Rod manufacturer St. Croix announced the hiring of Robert Woods as product manager. A passionate angler hailing from southeast Wisconsin, Woods graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and has spent the past eight years at Wells Vehicle Electronics in Fond du Lac.
“St. Croix’s continued growth is driven solely by our mission of making anglers better on the water,” said St. Croix VP of Marketing, Jesse Simpkins. “And we’re more committed than ever to building the best team on Earth to make sure we’re developing and delivering the tools anglers need to enjoy those kinds of heightened successes and experiences. Robert is the latest example of that commitment. As product manager, Robert will leverage his unique experience as a part of a growing product team to help improve product development and distribution processes for all our product categories.”
Woods’ angling journey began at age 4 at his family’s cabin in northern Wisconsin, where his father taught him how to fish and he developed a penchant for walleye and musky, as well as for St. Croix Rods.
“I remember my dad buying a St. Croix rod when I was about 8 years old and visiting the St. Croix Factory Store,” said Woods, who continued to hone his angling skills back home in Fond du Lac on Lake Winnebago. “I’ve always enjoyed traveling to fish up north or making trips to Green Bay and Lake Erie, but Bago has always been my home water."
He remained active with a local fishing club throughout his career at Wells, serving 6 years as its VP, organizing and hosting numerous fishing events for veterans and kids, while promoting catch-and-release and other conservation initiatives.
“It’s been really incredible learning about and diving into everything St. Croix has in different stages of development for anglers,” Woods added. “I’ve quickly learned there’s no such thing as business as usual here, unless business as usual refers to the core mission of putting anglers at the center of everything that St. Croix does every day.”
