A shift of a high-profile industry insider, particularly in the snowmobile racing arena, is affecting two powersports companies in the Upper Midwest.
Two weeks ago on his Facebook page, Rick Tiede told the world that it was his last day at International Engineering and Manufacturing (IEM) – a company better known by its Woody’s Traction brand name – in Hope, Michigan, and he was moving to the Minneapolis area.
Today the impetus of that move became clear: Forest Lake, Minnesota-based Straightline Performance announced that the same Rick Tiede had joined that company to serve as its marketing and public relations manager.
At IEM/Woody’s, Tiede had served as the race director and apparel coordinator. The racing coordinator portion of the job was especially high profile, as Woody’s maintained a large racing support program in many different facets of snowmobile racing. The parting there appears to be amicable, based on a press release.
“We wish him all the best with his new endeavors and we appreciate the years of service he provided us,” IEM President Rob Musselman said in a press release issued this morning. The company also announced that a longtime employee and production manager, Mike Phillips, would be adding race director responsibilities and would handle all summer and winter racing accounts.
“Mike is very passionate about providing top quality products, technical advice and prompt service to all customers, so there is not a doubt in my mind he will do a fantastic job in this position,” said Mark Musselman, IEM vice president.
Meanwhile, Tiede’s new employer issued its own release, saying that Tiede will be responsible for planning, directing and implementing Straightline Performance marketing activities.
In that release, Tiede said, “I am thrilled to be a part of the Straightline Performance team, this is an exciting time to be involved in snowmobile/ATV/UTV performance parts and I am looking forward to representing a company that has a reputation for being a leader in performance, sales and service.”
Straightline Performance President Jason Houle added, “It is with great excitement to announce that the already strong staff here at Straightline will be expanding with the addition of Rick Tiede. Rick’s years of customer knowledge and experience will not only help with expanding the Straightline Performance products line-up, but also by adding more quality time with our already strong customer base.”
