Dakota Schuetz Signs Multi Year Contract with Lucky Scooter Parts

So I guess it was just a matter of time before some lucky company actually signed Dakota Schuetz, and that’s exactly what Lucky has done. Not just any deal, but a multi year contract between Dakota and LSP. To say this is big news would be a bit of an understatement. 

So it’s safe to say there will be some changes going on with LSP, not just Dakota joining, but also older Team members leaving. Besides that, they are releasing an entire new line of products, which has a lot of people really excited. With a line up of new Distributors, and the products set to hit the market just in time for the Holiday Season, it is definitely going to be a big end to a big year for Lucky. Read below for the full interview.

For more information check out their website http://www.luckyscoot.com/

Word has been leaking through some of the smaller blogs in the industry the story that I got the full info on below. I realized that we might not be getting the other side of that story, so I decided to contact Lucky Scooter Parts directly, and get their side of everything that has been going on. To find out more from the Founder of Lucky himself, Brian Jeide, and Chief Marketing Officer, Paul Corriveau, just read the interview below.

Steven: Well first of congratulations on the deal you made with Dakota, I’m guessing negotiations have been going on for a long time before this was a reality?

Lucky: Actually no. This came together very fast. We’ve known Gary and Kota for a long time, and talked frequently. We brought up the idea of having Kota join our team and they expressed a willingness to talk. So we discussed the opportunity with Kota, his dad Gary, and his business agent. We had an agreement in about a week.

Steven: Damn, one week…But he’s always been kind of neutral when it came to joining any “Team”. Why did he join Lucky over other companies?

Lucky: The alignment was great. We both want to promote the sport, and we both want to highlight the positive side of the sport. The timing was also great. Kota is 16 years old, and he really wants to break out the way say Tony Hawk or Shaun White have done. Part of that means aligning with sponsors that have the resources and expertise to help promote his talent. He rides about 5 hours a day, which to us signaled that he is really committed to being number one for a long time. So we’re going to help promote him. It’s likely he’ll have other large sponsors, but none that compete with Lucky. Finally, we were both aligned on the need to innovate and create great products. We’ve always stood for quality, and with Kota on the team we’ll get another set of great feedback during our R&D for our upcoming waves of products.

Steven: Sounds like quite the partnership has been formed.. Ok, so what are the terms of the sponsorship agreement? Is it even official yet?

Lucky: We can’t disclose the terms, but we can say it’s a multi-year agreement, and that it is in place as of today. His first competition as a Lucky rider is next weekend at the Global Domination Tour event in LA.

Steven: Multi year? Seems like that might be a first in our sport, then again, it is Kota. But being honest here, has Kota even ridden Lucky parts? All we’ve ever seen him on were other companies products.

Lucky: Of course. But his current ride is evolving as his skills evolve. He has a very specific setup, and we’ll be working with him over the next 30 days to tune his ride and design a signature line for him. He’s super committed and a total professional, so one of the first things he wanted to do was start riding Lucky. We actually had to let him know that we feel it’s important for him to take the time to practice and transition over a couple of months to a complete Lucky setup.

Steven: Have to admit, it’s going to be strange seeing him ride a complete LSP set up. Kota’s obviously an incredible talent. But unlike a lot of top pros, we don’t see a lot of him in videos or interviews. Are you going to let him come out of his shell a bit?

Lucky: Absolutely. We need to get a lot more video of Kota out there. That’s a priority. We want the world to see him for who he is, which is a really nice, honest, clean-cut kid that is super fun to be around.

Steven: Well, I’m interested to see if him riding for LSP, will change anyones opinion about Dakota.. personally, I’ll say for now, No Comment. So what about the current Lucky Team? I’ve heard you’ve made some changes to the team lately. What’s the real story there?

Lucky: Understandable. About change, change is inevitable. We’ve grown and become a global organization. We have new company leadership to help Brian grow the business. We have new suppliers. We have new distributors. We have a new team manager. We have new products. We have a new look and feel to our brand. And now we have Kota. So with all that change, it can be unsettling to people. A few of our pro riders decided to leave Lucky and pursue other interests in the sport when they got wind of the Kota agreement, and we wish them well. I think they’ll agree that we were always fair to them, and we feel good about those relationships. They will continue to test products and give us feedback. The good news is that our bench of upcoming riders is unbelievably talented. You’ll hear about some of them and see them on the podium at street and park competitions in the coming months. Going forward, Kota will play an active role in working with a lot of our amateur riders, and we couldn’t be happier about that.

Steven: Wow, it is kind of sad to see the guys who really put Lucky on the map, now start to break away from the company. One of the things that the Lucky team has always had, was solid street cred, and their videos helped with that image. With Kota on the pro team, does that mean we’re going to see constant flippty whippity tricks, and loads of park riding, and eventually less and less street?

Lucky: No way, our heritage is street and we’ll continue to bring street talent on to the team. Scootering will evolve just like skateboarding. You will have street and park riders, and some that can do both. Our goal is to build a team that can showcase the entire range of style and expression of the sport. Just look at our top pros on the team today. Mike Montgomery and Li’l Jon are total rock stars wherever they ride because they go big. Li’l Jon is still one of the few scooter riders to ever hit the El Toro 20-stair. Mike always takes the path less traveled. He does massive bangers at every street jam, and yet he also places in the top 5 at almost every park competition he enters. With Kota on the team, we’ll get more cross-training for our street riders, and Kota will pick up some street riding tips. Our product line will probably evolve around both street and park as well. That’s not an announcement, but we’ve been discussing this approach.

Steven: Well at least we know we still got Mike and Lil Jon holding it down. So let’s get into this  new line of completes and parts…break down for everyone what new parts are coming, and let them decide if they’re going to compare with the top products on the market today.

Lucky: We have new decks, new wheels, new clamps, new grips, new completes, and new branding on all of it. In addition, we’ve used new manufacturing techniques and new technologies on all our parts, including our forks and bars. The result is that our 2012 scooters are both lighter and more reliable. It’s a wicked combination. And it’s all on its way to distributors and retailers for the holiday season.

Steven: Wow seems like a total make over for all the old LSP products. Well I have to say this is a real turning point for Lucky Scooter Parts as a company, and I’m eager to see how things play out, and we’re definitely glad to have you back out front. Any last words to your competitors?

Lucky: Thanks, it’s great to be back. Actually the market size is growing so fast that our competitors are actually our friends. We need to create the market together. It’s still a small world.