Industry Insights | Ft. Taylor Dressler 2

In this installment of Industry Insights, we talk to Marketing Specialist for Troy Lee Designs, Taylor Dressler, about her career, passion for motorcycles, TLD, and more.

Jamie Guida – Vital MX: What are you up to, Taylor? How are things at Troy Lee Designs?

Taylor Dressler: It's just the busy season for us with rider support and lots of stuff going on for 2025.

Vital MX: Where did you grow up, and were motorsports and dirt bikes part of your life from a young age?

Taylor: I grew up on the East Coast, about an hour and a half North of Atlanta. My dad got me into motorcycles at a fairly young age. If it wasn't motorcycles, it was car racing. He was a single father and got out of all the expensive hobbies for a bit. Then, he had some friends re-introduce him when I was about 13. He was invited to a vintage race where he got to hang out with his old friends, and I tagged along and thought it was the coolest thing. About a week later, he got an old Honda XR100 that we ripped around our property. He saw I enjoyed it, so we got into racing, and it was a wild adventure from there. I don't think he believed I'd get as passionate about it as I have.

Vital MX: You ride street and dirt, and your work career has almost been exclusively within motorsports. This has been your life-long passion. 

Taylor: Yeah. As soon as I was introduced to it, all my other hobbies took a backseat. I was super into horseback riding and soccer, but once I got into dirt bikes, it was game on. My dad and I did a bunch of GNCCs and off-road riding for a while. I realized I liked being around motorcycles and wanted to figure out how to work around them once I was at that age. It's been my life.

Vital MX: What's your favorite GNCC?

Taylor: Any of the GNCCs in the Carolinas I've had luck at. Big Buck was always a favorite. I love the terrain in that part of the country.

Vital MX: A few of your career opportunities include working at Temecula Motorsports, MTA Distributing as customer service, AXO as the athlete manager/content manager, and director of operations for an arenacross tour. Are there a couple of things you learned or that stand out that help you at Troy Lee Designs?

Taylor: After college, I worked for the Arenacross Tour series, a Southeastern regional Arenacross series. I worked for the Thompson family, who are big up in Canada. At the time, my boyfriend was racing, and I noticed they didn't have anyone doing P.R. for the series. The races had no coverage even though they had a large pro purse payout. Nobody knew about it. So, I offered to write their press releases to build my resume. It kind of took off, and I stayed with the program for 5-6 years, on and off. It was very seasonal, but there was a lot of opportunity for me to do everything I wanted. I dabbled in P.R., was involved with negotiating sponsors for the series, developing activities to engage fans, and almost anything I wanted. It was a great opportunity at a young age to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. 

Then, I moved to California and worked for AXO doing rider support. I knew at some point I'd want to move to the West Coast, and that was my opportunity. Eventually, AXO started to phase out, so I pursued other opportunities. I'm excited to have landed at Troy Lee Designs because I'm back doing what I love.

Vital MX: You're also the owner of Fast Babes LLC. Tell us about that.

Taylor: During Covid, I had some downtime and created Fast Babes. My goal is to do women's motorcycle events. It's primarily in California now, but I want to expand to other areas of the country. It's about networking opportunities for women who ride motorcycles. I was riding a lot of street at the time, and we were doing local meet-ups where we could ride to cool spots. When I first got my bike, I was so excited, and it took a while to find a group of friends with whom I could hit up and ride. Fast Babes is a networking place to have those opportunities. We do a big ride on the weekend of Valentine's, and last year 175 women from all over Southern California showed up. I've helped raise money for some women to take riding courses through the CHP (California Highway Patrol) to further their skill development. Recently, I've started to push Fast Babes back into the off-road space where my roots are. We're doing monthly desert meet-ups where we drop a pin and ride together. Women can go to FastBabes.co, and everything is there, or you can find us on Instagram at @FastBabes_.

Vital MX: Troy Lee is a legend and icon in the sport. He's been painting helmets since the early 80s, and TLD is one of the premier gear companies. I'd assume working there would be a career highlight.

Taylor: Yes. When I saw this position, I knew some people at the company. I went in to talk to them, and after sitting there for a few minutes and seeing the culture and history, I was like, "I love this." I don't know if it was growing up with my dad and the stories I heard, but it felt like home. I genuinely like being there.

Vital MX: Troy recently bought the company back, giving it a chance to return to its core. What are your roles and vision for TLD?

Taylor: There is so much in place already, and they've done a great job over the last few years. With Troy buying it back, I think there will be some changes that I'm excited about. At the World Vets a few weeks ago, Troy went out and raced. This shows that Troy loves this industry and his family is involved, which is a huge backboard we can use to launch other marketing initiatives. 

Vital MX: In this day and age, how do you choose where to focus your marketing?

Taylor: In the mountain bike space, they support some large athletes who are pretty well known, and it's easy to market. There is a lot of transition in moto, but I think social media is key. Also, focusing on the brand's core values and not just following trends. Troy Lee has so much history and culture; we must stay true to that. TLD's mountain bike and moto sides are thriving right now; we have solid athletes and top-notch products. 

Vital MX: What excites you most over the next 12 months?

Taylor: Getting Troy Lee back in the forefront. There will be a push in amateur racing, and I think getting back to the core of the brand is exciting.

Vital MX: Let's close with this. What was your best day of riding ever?

Taylor: That's hard because there have been so many good ones. A few weeks ago, I flew back to Atlanta, and for the first time in about eight years, I rode with my dad. Normally, when I go back, it's Christmas time, and he doesn't have an extra bike. Now, he has two bikes, so I brought gear. We went to a local spot, and it was such a cool feeling to ride with my dad again.