RVBusiness, January/February 2021

SPONSORED CONTENT From Start up to Industry Leader in Just One Year A visit with Ranger Distribution RDI Founders on their record breaking first year looks at how they became the fastest growing parts distributor in the industry and what is next John Curran Rod Humphreys Brent Diver and Ben Jones of Ranger Distribution Inc RDI created a brand new company and quickly became the fastest growing parts distributor in the RV business in literally one year Q Considering the RV manufacturing and parts distribution business is a very mature industry with a relatively small focused market place how did you guys decide to start RDI up in the first place John Curran We all worked together at Dave Carter and Associates where I was for 24 years I served as CFO and CEO during that time Unfortunately in early 2019 in spite of record growth at the company over the previous fiveyears Dave Carter decided he wouldnt need my services anymore This opened the window of opportunity Having been in the industry for so long and having a real passion for it it just made sense to consider how I could continue to use my background experience and the relationships Id built toward helping the people I had served in the business continue to succeed Im fortunate to know some people who have experience with starting a company and succeeding I had a conversation with them in June of 2019 and secured the financial backing of the group The moment we had it in place I reached out to Brent and Rod the two guys who helped to create the explosive growth that DCA experienced and RDI was born Q What were the keys to the amazing growth youve had over this first year Brent Diver The No 1 one driver is our commitment to our core values and that starts with getting the best people in the industry to come to work with us and to focus on delivering incomparable customer service On time every time Our purpose is to help others succeed and that includes everyone we come in contact with starting with our employees all the way through our customers to our vendor partners Our team is engaged and passionate and that energy transfers to everyone they serve across the board Additionally we knew we had to be creative and innovative Being able to source alternative products that our OEM customers need and finding new suppliers for some that were hard to access really set us apart from our competitors Also we arent afraid to collaborate with others in the industry to ensure we deliver what our customers need like our recent ability to deliver breakers across the board when no one else could We feel that an organization succeeds not because it is big or because it is long established but because there are people in it who live it sleep it dream it and build future plans for it Our customers tell us they can feel the difference Q Whats next for RDI Rod Humphreys There are really no restrictions to our growth We started focusing mostly on electrical Going forward we will expand into areas where we see a real need for better 82 RVBusiness J A N U A R Y F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1 John Curran Rod Humphreys and Ben Diver representation and other alternative product sourcing in the industry We already have plans to build out an additional 100000 square feet of warehouse but we arent in a rush We want to drive execution and consistency every step along the way so we will manage our growth in line with what we know we can deliver effectively We have created some unique processes that allow us to manage both inventory at our warehouse and whats on hand at our customers facilities more efficiently than most others That allows us to make their ordering process more efficient and less expensive This includes some tools that allow us to be ahead of the game when it comes to ordering and preventing back orders Sure there will always be some lag time on certain parts but being able to communicate effectively and keep our customer abreast in real time makes a big difference in their ability to plan production Our next steps are to significantly expand the number of SKUs we offer through our exclusive Buckingham Road and Protecta brands and to continue to deliver an outstanding experience for everyone Q What do you like best about being part of RDI Ben Jones is one of the first Sales Associates to join RDI and is also an equity partner I like the commitment to our core values and the culture of always striving to do better than yesterday This team is the best Ive ever been with in any position Ive had and it gives me great confidence as a sales person out talking to our customers to know that no matter what the issue John Rod Brent and I with our years of experience will come up with a solution The other important thing for me is knowing that my opinion matters These guys Ben Jones listen and I mean really listen and that makes it fun to be a part of it all The partnerships we are creating with our customers and suppliers are always at the center of our decision making process This adds a lot of value to those partnerships on both sides n