Former Tesla Director Eric Purcell Joins Team at Lordstown Motors

Lordstown Motors announced Monday that automotive industry veteran Eric Purcell will join the company as VP of Global Quality. He will report directly to President Rich Schmidt.

As VP of Global Quality, Purcell will be responsible for implementing and overseeing the company’s quality standards ahead of the start of production of the Lordstown Endurance — its new full size, all-electric pickup truck that’s believed to be the world’s first. He will work closely with leaders across operations, engineering, warranty, sales and service teams.

Purcell has over 25 years of industry experience and was the former Director of Manufacturing at Tesla. During his tenure there, he was responsible for both the Model S and Model X and stamping shops, overseeing a team of over 1,000 employees.

Most recently, he served as Director of Global Quality at Gibson Brands. In that role, Purcell helped manage policy deployment in lean manufacturing, quality, cost reduction, safety, customer satisfaction, employee relations, visual controls and overall plant performance. He was also in charge of the guitar company’s five site global footprint.

The electric vehicle company, which specializes in electric light duty trucks designed for the commercial fleet, has gone through some leadership turmoil in recent months. In June, former CEO Steve Burns and former CFO Julio Rodriguez resigned after it was revealed it did not have enough capital to produce Endurance and its production volumes would be cut in half. Lordstown Motors’ Lead Independent Director Angela Strand was appointed Executive Chairman and has been leading the company until a permanent CEO is picked.

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