Motion Laboratories Names Rick Montgomery Chief Executive Officer

	Rick Montgomery

Motion Labs has announced Rick Montgomery's appointment as CEO of Motion Laboratories, So-Cal Value Added Services, and Phase3 USA. Montgomery will provide unified leadership and strategic direction across all three companies.

The appointment follows a carefully planned leadership transition initiated by company co-founder Pete Herrmann, who stepped down in July 2026 due to illness and passed away in September 2026.

Having spent decades building Motion Laboratories, Herrmann devoted much of his final two years to securing its future.

Montgomery brings extensive technical and commercial experience to the role. Before entering live entertainment, he spent 17 years in the steel industry, developing expertise in electrical systems, industrial automation, and troubleshooting. He later transitioned into sales with an industrial crane manufacturer before joining Stagemaker, the entertainment hoist brand of R&M Materials Handling, as business development manager for North America.

Montgomery met Herrmann in 2009 during a visit to the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium, where Stagemaker hoists were operating with Motion Labs' Warden Control System. His technical knowledge made a lasting impression on Herrmann, establishing a professional relationship that would eventually bring him to Motion Laboratories.

In 2018, Herrmann hired Montgomery as vice president of Eastern US and Canada Sales. In that role, he strengthened relationships with production companies and systems integrators, expanded national accounts, and helped introduce products such as Soft Limit to major arenas and theaters.

Montgomery also contributed to the development of Motion Labs' overmolded cable assemblies, backed by an industry-leading ten-year warranty.

In 2024, Montgomery was promoted to CRO, reflecting his growing influence on the company's commercial strategy and overall direction. In this expanded leadership role, he assumed greater responsibility for revenue growth, strategic planning, financial forecasting, and company policy. The appointment also marked an important step in Herrmann's long-term succession plan, preparing Montgomery to take on broader executive leadership responsibilities.

As CEO, Montgomery intends to preserve the company's engineering excellence, quality, and customer service while responding to an evolving entertainment market. "Pete built Motion Labs on a foundation of engineering, quality, and customer service, and that isn't going to change," Montgomery emphasizes. "What I bring is a different perspective, one shaped by years of working directly with customers."

Montgomery's CRO responsibilities will remain under his leadership for now, ensuring continuity in customer relationships, sales strategy, and revenue development across the organization.

Looking ahead, Montgomery will build on Motion Laboratories' four decades of experience, support the continued development of its talented team, and drive innovation, efficiency, and sustainable growth across all three companies.

"The leadership may be changing, but the knowledge, relationships, and ingenuity that built Motion Laboratories remain firmly in place," Montgomery concludes.