterans can enjoy equal success in their careers. 

Can you tell us one of your favorite memories from your time in the industry?

There are literally hundreds of these moments. From every Cycle World Trek I attended to the Baja rides, or American Super Camp weekends I rode. Taking top sales reps to the MotoGP races in Europe, touring European wineries, and enjoying incredible food all around the globe. Working with top-notch teams at all levels of racing and winning national and world titles. But with all of this said, the thing I cherish most is that feeling you get when you see your “Road Family.” These are the folks you have done IMS shows and AIMExpos with, or the race family you spend weekends with at the track. It is the people and the time shared with them at these events and races that have meant the most to me. The laughs, the hardships, the challenges, and the wins have created friendships that have lasted throughout my career, and I have been blessed to be surrounded by amazing people.

——

Greg Blackwell – District Sales Manager

How long have you worked for Hisun? 

3 Months

What caught your eye about working for this company? 

The team of people that Hisun had recently put together.

How many years have you worked in the powersports industry? 

30-plus years

What powersports vehicles or motorcycles do you own? 

Motorcycles and UTVs. KTM 500 XCF-W, Ducati Multistrada.

What impressed you about the company culture at Hisun? 

I find it very positive. A lot of enthusiasm. 

Do you spend time outside of work hours with co-workers or is it strictly business? 

I’m the only employee in California.

What are some of you fondest memories you’ve made so far at the company? 

The interactions with team members. I really like the energy and enthusiasm that our team has.

If you could do one thing to make the powersports industry better, what would you do? 

Retain the new consumers that have recently come into our sport/industry.

Can you tell us one of your favorite memories from your time in the industry? 

Attending the Isle of Man with a group of industry friends.

——

JD Walter – District Sales Manager

How long have you worked for Hisun?

It’s been three months since I came onboard.

What caught your eye about working for this company?

Well, over the past few years I was starting to read about Hisun more and more in enthusiast and industry media, which got my attention, and I visited their website every now and then to see what they were up to.

How many years have you worked in the powersports industry?

I can’t believe it’s now been 27 years since I got handed my first paycheck for working in an industry that was my passion as an enthusiast! I grew up riding dirt bikes, 3-wheelers, then 4-wheelers, snowmobiles, and sport bikes, with a little racing along the way all thanks to my family upbringing. I never thought I could turn that into a career! I wish I would have started earlier sweeping floors at the closest dealer, LOL!

Do you ride motorcycles, ATVs and/or SxS’s? Which vehicles do you own?

Yes, Yes, and Yes! It’s my life, and you may not have enough ink to list them all! But really my primary street bike is a 2006 HD Street Glide that I bought new, several ATVs (some newer, and some vintage), the list goes on… But I can’t forget to mention my crazy addiction to snowmobiles old and new! That’s what’s nice about Hisun – we don’t offer snowmobiles, so I can really enjoy that sport as an enthusiast.

How is the company culture at Hisun? Do you spend time outside of work hours with co-workers or is it strictly business?

It’s early for me to comment on that, however, what I have experienced so far is very refreshing. Everyone is very passionate about the brand and making it successful. As for hanging out with the gang, we did get to spend some time together when I was down in Texas for training, but otherwise, I am up in the mountains working away.

What are some of you fondest memories you’ve made so far at the company? 

It’s early in my time with Hisun, but I would have to say working with my inside partner Shelby Peterson with new and existing dealers has been both a pleasure and rewarding.

If you could do one thing to improve the powersports industry, what would you do?

It would be getting the dealers and enthusiasts more engaged in protecting their local riding areas and fighting for more access for riding opportunities, rather than surrendering parts of our riding areas to appease the opposition. We need to fight for more access. Our industry has been under attack from day one, and there have been many success stories, but these “other” groups will not stop. We are environmentalists, too, we just enjoy the outdoors a little differently.

Can you tell us one of your favorite memories from your time in the industry?

Boy, that’s a tough one to just name one. I would have to say it would be the time I helped a guy out with his small shop to get him up to speed in the industry. I’ll keep the location and identities secret, but man we got some crazy stories out of our short time there and built on the growing success he was experiencing. We both agreed that it was only temporary, and when I left, I felt we both learned a lot from each other concerning this great industry, taking care of our customers, and truly having fun with what we loved to do. We are still friends to this day.

Link: Hisun Motors

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