Thule has hired two key sales executives and added over 28,000 square feet to its Connecticut manufacturing and warehousing facility. 25,000 square feet of the addition will be manufacturing and warehouse space while the remaining 3,000 square feet will be a training program facility. The last time Thule expanded the Connecticut facility was in 1998.
Thule has appointed Tripp Wyckoff as its vice president of sales and service and Larry Hewett as western region sales manager. Wyckoff will be responsible for overseeing all sales and customer service activities for Thule Inc., with all sales and customer marketing managers, including Hewett, reporting to him.
“Tripp and Larry will be great additions to our team,” said Fred Clark, President Thule Inc. “Tripp is a long time Thule user and his understanding of our dealers and our business will be integral to our support and continued growth of the rack category in the US.”
Most recently Wyckoff was the Managing Director/General Manager of Pedro's USA, a division of Swix Sports, where he led the Sales, Marketing, PR, Product Development, and Purchasing. Prior to joining Pedro's, Wyckoff spent nine years with Kryptonite where he departed as the Director of Global Action Sports Channels, which included Bike, Powersport, Snow and OEM channels.
“While at Kryptonite, I had the pleasure of working with Fred and his team, and have always felt that Thule would be a great place for me one day,” said Wyckoff. “Thule is an incredible brand, and I'm excited about Thule's prospects for the coming years.”
Wyckoff will be based out of Thule Inc.'s corporate headquarters in Seymour, CT, where he and his family will be relocating.
Hewett spent over 18 years with Yakima and WaterMark where he most recently held the position of western director of sales. Hewett is the second former WaterMark employee to join Thule in recent months, as Chris Dannewitz joined Thule as the vice president of business development in January.
“There are few who know the rack category and western territory better than Larry,” stated Clark. “We are excited to have him on our side after so many years competing with him.”
“For so long my mission in life has been to throw flies into the Thule ointment,” said Hewett. “Now that I am on the A-Team, I can direct that energy with laser focus on maximizing command drivers for Thule- stay tuned.”
“Larry is well-known and respected in the outdoor industry, and weve known him on a competitive basis for years,” said Mr. Clark. “Now, we think it will be much more fun to work with him.”
Hewett will be working from his home in the Arcata, California area. Wyckoff and Hewett begin with Thule on Monday, March 21st.
