E-Commerce & Operations Executive San Diego, CA

Rick.Beckerman

throtl Co-Founder · Former CEO

I co-founded throtl, grew the business to multiple eight figures and led it through two acquisitions. Today, I lead customer service and post-purchase operations at Turn5.

01An idea

2Acquisitions led

8-figureBusiness built

170+People led

$500K+Monthly ad spend

Selected companies

Companies I’ve built, led or helped grow.

01 / Profile

San Diego, CA

How I got here

I’ve always wanted to understand how things work.

I’m based in San Diego and trained as a mechanical engineer at the University of Rochester. I spent nearly eight years at Solar Turbines, moving from design engineering and field service into fleet management and account leadership. It gave me a practical foundation in technical problem-solving, customer relationships and day-to-day operations.

In 2015, I co-founded throtl and served as CEO, raising multiple angel rounds and growing the company to Inc 500 recognition. I led its 2021 acquisition by Wheel Pros, then took on broader e-commerce leadership across throtl, 4 Wheel Parts and HOONIGAN. I later guided throtl through a second acquisition, this time by Turn5.

Today, I lead Turn5’s customer service and post-purchase operations, with responsibility for an organization of more than 170 people. I also invest in and advise entrepreneurs, drawing on experience in growth, fundraising, acquisitions and customer operations. Outside Turn5, Bexco Automotive remains my excuse to spend more time around Porsche 911s.

How I work

Stay close to the customer.Make the numbers work.Leave the business stronger.

02 / Milestones

Selected outcomes

A few results I’m proud of.

Built throtl from an idea to Inc 500 recognition

I co-founded throtl in 2015 and grew the business from the ground up.

Grew the business to multiple eight figures

throtl reached customers nationwide and built an active community of automotive enthusiasts.

Delivered returns for early investors

I raised multiple angel rounds, put the capital to work growing the company and delivered returns to the people who backed us early.

Led throtl through two acquisitions

I guided the company through its acquisition by Wheel Pros and its later acquisition by Turn5.

Named a top-10 NuFund finalist

throtl finished in the top 10 of NuFund Ventures’ Quick Pitch Competition.

03 / Expertise

What I do

Growth works when the whole business works.

I work across marketing, e-commerce, customer operations and capital because those decisions are rarely separate in a growing company.

Paid Marketing

I’ve managed more than $500K a month across Meta, Google and other channels, and built the funnels that turned that spend into sales.

Brand Building

At throtl, content and community were part of the business, not a campaign bolted onto it. That consistency built an audience that stayed with us.

Growth Strategy

Sweepstakes and giveaways were major growth channels, backed by automated SMS and email programs. Together, they helped generate billions of social impressions.

E-Commerce

I’ve led the full e-commerce operation: platform decisions, site performance, conversion and the day-to-day work behind it.

Product Data

Product data is unglamorous and essential. I’ve built catalog structures that make products easier to find, easier to merchandise and easier to buy.

Customer Operations

I build post-purchase operations that make it easier for customers to get help and easier for teams to deliver it across phone, chat, email and SMS.

Fundraising

I’ve raised multiple angel rounds and managed investor relationships through growth and two acquisitions. I understand both the pitch and the responsibility that follows the check.

Mergers & Acquisitions

I’ve led a company through diligence, integration and two acquisitions. I understand the deal itself and what it asks of the people doing the work.

AI & Automation

I put AI to work on real operating problems in e-commerce and customer service, from faster internal workflows to better self-service.

04 / Experience

How I got here

I started as an engineer. Then I built a company.

Since then, I’ve led e-commerce growth, two acquisitions and customer operations for a 170+ person organization.

Jan 2026 — Present

Customer Service & Operations Leadership

Turn5

I lead post-purchase operations across stocking and dropship logistics, call center, live chat, email and SMS. My scope includes a 170+ person organization, the Zendesk platform and the expansion of AI-driven self-service.

Jan 2025 — Present

Vice President

throtl Inc

I lead strategic initiatives and growth across the business.

Jan 2022 — Mar 2025

President

throtl Inc

I oversaw operations and led throtl through its second acquisition when Turn5 acquired the company.

Oct 2023 — 2025

Vice President, E-Commerce

HOONIGAN · formerly Wheel Pros

I led e-commerce strategy and digital experience for throtl and 4 Wheel Parts after Wheel Pros rebranded as HOONIGAN.

Sep 2022 — Oct 2024

Head of E-Commerce

4 Wheel Parts

I owned the direct-to-consumer website experience across the 4 Wheel Parts portfolio.

Sep 2022 — Jul 2024

Vice President, DTC Digital Experience

Wheel Pros

I led direct-to-consumer e-commerce across 4 Wheel Parts and throtl.

Jul 2015 — Apr 2022

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer

throtl Inc

I co-founded throtl, raised multiple angel rounds, grew the company to Inc 500 recognition and led its 2021 acquisition by Wheel Pros.

Jul 2015 — Present

Business Owner

Bexco Automotive

I built Bexco as a passion project around a lifelong Porsche 911 addiction.

May 2014 — Jul 2015

Account Manager

Solar Turbines

I led sales of customer-service products and services across an assigned geographic market.

Sep 2011 — May 2014

Fleet Manager

Solar Turbines

I served as the primary customer contact for an operating fleet.

Apr 2009 — Sep 2011

Field Service Representative

Solar Turbines

I supported field installations and handled a broad mix of technical and operational responsibilities.

Oct 2007 — Apr 2009

Design Engineer

Solar Turbines

I served as Marine Compliance Engineer for compressor-set and mechanical-drive packages.

Jan 2007 — Jun 2007

Finite Element Analyst

ITT Industries

I built finite-element models in NASTRAN and PATRAN to evaluate stress, buckling, stiffness and vibration.

05 / Toolkit

What I work with

From storefront to data, I stay close to the tools.

Shopify Plus
Magento
Oracle NetSuite
Figma
Ruby on Rails
Python
React
Node.js
TypeScript
Triple Whale
Klaviyo
Google Analytics 4
Snowflake
Zendesk
Next.js
Vue.js

06 / Contact

Get in touch

Have something interesting in mind? Let’s talk.

Reach out about operating roles, advisory work, investments or a founder-to-founder conversation.

contact@rickbeckerman.com