[Update: Dozens of workers join lawsuit against Traeger Grills as the Utah company makes a major pivot]
He gets to Costco before it opens and stays until after it closes. In between, Aaron Cicero spends up to 14 hours or more on his feet demonstrating Traeger grills — pitching the “wood-fired flavor” created by the company’s signature pellets, rubs and sauces.
Cicero, who lives in Arizona, has been a brand ambassador for the popular grill company headquartered in Salt Lake City since June 2024, traveling to Costco stores across the country to promote its products.
Traeger pays him using a formula tied to the amount of sales during these road shows — which Cicero now contends violates federal law by failing to ensure he’s paid at least the minimum wage per hour and denying him overtime pay.
Ciccero sued Traeger last week in federal court in Utah, claiming the grill company is misclassifying him and other brand ambassadors as “exempt” employees — who are typically salaried and are not eligible for overtime pay.
He’s seeking to represent others who have done similar work for Traeger over the past three years.
The Salt Lake City attorney listed as representing Cicero in court records said the out-of-state lawyers who will soon lead the case didn’t want to comment. Traeger did not respond to The Salt Lake Tribune’s requests for comment.
Over 100 hours of work, no overtime
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the most commonly exempt employees work in professional, administrative, computer-related or outside sales roles.
Non-exempt employees, on the other hand, are usually hourly workers who are entitled to time and a half for any overtime hours worked.
Traeger is “presumably” classifying its brand ambassadors as “outside sales” employees, the lawsuit asserts. The Fair Labor Standards Act has a specific exemption for people who work in outside sales, which allows employers to not pay them minimum wage or overtime pay.
But Cicero’s lawsuit argues he doesn’t fit into that exemption — since it’s impossible for him to make a sale.
Ambassadors focus on product promotion, the lawsuit states, and they don’t process purchases or handle transactions. Costco customers must check out at a store register or with a Costco staff member.
“The road show booths do not have a way to process payment or actually sell any products. Nor do they establish contracts for the sale of the product,” the lawsuit states.
“A customer can take a grill from the booth and abandon the product on the way to the cashier. Unlike a trade show, it is impossible for a brand ambassador to actually make a sale at Costco.”
During a typical road show, the lawsuit said, brand ambassadors fly to a Costco on Thursday to set up their booth, unpack grills and take inventory. Then they spend the next 10 days demonstrating products to customers. On the final day, after the store closes, they dismantle and pack up the booth.
Ambassadors are required to arrive 30 minutes before opening and stay 30 minutes after closing, with a half-hour lunch break, according to the complaint. Costco stores are typically open between eight to 10 hours a day.
A single 10-day road show, the lawsuit says, can mean more than 100 hours of work — including travel, setup, breakdown and shifts that often stretch past 14 hours a day.
Traeger cuts costs
Traeger recently launched a significant restructuring plan to cut costs and boost profitability, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Approved by the company’s board in May, the plan involves streamlining operations and reducing its workforce.
(Samantha Moilanen|The Salt Lake Tribune) A Traeger Grills billboard outside the company's headquarters at 533 S. 400 West in Salt Lake City on Oct. 8, 2025.
Traeger had already spent about $3.5 million on its restructuring effort, mostly on severance and other staffing costs, according to the quarterly filing that covered the period ending on June 30. The company expects to wrap up the plan by the end of fiscal 2026.
At the same time, Traeger’s sales have taken a hit. Revenue dropped 13.6% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same time last year, and the company saw a $7.4 million net loss, according to the filing.
In 2022, Traeger’s board approved a cost-cutting plan that led to layoffs of at least 14% of its global workforce and the closure of Traeger Provisions, its meal kit business.
The company has received two tax incentive deals from the state of Utah, allowing it to potentially claim rebates of up to $503,537 and $882,430, for creating 164 jobs and 120 jobs over two seven-year spans. According to the state, it has earned between zero and 25% of each potential rebate.
It has between 500 and 1,000 employees, according to the company’s LinkedIn page.
In the 1980s, Traeger created the first wood pellet grills, which use natural hardwoods to grill, smoke, bake, roast, braise and barbecue, according to the company’s website. It was founded by Joe Traeger in 1987 in Oregon, and moved to Utah in 2015.
While many brands now compete in the wood pellet grill market — including Pit Boss and Weber — Traeger remained a top player, owning more than 50% of the global wood pellet grill market, CEO Jeremy Andrus previously told The Tribune. In a 2021 interview, Andrus said that although the company has existed for decades, its slower early growth often leads people to mistake it for a newer startup.
In 2022, Traeger moved its global headquarters into the historic Newspaper Agency Company building, a former printing and distribution center for newspapers across the Intermountain West, on 400 West in Salt Lake City, according to a company news release.
In addition to Costco, Traeger sells its products through Amazon, Ace Hardware, The Home Depot, Best Buy and a range of independent retailers that specialize in outdoor, camping and barbecue gear.
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