Stihl mourns the loss of its Southeast president

Stihl's Southeast president, Bob Noble, Jr., passed way on the morning of March 8 in Orlando, Florida.

Known to his teammates as "JR," he was considered "an extended member of the Stihl Inc. family," in the words of a company statement released this morning. "He will be missed immensely and his legacy will continue to inspire those who knew him."

Noble, Jr. joined the company in 1988 as sales manager for the Florida, Georgia and Alabama territories. He became president in 1988 when his father, Stihl Southeast founder Bob Noble, Sr., retired.

“Bob Noble, Jr. was devoted to providing top quality service to our servicing dealers and this will continue to be a priority at Stihl Southeast. We are all saddened by his loss and will be thinking of the entire Noble family during this difficult time,” said Bjoern Fischer, president at Stihl Inc.

He is also credited with playing a key role in the establishment of the Stihl Offshore Racing Team in 2007, driving the Stihl boat in the team’s first appearance at the national and world championship in the stock-outboard class two years later. That year, Team Stihl captured the national and world titles.

Noble Jr.'s successor, Randy Lail, will continue to lead the team at Stihl Southeast.