The Backwoods Team
Ty Pierce
Sales Overlord
Superpower: Always incredibly tan
Instagram: @backwoods.ty
Everybody knows Ty. He's the hype man and overall party guy. If you don't, you've probably heard him talk from a mile away. Born in Alabama, Ty is a southern raised adventurer who knows no strangers. Ty has been with Backwoods since the beginning and continues to spread good vibes in the office as well as on the road. He manages our Sales Dept. and is one of our best van experts on the team. He currently drives a fully built, bad to the bone 144 Mercedes Sprinter.
Grant Willbanks
Marketing Guy
Cons: Likes to wear mullet wigs
Instagram: @grizzy.gram
Grant is our super famous influencer guy, and he REALLY loves when you call him that. Grant has a passion for offroading, Toyotas, and basically anything with wheels. He's often found asking his coworkers when they want to wheel as well as bragging about going 10 psi in his stupid beadlocks. Grant leads the charge with our social media, design, video, website, and marketing strategy and drives a fully built 3rd gen Tacoma. He lives out the Backwoods brand to the fullest just like the rest of the crew.
Drew Taylor
Website & Photo Guy
Greatest strength: Destroying alternators
Instagram: @drewjtaylor
Although he may seem reserved and quiet at first, Drew (AKA Drew Downs) can really come alive and surprise you when you least expect it. Just like the rest of us, he shares a passion for offroading, but can also talk all sports, music, cars, video games, and design. Drew's quality and attention to detail is easy to spot when looking at our photos and website. He's super talented and easy to talk about life with. It's easy to tell Drew is a man of class because he drives a spicy 4th gen V8 4Runner on 35's.
Mo Esquivel
Sales Account Manager
Caution: Weirdly obsessed with jello shots
Instagram: @4runningtheozarks
There is only one Mo. His passion for wheeling, camping, wrenching, cookie eating, chocolate milk drinking (Hiland only), kayaking, and Toyotas is completely unmatched. Mo has his roots in Arkansas and knows the Ozarks well. You can often find him saying one of his many one liners, including: "big rims loud pipes, same same, talk to me Goose, rigs & cigs, CHURCH, what's up cowboy, check them lugs," and many more. Mo currently drives a baller long travel 5th gen 4Runner.
Evan House
Mr. Backwoods
Greatest skill: Not losing the 10mm
Instagram: @ozarky_sparky
Born from a bald eagle and Wonder Woman herself, Evan is a 100% American Patriot. Evan is a multitalented dude that will always give you a laugh. He's a master when it comes to designing new products, welding and installing prototypes, and he is THE "one take wonder" when it comes to shooting install videos. Evan has been a motorhead his whole life and has a true passion for this lifestyle, which is obvious when you're around him. His problem solving skills and positive vibes are shared by all!
Bart Miller
Eastside Road Dog
Height: 5' 2"
Instagram: @bartmiller101
Are you a good person who loves our products and supporting our brand? Well, Bart did and now he works for us. Bart lives all the way in Maryland and works much of the East coast for us, although he won't bat an eye at a drive all the way to the West coast. Bart is an avid wheeler and used to drive a Tacoma, but is now in one of the cleanest Sprinter builds we've seen in a long time. Bart is the MASTER of dialed. Everything he touches is super tidy, and he's not afraid to push the limits of a van offroad.
J.O. Noack
Sales Account Manager
Biggest fear: Hermit crabs
Instagram: @ar.yota
J.O. is our newest addition to the Backwoods sales team, completing an unbelievable trifecta of double lettered first name salesmen. Mo and J.O. often work super close, in which we refer to them both as MOJO. J.O. is a diehard Toyota guy who rocks a super nicely built FJ Cruiser. Everyone knows J.O. as the nice guy. His personality, positive attitude, and humility is extremely contagious. J.O. cares deeply about our customers as well as his passion for Toyotas and the outdoors.
Josh Bockleman
Director of Engineering
Beware: Might steal your vape
Instagram: @oventureproject
Josh, or "J Bock" as most call him, is the glue to our manufacturing and engineering designs and processes. So basically, he's the smart guy. Josh has an impressive background in engineering and automation at some high level companies, but joined Backwoods to apply his skills with his passion for trucks and offroading. Josh is a DIY'er and not afraid to spin a wrench. He's also a pretty big sender out on the trails, and likes to blame it on "product testing." Josh drives a sick 3rd gen TRD Pro Tundra on 37s.
Israel Gutierrez
Production Lead Supervisor
Greatest strength: Laying dimes
Instagram: -
Israel leads the production floor and is in charge of several other crew members. Israel pours his blood, sweat, and tears into all of our Backwoods products and is a master fabricator. If he's not stacking dimes, he's probably making crazy cool sculptures out of welding wire. He is one of the most creative and genuine guys we have. He even built his own house for him and his family. Israel not only works extremely hard at work, but is an amazing father to 7 (we think) kids. Israel is the man.
"Sandy" the Grinding Robot
Grinds Bumpers & other Products
Worst trait: Dust everywhere
Instagram: @backwoodsadventuremods
Sandy is one of our beloved FANUC robots. She costed quite a bit of coin, but allows us to get out our product much quicker. Sandy is a huge team player and works well with our crew of hand welders and with R2. Some say she doesn't talk much, but others have witnessed her discussing her preference of aluminum over steel. We are still working on teaching her to clean up after herself because she often makes a big mess. Sandy is a super valuable asset to the team and never complains about anything.
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Marketing Guy
Instagram: @grizzy.gram | www.arkoffroad.com
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R2-Dime Stacker
Senior Bumper Welder
Strength: Never takes sick days
Instagram: @backwoodsadventuremods
R2-Dimestacker is one of our OTC robots that helps weld bumpers together. Although small in size, R2 helps us out big time by laying really down long, tedious welds. Depending on R2's mood, he either welds aluminum or steel, but is equally skilled at both. He's shy about it, but lots of our crew think he has the hots for Sandy, but it's not confirmed. Even though we have several hand welders, R2 helps speed up the process tremendously and requires the help of an operator to make sure he doesn't get out of line.
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Marketing Guy
Instagram: @grizzy.gram | www.arkoffroad.com
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Website & Photo Guy
Instagram: @drewjtaylor
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Marketing Guy
Instagram: @grizzy.gram | www.arkoffroad.com
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