STATE COLLEGE — Eight months after announcing its partnership with PBR (Professional Bull Riders), State College-based Mechanical Bull Sales, Inc. announced on Friday its new brand ambassador, Ryan Dirteater.
Dirteater, a 30-year old PBR veteran bull rider and currently No. 9 in the world, will collaborate with the international mechanical bull manufacturer for various public relations and marketing activities including personal appearances, social media campaigns and community outreach events that fall in line with the company’s commitment to bringing fun to fans while enriching the lives of PBR riders during and after their careers.
Dirteater, originally from Hulbert, Okla., began riding elite bucking bulls when he was 19-years-old. He has qualified for the PBR World Finals ten times, in 2016 winning the most prestigious event in professional bull riding.
Known as “The Cherokee Kid,’ Dirteater is currently one of the top ten bull riders in the world. When not on tour riding bulls, he spends time at home in Hulbert working his cattle operation. Dirteater will own his own MBS-PBR Mechanical Bull system and bring bull riding excitement to fans throughout Oklahoma and surrounding areas.
“The MBS-PBR system brings you as close to an actual ride as you can get and I’m excited to join their team of bull operators to bring the fun and challenge of bull riding to fans everywhere” said Dirteater. “I’m looking forward to working with [MBS owner] Gracienne [Myers] and her team to find operators throughout the country and promote the sport of bull riding.”
“MBS could not be more excited to begin this journey with Ryan,’ said Chanel Simon, MBS sales manager. ‘We could not have found a more genuine, likable athlete to represent our brand. At MBS, we’re all about connecting with our clients and forming lasting relationships with them, and from the moment we had our first conversation with Ryan, we knew he’d embody that core perfectly.”
Originally from Brazil, MBS owner Gracienne Myers recognized a unique opportunity with the growing sport of professional bull riding and accumulated significant experience doing business in one of the world’s top bull-riding countries. Initially, she manufactured the mechanical bulls in Brazil and imported them to the United States. When the exchange rate became less favorable and Myers had grown tired of dealing with shipping and import hassles, she moved the company’s manufacturing to State College, where it is located today.
Myers spent years perfecting design with U.S. manufacturers and suppliers to create a sophisticated mechanical bull product with touchscreen panels, custom settings for ride styles and various safety features, as well as music and video features.
“We are very proud of our product, which is now enhanced by PBR branding,” Myers said.
MBS is recognized as the leading manufacturer of mechanical bull systems and has sold them to customers in 42 states and 44 countries.
Editor’s note: Gracienne Myers is the wife of Dan Myers, owner of Lazerpro Digital Media Group, the parent company of StateCollege.com
