Kobelco appoints Ron Hargrave as vice-president, marketing and sales

July 20, 2013
– Kobelco Construction Machinery USA has announced the appointment of Ron Hargrave
as vice-president of marketing and sales. As a returning Kobelco employee
and experienced construction equipment professional, Hargrave brings back to Kobelco
more than 38 years of experience in the industry.

Ron Hargrave, Kobelco's new VP of marketing and sales.

In his new role, Hargrave will spearhead the re-emergence of the Kobelco brand
across North America, overseeing the sales operations of the company, while
building and developing a strong dealer network to represent Kobelco’s full
line of crawler excavators in the 3,000 lb. to 180,000 lb. classes. 

“Kobelco is an innovative organization devoted to manufacturing quality
equipment for today’s competitive marketplace,”
states Hargrave. “I’m passionate about the brand and thankful for the
opportunity to rejoin this world-class organization. We are extremely committed
to quickly gaining market share and providing customers with a second-to-none
level of service.”

Over 14 years of Hargrave’s industry experience comes directly from his prior
employment at Kobelco. He originally joined the company in a dealer
development role, before advancing to senior management where he served as an excavator
sales manager, then general sales manager for the state of Texas. He was later
promoted to vice-president of operations for Kobelco America’s Houston operation,
then to director of sales for New Holland-Kobelco North America, following the
company’s joint venture with Case New Holland and Kobe Steel in 2003. He drove
the successful integration of the Kobelco brand under the CNH umbrella. He also
served on the board for Kobelco-CNH in Carol Stream, Illinois.

Following his years at Kobelco, Hargrave accepted a position as general sales
manager of LiuGong products with the January Group, where he helped establish a
dealer network for the products, while helping the China based company develop
their product line for the North American marketplace. When LiuGong North
America established an independent operation out of Katy, Texas, Hargrave was
hired as president of North American operations to continue developing the
company’s footprint in the United States and Canada.

As Kobelco’s relaunch in North America gains momentum, Hargrave’s comprehensive
experience, leadership and passion for the industry will be vital to the
company’s long-term success. 

“Without question, Ron will be an extremely valuable asset to our executive
team,” states Katsuhiko Morita, president and CEO of Kobelco Construction
Machinery USA. “His excellent credentials and proven track record in the
sales and marketing of Japanese brands in North America will be instrumental in
our efforts to successfully reintroduce Kobelco excavators.”

Related Link
www.kobelco-usa.com