ROUSH CleanTech Poised for Success with Thompson, Mouw at the Helm
Livonia, Mich. (November 30, 2010) —ROUSH Enterprises presents a winning line up with the announcement of Joe Thompson and Todd Mouw leading the company’s newest venture, ROUSH CleanTech, a product-based alternative fuel-powered engine company destined to change the way fleets do business.
“Joe Thompson and I are cut from the same cloth — we are both extremely tenacious, hardworking guys born in Ohio and with a mindset for success,” said Jack Roush, motorsports legend and chairman of ROUSH Enterprises. “And Todd is a powerhouse in the boardroom. He’s driven to guide the company toward innovation that will change the way the automotive industry does business.
“The success we’ve had with all of our businesses starts with strong leadership. These guys understand my expectations and have been given the tools to get it done,” continued Roush. “With Joe and Todd, ROUSH CleanTech will set a new pace for alternative fuel deployment for our country. That’s good because we need a sense of urgency around this initiative.”
As president of ROUSH CleanTech, Thompson celebrates his second start-up company with ROUSH and expects this one to be the most significant in terms of his opportunity to change for our country.
“This is an opportunity to change our world. And, it’s absolutely the right time,” said Thompson of this endeavor. “The sense of urgency that is around this initiative, given global demand for oil and our need to develop and deploy a quality system, plays right into my skill set. I’ve worked with Jack (Roush) for 14 years. What he has given us in terms of his focus, his vision, his toughness, and his ‘take no prisoners’ approach is our number one asset.”
Raised in southern and central Ohio and educated at Ohio University, Thompson started his automotive career at Campbell & Company, a Dearborn-based automotive marketing firm. While there he worked in a marketing capacity for Ford Racing and Ford Special Vehicle Team.
His product and racing experience led him to ROUSH Performance Products, a new venture in 1996. As a key member of that team, he worked to shape and deploy the ROUSH brand, led the launch of five generations of ROUSH Mustangs, and sold more than 30,000 vehicles. In 2004, he was named executive vice president, the youngest in ROUSH history, and general manager of RPP.
“Under Joe’s leadership, we have become one of the premier brands in the automotive aftermarket segment,” said Jack Roush. “His strategic approach to sales, distribution, and marketing, along with an aggressive product development offering, fueled a sales increase of more than 600 percent during his years at the helm of ROUSH Performance.”
“The culture and resources available to us at ROUSH are second to none,” said Thompson. “With world-class engineers, a targeted gap in the market in need of our talents, a proud brand and a legendary leader, we will change America’s perception of alternative transportation fuel.”
He currently lives in Ann Arbor, Mich., with his wife, Zoe, and sons, Cal and Ty.
Joining Thompson is Todd Mouw, a veteran automotive sales and marketing executive.
“Todd brings a 15-year background in the automotive and high tech industries to ROUSH CleanTech,” said Roush. “He manages the national sales staff and currently leads the charge in helping Fortune 500 fleets find ways to reduce their carbon footprint and operating costs through utilizing alternative fuel technologies. He has considerable sales, marketing, and consumer communications experience with Ford, GM, and Chrysler dealer programs.”
In the past year, Mouw has been working with fleets to incorporate liquid-propane injection vehicles into their fleet programs and seen great interest in the lineup of ROUSH CleanTech propane autogas-fueled Ford trucks and vans. He assumes a similar position at ROUSH CleanTech with the title of vice president of sales and marketing.
A Wolverine at heart, Mouw received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, a mere 25 miles from ROUSH headquarters in Livonia. “The blood of the auto industry runs through my veins,” Mouw jokes. “My dad owned a sales engineering company working with automotive original equipment manufacturers and Tier 1 automotive suppliers. The first car I remember him owning was a Mustang 5.0 with a V-8 engine, and he was generous enough to let me wash and wax it all the time. His passion for the industry definitely shaped my interests and career path.”
After graduation, Mouw moved to California to work at Maxim Integrated Products, a semi-conductor company. He gained a wealth of experience traveling internationally and making product and manufacturing decisions for a billion dollar company. Says Mouw, “I was probably a little over my head since it was my first job out of college, but the leadership had confidence that I would use tools that existed to make the right decision for the company. Maxim definitely set the mold for my worth ethic and business philosophies.”
Marketing grabbed his attention, and Mouw moved on to the Phoenix Group in Farmington Hills, Mich., where he substantially grew the business by diversifying outside the auto industry.
In 2002, he directed his creative and business development energy into co-owning Innovative Customer Management Solutions (iCMS) until he found his home at ROUSH in January 2009. “Having been a car guy all my life, it was always a dream to work for Jack Roush. They were a client of mine at iCMS for 6 years so it was a natural transition for both sides,” said Mouw.
“I appreciate all the people who have mentored me along the way and shaped my management beliefs — starting with the right resources to create a great product, hiring the right people, selling the best products, and or course, meeting the customers’ needs,” said Mouw. “ROUSH CleanTech will make an impact and will be known for doing its part to clean up the planet – one emission at a time – and without compromising power, performance, or reliability,” he concluded.
For leisure, Mouw enjoys times with his wife, Heather, and their two golden retrievers. He loves to golf, fly fish, and vacation abroad in Thailand.
About the company: Based in Livonia, Mich., ROUSH® CleanTech offers dedicated liquid-propane injection fuel systems for a variety of light- and medium- duty Ford vehicles, including the F-150, F-250, and F-350 truck series, and the E-150, E-250, E-350, and E-450 cutaway van series. Currently offered through authorized Ford dealerships around the country, the ROUSH® CleanTech propane system delivers the same factory Ford performance characteristics, warranty coverage, and serviceability. Customers can reduce operating costs significantly while reducing vehicle emissions. Complete details on ROUSH CleanTech propane offerings can be found online at www.roushcleantech.com or by calling 800-59-ROUSH.
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