Author Chris Zane

Christopher J. Zane ~ Zane's Cycles Founder / Pres Entrepreneur | Author | Mentor | Speaker | Angel | Director | Philanthropist Chris is a 29-year veteran of the retail bicycle industry. His story includes getting a state tax ID number at age 12, buying his first bike shop at age 16 and before he reached the age of 30, built Zane’s Cycles into largest bicycle shop in Connecticut. Today, with only one location, Zane’s Cycles is one of the largest retail bicycle stores in the nation. Zane’s unique approach to marketing includes strategies such as continual learning, the lifetime value of a customer, guerrilla marketing, bootstrapping, community-relations, cost-controlled customer service, and image branding. Zane has positioned himself at the forefront of the industry by continuously setting standards in customer loyalty and creative marketing. Since 1985, he has been accumulating awards such as; the BBB Award of Recognition for Customer Service/Outstanding Business Practices; he was voted one of “the 30 most influential people in the bicycle industry”; North America’s Best Bicycle Retailer, North American Bicyclist Magazine; Mass Mutual Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Award; 2006 Customer First Award, Fast Company Magazine and the 2006 Connecticut Retailer of the year. Zane’s Cycles currently holds the status of Trek Bicycle Co.’s largest dealer worldwide. Most recently, Chris was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Leader Hall of Fame, named the 2008 Customer Champion, 1to1 magazine and the 2009 CT Climate Change Leadership Award. Zane’s cutting-edge marketing techniques have been used as case studies in over a dozen college text books worldwide and has been the subject of several articles in publications such as, Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, Fortune Magazine, as well as being profiled in Alpha Dogs, a Harper Collins best seller by Donna Fenn. Zane is frequently featured on WCBS’s, “The Wall Street Journal’s Small Business Report” with Joe Connolly. Zane is a sought after speaker who has presented to individual companies as well as at numerous conferences; Yale University’s Business and Economic Forum; Quis 9 International Marketing Symposium; The Conference Board; Inc’s Annual Growing the Company Conference; Inc’s Annual CEO Symposium; WCBS Newsradio 88 Business Breakfast Forum, and was the highest rated speaker at ASU’s Compete Through Services Symposium. Chris is currently a board member of The Sachem Bank (io) and ASU’s, The Center for Services Leadership. Chris has served as Quinnipiac University’s, Entrepreneur in Residence. Chris authored, Reinventing the Wheel, The Science of Creating Lifetime Customers available March 2011. And most notably, Chris is the bike guy in the latest American Express commercials featuring small business value in the economic recovery.