PARK FALLS, Wisc. (June 1, 2022) – St. Croix Rod, handcrafters of the Best Rods on Earth® for 75 years, announces 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,” says 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 four 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 eight years old and visiting the St. Croix Factory Store,” says 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,” continues Woods, who remained active with a local fishing club throughout his career at Wells, serving six years as its VP, organizing and hosting numerous fishing events for veterans and kids, while promoting catch-and-release and other conservation initiatives.
“I’ve always made time to give back to the sport I love so much,” Woods says. “And that’s something I really appreciate about coming to work at St. Croix. I’ve seen and read about the organizations and causes St. Croix helps to support – whether it’s Take a Vet Fishing, the NPAA, ASA and RBFF initiatives, or one of hundreds of local events and organizations across the country – but I’ve met so many individual team members here at St. Croix over the past few weeks who also get involved personally in events and causes that are good for angling and anglers. The culture is very unique in that respect. You hear and read about that culture, but until you visit and spend time in Park Falls, you don’t fully understand the passion and commitment that shines through at all levels.”
Woods, who has been on the job for about two weeks now and plans to relocate with his family to the Park Falls area, says it’s an exciting time to be an angler fishing St. Croix rods. “It’s been really incredible learning about and diving into everything St. Croix has in different stages of development for anglers,” Woods reports. “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.”
