Jost International, manufacturer of fifth wheels and landing gear, has reorganized and added to its sales team to strengthen their focus on meeting commercial vehicle customer requirements. Tom Rosser, Ed Bolis, Garrett Funk and Timothy Oddy, all industry veterans, have joined Jost reporting directly to Rich Carroll, vice president of sales and marketing.
“These four key individuals bring a good mix of experience, enthusiasm and real understanding of our industry that will help us accomplish our goal of continued growth within the North American market by developing new customers and better serving our current customers,” Carroll says.
Rosser joins Jost in the newly created position of director of OEM business development, responsible for identifying and meeting the needs of OE manufacturers for the products Jost offers the commercial vehicle industry, focusing initially on the fifth wheel product line. Rosser’s past industry experience includes senior management positions at R&M Asset Solutions, Fontaine International and Fleetline Products. Immediately prior to accepting the new position with Jost, Rosser was vice president, Southern Region for Mill Steel of Birmingham, Ala.
Bolis, Funk and Oddy, as regional managers, will reinforce Jost’s presence in the field, building on already strong relationships with dealers, distributors and end users. All bring relevant past experience to their new positions with Jost:
• Bolis, Northeast regional manager, has more than 20 years experience in the transportation industry, most recently as district sales manager for Mack Trucks responsible for 13 distributor locations. He also participated in the Bering Truck Corp. startup and held sales and dealer development positions with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck of America.
• Funk, Northwest regional manager, brings 17 years experience in the truck and diesel industry with a strong technical background to his new position at Jost. Immediately prior to joining Jost, Funk was West region manager for The Penray Companies, responsible for sales, technical support, program development, distribution and OEM evolution. Funk is a U.S. Army veteran with work experience as a vehicle technician and shop foreman. He has completed multiple certified training courses and holds a degree in truck and industrial technology from Universal Technical Institute.
• Oddy, Central regional manager, comes to Jost after more 14 years marketing the Kenworth truck brand including as general manager of K&R Truck Sales in Holland, Mich. Most recently Oddy held the position of outside part sales for Central Michigan Kenworth, working with end users identifying and filling their part requirements.
Additionally, Jost has promoted Gary Pothoff to director of service and warranty to support the sales organization with product-related technical assistance when required.
“We were looking to strengthen our sales force in order to bolster our presence in the market and fill the needs of our customers better” says Lee Brace, president of Jost International. “Rich has found excellent people, each of who I am sure will contribute a great deal to our continued success.”
