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Traeger Grills lawsuit: What we know about the Oregon company suing its founder

Sophie Blaylock Mason Callejas
Salem Statesman Journal
Traeger Grills founder Joe Traeger is shown in 1997.

Suing a man over the use of his face? It's not out of the question if you're Traeger Grills.

In July, the company sued founder Joe Traeger and his sons Brian Traeger and Mark Traeger, alleging they were selling their brand and likeness to rival Dansons. 

Here's everything to know, from the origins of Traeger Grills to the current lawsuit. 

The beginning of the brand

The story goes, during a family Fourth of July barbecue in 1985, Joe Traeger’s gas grill caught fire while cooking chicken. Joe was so angry he kicked the grill off the deck, according to the Traeger Grills website.

The next day he started work on a barbecue for the home market that would use wood pellets.

When completed, it resembled the offset barrel smokers popular in Texas, but its heating element and gauges allowed cooks to regulate heat and smoke to cook. Traeger Grills sold its first commercial grill in 1988.

A Traeger grill at work at Washington Street Steakhouse & Pub in Dallas on July 10, 2019.

Traegers sell in 2006  

The family sold the assets of Traeger Industries in 2006 for $3.4 million, according to the lawsuit, and the intellectual property rights and names and likenesses of Joe, Brian, Mark and Randy Traeger for another $9 million.

The suit says Joe Traeger received $2.8 million, sons Randy and Mark Traeger each received $2.7 million and Brian Traeger received $664,000.

Workers weld inside the original Traeger Grills factory in Mt. Angel in 1999.

Joe Traeger, son Brian hired by rival Dansons in 2018

Joe Traeger visited the Phoenix, Arizona, facility of barbecue grill manufacturer Dansons  in August 2018 to talk with the company's president, Jeff Thiessen, about a charity.

Dansons production line also includes wood pellet grills.

Roughly one month later, Joe and Brian Traeger went to work for Dansons – Joe in product development and Brian as a divisional sales manager. Dansons then used photos of Joe and Brian Traeger and the Traeger barn in Mt. Angel in its announcement of the hiring and subsequent marketing material dated Sept. 21, 2018.

An exhibit to the lawsuit filed in Arizona is a photo of Jordan Thiessen (from left), Jeff Thiessen, Dan Thiessen, Joe Traeger and Brian Traeger in front of the Traeger barn in Mt. Angel.

Traeger Grills files suits in 2019

On July 16, Traeger Pellet Grills filed a lawsuit against Joe, Brian and Mark Traeger in a Florida district court – Randy Traeger died in 2017 – alleging they were selling their brand and likeness a second time since selling their company in 2006.

That same day Traeger Pellet Grills filed a similar lawsuit against Dansons in Arizona District Court, alleging improper conduct and unfair competition on the part of Dansons for using the Traeger family members in promoting Pit Boss and Louisiana Grills.

The suits ask for unspecified monetary damages, and for the Traegers and the Traeger barn to no longer be used in marketing for Dansons.

Lawsuit:Traeger Grills suing founder Joe Traeger claiming he is selling his name and image again

Boneless pork ribs on the Traeger at Washington Street Steakhouse & Pub in Dallas on July 10, 2019.

Traeger Grills vs. Traeger timeline

  • 1935 Traeger family moves to Mt. Angel
  • 1959 Joe Traeger goes to work for uncle’s company, which will become Traeger Heating
  • 1980 Joe Traeger develops heater using wood pellets
  • 1982 Joe Traeger purchases what would become the Traeger Barn from the Mt. Angel Abbey
  • 1985 Joe Traeger builds first wood pellet grill after a gas grill burns the family Fourth of July chicken
  • 1988 Traeger Grills sells first commercial wood pellet grill
  • 2006 Joe Traeger and sons Mark, Randy and Brian Traeger sell Traeger Industries to a Florida venture capitalist for $12.4 million
  • 2014 Traeger Grills is sold to Jeremy Andrus and private equity firm Trilantic Capital Partners
  • 2015 Traeger Grills moves its headquarters to Utah and brings five of 140 employees
  • 2018 Joe and Brian Traeger take jobs with rival Dansons and are used in marketing
  • July 16, 2019 Traeger Grills sues Joe and Brian Traeger and Dansons over the use of their images