Ranger Distributions Brent Diver Discusses Road to Success – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a News & Insights report by the RV Industry Association (RVIA).
As a Co-Founder of Ranger Distribution Inc., Chief Revenue Officer Brent Diver recognizes the importance of sustaining an affable, engaged, and driven company culture.
Originally from Elkhart, IN, Brent has extensive experience in the RV industry, particularly in the electrical components field. After studying at Ball State University, Brent first joined the RV world in 1991 when he was hired at Babsco, an electrical distributor. Eventually, the company was purchased by Shelter Components and Brent and his wife, Lori, moved to Wichita, KS, to open their electrical branch in Newton, KS. During his time there, he became a Regional Product Manager overseeing the West, Southwest, and part of the Midwest. After Brent’s daughter Megan was born in Wichita and Lori became pregnant with their son Jake, he moved back to Elkhart, where he was a manufacturer’s representative on the electrical side of the RV industry.
“I was in that role until a friend of mine started the Odyssey Group and I worked for him until they closed in 2008,” says Brent. “At that point I helped to start up another company which is now Patrick Distribution (a division of Patrick Industries). I was there for a little over a year and then I went to work for Dave Carter & Associates. I spent 10 years there including part of that as the sales manager of the Goshen-Elkhart branch before leaving to start my own company. That was the beginning of Ranger Distribution.”
The company began in September 2019, just six months before the coronavirus pandemic. “For the first six weeks of the pandemic, we were wondering if we had made a big mistake. We spent as much time as a group as we could, focusing on retaining our continuity and the people we had brought with us. And then, once the RV industry started going again, it became clear pretty quickly that we were in for a ride.”
Brent’s experience with sourcing and managing products meant that his company was able to help fill gaps in the market: “Sourcing has always been one of my strengths and so in a situation where people were having trouble sourcing it allowed a new company like Ranger Distributions to really excel and fill those needs.”
This became a key opportunity for Ranger Distribution. “One of the first things I started working out was to bring an old breaker back to the market. I spent six months working on that project,” Brent explains. “The prototype samples of the components needed to make the breaker work arrived stateside about a week prior to the announced breaker shortage. We as a company worked with Arterra Distribution. Likewise, Bruce Hopkins (the former Vice President of the RV Industry Association’s Standards Department) played a tremendously important role in UL pushing out the parts to market in an incredibly short time period. Within four weeks, we were supplying about 60-70% of the RV industry with circuit breakers. We were able to keep a significant number of units shipping that would have not otherwise shipped. That was really a launching pad for our growth. We continued to build relationships off of that and prove ourselves and continue to gain opportunity within the customer base that we’re now serving. And we still maintain a significant share of that business today.”
As Chief Revenue Officer, Brent oversees all company sales. This entails finding ways to grow revenue within the company by adding products, including electrical, plumbing, building products, and hardware. He adds that Ranger Distribution Inc. is always excited to take on new manufacturer clients.
Most of all, Brent emphasizes his colleagues and their contributions: “I want to recognize the group I have working with me. We’ve built an amazing team. The partners that I started with include John Curran, Rod Humphreys, Larry Dorfman, and my sales and operations teams, who are amazing.”
This speaks to one of Ranger Distribution Inc.’s key priorities: maintaining a positive company culture.
“We actively promote our core values— fair, friendly, focused, engaged, and accountable— and we have a detailed rundown of what each of those means. Our reviews, which we call quarterly conversations, are based on these values,” Brent says. “And those conversations go both ways every time. When we were first talking about the reasons that we wanted to build a company with this culture, we wanted to honor what we were setting out to do simply because we said we would.”
Brent adds that, in addition to core values, Ranger Distribution Inc. also has value propositions, which include delivering on time every time, incomparable customer service, and delivering value without expectation.
And these philosophies are paying off: “When we were first starting, we hired a lot of young, inexperienced people and trained them. Almost all of them are still with us today and they’ve grown and blossomed. They’re talented, engaged people that are amazing at every job they’re doing.”
One way that Ranger Distribution, Inc. is placing its emphasis on a positive company culture is by hosting an annual speaking series called the Giving Without Expectation series. The first one, which was held in 2022, featured the five-time Ted Talk speaker Alex Sheen, creator of the Because I Said I Would foundation. This invite-only event, which is attended by customers and vendors alike, takes place at Ranger Distribution’s facility.
“We don’t pitch product or ask for anything in return. We have food trucks, cocktails, and appetizers. We sit around, eat, drink, and socialize for a bit, and then we listen to the speaker. It’s become very popular— attendees are bringing more and more of their teams, and I think this year will be our biggest crowd yet. We’re giving our attendees something positive to take with them. It could help them build their teams and be successful in their own right. If our customers and vendors are successful, then we will also be successful,” Brent reflects.
He adds that the third annual one will be taking place in August with author Dave Anderson, also known as Mr. Accountability. Dave, who was last year’s event speaker, emphasizes accountability to oneself. “We want to drive home what he talked about last year and we’re super excited to have him back again,” says Brent.
In his personal life, Brent is an avid outdoor enthusiast. “I love almost any outdoor activity. I’m a regular mountain biker/road cyclist and I enjoy playing golf, camping, hiking, and traveling— I just saw the Grand Canyon for the first time when I traveled to Arizona for the Technical Subcommittees meeting. Also, my wife and I spent a tremendous amount of time traveling in our RV back when our kids were young. We’re empty nesters now, but all of us still enjoy RVing.”
Alongside his responsibilities at Ranger Distribution Inc., Brent is involved with the RV Industry Association: “I’ve been on the Technical Subcommittees for 13 years. For the last several years I have been the Chair of the Electrical Subcommittee.”
Additionally, Brent serves on the Plumbing and Fire and Life Safety Subcommittees, as well as the Membership Committee. He also attends RV Industry Association events, including RVs Move America Week and Advocacy Day.
Regarding his extensive engagement with the Association, Brent says: “I’ve learned a tremendous amount and met some amazing people. And my wife loves it too because she travels with me to most of the events! The RV Industry Association has been an incredibly positive part of my life and I’m very happy that I got involved all those years ago.”
