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[triplebq]

https://pitboss-grills.com/media/traeger-founder-joins-pit-boss

[dk117]

I'm a business guy, economist, MBA actually.  This makes me sad.   A long series of mistakes by Joe Traeger in the business world.  I've got to respect the man for starting us all on this journey, but this is an incredible fall. 

DK

[hughver]

I'm just a dumb engineer but I suspect that he sold his business for a large profit and is capitalizing on his name recognition for even more gain. 

[dk117]

I suppose you've just reinforced my point.  You engineers are infinitely smarter than the business guys.   Yet like Joe Traeger, miss the nuances of the business world.   Why would he be working for Danson if he cashed out for a large profit?  Seems his family still needs an income.  (son too.)    For the guy that started this whole thing, it's an epic fall from grace. 

DK

PS I get your point that he's just name brand cashing in, but please accept mine, he blew it.   He missed a huge opportunity due to bad business decisions.  The market crushed him.

[Kristin Meredith]

I agree DK and he just sat on his pit without making improvements or upgrades because he had the patent and was the only game in town.  When the patent ran out, there were all sorts of folks waiting to jump in with much better pits with a lot of improvements.  And he still did nothing because he had such a big market share.  But it eventually all caught up with him.  A strange hire in my book -- if he was so innovative and could bring all these great ideas, then why not do it to his own company?

[Canadian John]

 It will be interesting to see what develops from this relationship, and why.

[ylr]

Isn't Pit Boss just a warmed over Traeger? Sounds like a marketing ploy to confuse the masses......

[BigDave83]

I thought he sold off the company in 2007 and then the scullcandy guy took it over somehow a few years ago. Either way the original cooker from my understanding were solid units that didn't have the issues of the brand of today.

[sleebus.jones]

Why would he be working for Danson if he cashed out for a large profit?

Maybe he's bored.  Maybe he has new ideas to bring to the market and doesn't feel like starting/running a company to do that?  There's plenty of serial entrepreneurs out there that like the creating part, but really don't want to deal with the business part.

[hughver]

I know way more people that have developed a successful business, sold it to a big corporation and now consult from the South Pacific for a healthy fee that I know life long business owners.

[Kristin Meredith]

I thought he sold off the company in 2007 and then the scullcandy guy took it over somehow a few years ago. Either way the original cooker from my understanding were solid units that didn't have the issues of the brand of today.

We had Traegers built before 2007 and I had issues with temps swinging a lot in trying to cook chicken at comps where you have narrow and unforgiving time limits for turn ins.

[Bobitis]

This seems rather odd. Yes, the guy opened the market, but what has his company done lately?

Traeger is marketed heavily (no thanks to him), but the market is substantially outpacing the brand.

I very much doubt he has any input other than name recognition.  What do I know?

[reubenray]

Isn't Pit Boss just a warmed over Traeger? Sounds like a marketing ploy to confuse the masses......

You say warmed up, but if it is made for Walmart it is cheapened up.

[hughver]

FWIW, Joe Traeger has not had an interest in the grill business for a long time. He sold out to a private –equity firm well before Jeremy Andrus joined Traeger in 2014. Andurus acquired the Traeger business in conjunction with private-equity firm Trilantic Capital Partners. The company was completely revamped and moved to Utah. Only a few of the original employees moved with the company. Today Andrus is CEO and Traeger's majority shareholder is private-equity giant AEA Investors, and it also has investment from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

[Bentley]

I thought that Fast Eddy told me in about 2005-2006 that it was being sold, but I maybe off by a few years...I think that was about the time the patent was running out.  I thought 5-6 years ago the brand would be made obsolete, but they controlled so much of the market then, and if I had to guess, they control more then 50% of the backyard market now!

If you go to the store to buy gelatin, is there another brand besides Jell-o.  I know there is Knox gelatin, but it is just that, clear gelatin, no flavor.