EXO2 appoints Tekrider as heated clothing distributor

McDonough, Ga.-based EXO2 announced it has selected Canada-based Tekrider as its new EXOGLO heated products distributor for North America.

In addition, Tekrider has been licensed to make heated products for the North American powersports market with FabRoc, EXO2’s proprietary heat technology. Tekrider, the manufacturer of the TekVest and market leader in upper body protective gear for snowmobiles, will use these appointments to diversify its business and increase jobs in North America. Tekrider conducts all R&D and manufacturing in Canada, and has done so since 1996.

“I’ve collaborated with Steve Brand and Tekrider on projects since 2008. Their decades of experience in the powersports industry, along with an intense commitment to excellence, make them uniquely qualified and our obvious choice for an industry partner,” said Drew Walston, president and CEO of EXO2. “We are anxious to combine our skills, contacts, experiences and, of course, use of the world’s best heating source, FabRoc, to create together what has only been dreamed of to this point. Steve’s team brings impressive racing and OEM experience to the table.”

Tekrider plans to hit full stride in mid-2016 once all staff members are in place, trained and certified as FabRoc technologists and technicians.

“We started as a customer of EXO2 [EXO2 made heating systems for the first heated TekVest] and became so impressed by both the FabRoc technology and the overall commitment exhibited by Drew’s team, and his U.K. partners, that we knew we wanted to be a part of their future,” said Steve Brand, president and CEO of Tekrider. “We see this new partnership as a key opportunity to diversify our business beyond the clothing market and provide heating solutions to a wide range of new applications. In order to control quality and speed to market, we made a deliberate decision back in 1996 to build our products in CANUSA, to use domestically made sub-components, and to remain very nimble and market-driven. Despite the collapse of the domestic CANUSA clothing supply chain in the last 20 years, every TekVest has retained an almost 100 percent CANUSA content and we’re close to resurrecting domestic supply of the one fabric and a zipper pull that are currently not available to us. We have an exceptionally loyal customer base that will soon be able to appreciate ‘The Heat Inside!’”