St. Croix Rods has announced the promotion of Ryan Teach to product manager, a newly-created position that will seek and coordinate critical feedback from St. Croix anglers, dealers and retailers to help direct future product development.
Teach, the manager of St. Croix’s popular Factory Store for the past 2 1/2 years, has undergraduate degrees in business management and product marketing, as well as a Master’s degree in organizational development. It’s his passion for angling and his enthusiasm for St. Croix culture and products, however, that may be his most important assets in the minds of St. Croix’s management.
“From our perspective, Ryan’s case is an outstanding illustration of the angler-centric growth of the St Croix brand, as well as our culture here of creating opportunities and developing talent,” says St. Croix Director of Marketing Jesse Simpkins. “Ryan’s passion for not only fishing – but for the St Croix brand and our products – is evident in his work and will allow us to accelerate and add value to the product-development process within our business. This isn’t just a win for those of us here in Park Falls. Ultimately, this move is a win for all of our anglers and dealers, and I cannot express how excited we are to make this addition to the Marketing Team.”
Teach, who left a lucrative career with a Fortune 500 company and literally knocked on St. Croix’s front door nearly three years ago, is excited for the new opportunity.
“I had moved back to my hometown in southwest Wisconsin because of a family illness,” said Teach, who used the time to contemplate his next professional move. “I decided to follow my passion in the fishing industry and St. Croix was the only company I wanted to work for. Thankfully, they saw my passion for fishing, for new product development, and for their brand and offered me a job running the Factory Store. As we got to know each other even better, I was offered opportunities to apply my knowledge and prove my abilities in new product development. The past two years have been incredibly exciting for me and I’m honored by the trust St. Croix has placed in me to deliver in this brand new position.”
Teach began his new position as Product Manager on Jan. 10.
