May 22, 2019 - Toronto, Ont.-based Amego Electric Vehicles Inc. is en route to setting a new standard for e-bike businesses within the industry. Originally launched in 2010 as a scooter-style electric-bike manufacturer and distributor, the company has since expanded its efforts, opening a retail store in the city, along with developing an e-commerce platform and its own line-up of electric bicycles. Amego now claims to have grown into Canada’s largest e-bike retailer as of 2018.

Over the past nine years, the company has focused on selling e-bikes mainly intended for commuters and delivery services, carrying top brands such as Stromer, Riese and Muller, Bionx, Opus, Elby, and Focus, as well as its own Amego-brand bikes. Its mission has been to educate consumers on the positive impact of the e-bike platform, with the aim of changing the general mindset of riders to desire clean electric-transportation options. Six full-time and five part-time staff are currently employed at its location in downtown Toronto, where Amego’s 1,500-square-foot retail store and 9,000-square-foot warehouse sit across the street from one another.

Among its many achievements, the company was named the top North American dealer in 2017 for the renowned high-end Swiss e-bike brand Stromer and was the top global seller of Elby during that same year. Much of this success can be attributed to the visionary efforts of founder and CEO Virginia Block, who possesses an impressively stacked resume of experience both inside and outside of the bike industry.

Before Amego, Block worked as a business development consultant in the energy industry and also spent time helping finance two anaerobic digester companies in the green-energy field. The entrepreneur, and former Queen’s University Commerce student, is a graduate from the EO Accelerator program, and has attended a lengthy list of entrepreneurial and cycling seminars at Interbike, the China International Cycle Show and the Bicycle Leadership Conference.

Block is a strong believer in personal development, and the company reflects her drive for constant improvement. Amego has set its sights on numerous market opportunities that look to take it to the next level.

One of its major leaps is the recent acquisition of BionX propulsion systems, as the pedal-assist platform will be built into the Amego line-up, said to be released in model year 2020. Block says that the technology will help achieve a better level of quality at a more competitive price point, and will be a great addition to its fleet in the coming years.

Along with this, the company has decided to launch online initiatives dedicated to raising awareness of the positive impacts that e-bikes have to offer, using tools such as “U.S. social media, influencers pages, Google AdWords, Amazon, Bike Exchange and PR” to distribute its content. It has partnered with Uber Eats delivery service to provide their riders with a corporate employee-discount program, and also plans to expand the company into the U.S. with a retail store in New York City.

“In the next five years, Amego wants to have a location in America’s top-10 cities,” commented Block. “We also plan to offer a new food-delivery bike line with reliability and pricing that can’t be beat, along with a three-wheel electric bicycle that will transport people on the Uber and Lyft platform.” These innovations are truly telling of the visionary prowess that Block has to offer, as the company has a clear direction for where it wants to go.

From the experiences she’s gained as a business owner, Block said that her primary piece of advice for others is to “invest in inventory that sells. I used to be scared of buying accessories, and now I think I am Canada’s top seller of Abus Granit Bordo locks and Bern helmets. Try to offer a one-stop trusted bike shop.”

Block intends to continue pushing Amego toward a fundamental goal of having a social and environmental impact. Her true measure of success, says Block, will be the company’s ability to do so in the coming years. We can’t wait to see what’s next. by Chris Hatton