The head of Chattanooga-based fitness equipment maker Echelon said he’s willing to take over the open chief executive’s job at rival Peloton, adding the bigger company’s drumbeat of negative news is hurting the industry.
Lou Lentine, who founded privately held Echelon in 2017, also said Thursday that after settling a lawsuit with Peloton in 2022, the companies discussed if a merger was a good move for the industry, and Peloton rejected the idea.
“Echelon is my passion,” Lentine said in a statement. “But I cannot allow Peloton to continue to fail and hurt our industry. I am happy to toss my hat in if they now want a CEO that understands the fitness industry and knows how to run a fitness multimedia business with higher margins, lower costs and debt consolidation.”
Peloton didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment.