Grote Industries has named long-time executive Eric Thorstensen to the newly created position of director of business development, leading Grote’s business development teams. Kent Bode, another successful career Grote manager, has been named director of OEM sales to fill the spot left open by Thorstensen.
“Eric has substantial knowledge and experience in leading teams in sales, quality, operations, international business, and engineering. His in-depth knowledge of customer needs and Grote processes make him the perfect leader to develop the innovative solutions our customers expect from Grote,” said global vice president, sales and marketing, John Grote.
“Kent has held positions in engineering, product development, and sales,” added John Grote. “During his time as a regional OEM sales manager, Kent was responsible for developing our OEM business in the Southeastern territory, as well as managing the majority of our OEM tractor accounts. In his most recent position, he held the dual role of eastern regional manager and national accounts manager for the Heavy-Duty aftermarket division. In that capacity, he led his team to a record performance and developed some of our newest team members into high performing technical specialists.”
Both men will be operating out of Grote headquarters in Madison, Indiana.
