When Ducati North America's General Manager Dominique Cheraki walks towards me, the first thing noticed is his clean styling, as if he walked out of an Esquire magazine ad.

His shoes are polished, his charcoal suit pressed. This is expected of a man who spent years as a broker and eventual COO in financial institutions before arriving on the footsteps of Ducati France as a Managing Director back in 1998.

After some devoted work, Cheraki then became Managing Director for Ducati Western Europe, a segment he developed after merging the Scandinavia and Benelux markets together.

But this is simply history to Dominique, a French name that means "belonging to God." Now he's in New York City, representing Ducati at the Progressive International Motorcycle Show.

Before he sits down at a quaint round table near the coffee bar in Ducati's IMS display, he begins our short interview with a firm handshake, one that creates the character of a true man.

The handshake reveals not only the hard labor of a successful businessman, but also one of a man who takes necessary "passionate" risks on a motorcycle. And this is exactly why we were meeting at this location for a short chat.

The reason for the interview? Cheraki's here to explain Ducati's newest North American adventure - the restructuring of its corporate retail identity....more