Ranger Distribution Inc., a multi-line distributor for wire, electrical, plumbing and building products for RV OEMs, hired Mike Steele into its sales team. Executives called Steele among the most well-known and respected people in the industry.
Brent Diver, an RDI founding partner, said the company’s team has long known and respected Steele.
“He has an incredible scope of experience from sales to product development and everything in between,” Diver said. “He is a perfect match for RDI, our culture and what we have planned for our long-term growth.”
Diver said Steele has a special energy and positive attitude that influences everyone around him.
“We are very excited to have him on the team,” Diver said, “and to support him as he continues to build on the broad base of relationships he has across the industry.”
Larry Dorfman, an RDI partner, said Steele will impact the business through leveraging his customer service and sales skills, along with his long-standing relationships within the RV industry.
Steele said he has long-standing relationships with Diver, RDI co-founder Rod Humphreys and others on the RDI team.
“Joining a young organization with a team of veterans who are approaching the business with a distinctively different approach, is really what drew me to RDI,” Steele said. “For me, it is all about having an opportunity to be heard and contribute to the overall success of our customers and the company.”
Steele started his career in 1998 as a middle school teacher and coach. Steele took his mentoring skills into the RV manufacturing industry in 2006, starting at Dehco, Inc., a solar, electronics and appliance supplier.
After a successful start-up of Dehco Commercial, Steele was asked to help grow the newest division of the company, Remis America. Over the years, the company stated he worked to expand his knowledge of the business to include product management and development, cost management and key account development.
In 2015, Steele moved to LaVanture Products Co., where he built relationships with OEM purchasing, production and sales teams, managed major accounts, worked with the purchasing team to add new products and vendors to the company’s offering and helped OEMs successfully manage inventory.
